Peter Spaak (6 June 1696 - 2 December 1769) was a Swedish Protestant Reformer. Challenging the Lutheran orthodoxy as an early proponent of freedom of religion in Sweden, he founded the society of

Pietists Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

based in the

Diocese of Gothenburg The Diocese of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs stift) is a diocese of the Church of Sweden. Since March 2018, the bishop has been Susanne Rappmann. The diocese includes the provinces of Bohuslän, Halland, and south-west parts of Västergötland. The ...

, a society part of which was later integrated into the Church of Sweden.

Biography

Peter

Spaak {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2018 Spaak is a family originating from Bohuslän, Sweden, with notable branches in Belgium, France, and Italy.Paul De Zuttere, ''Famille Spaak'', dans : L'Intermédiaire des Généalogistes, n°385, Bruxelles, January ...

was born 1696 in Uddevalla,

Bohuslän Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...

, Sweden. His father Elias Jonæ Spaak served as the local

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

and Deputy Customs Chief Inspector, and his maternal grandfather was the

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

Johan Larsson Crantzberg. Peter Spaak's brother Magnus Spaak (1699–1768) emigrated to Brussels, Belgium, becoming the primogenitor of the family cadet branch there, including his nephew :fr:Jacques Joseph Spaak (1742-1825). Peter Spaak was married twice. The first time was to Clara Charlotta Esberg, daughter of

Zacharias Esberg the older Zechariah most often refers to: * Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah * Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to: People * Zechari ...

, bishop electus of the

Diocese of Växjö The Diocese of Växjö ( sv, Växjö stift) is one of the 13 dioceses or regional units of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. It was also a former Roman Catholic bishopric. Lutheran diocese Diocese of Växjö is situated in southern Sweden and inclu ...

and sister of

Zacharias Esberg the Younger Zechariah most often refers to: * Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah * Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to: People * Zechari ...

, vicar of Uddevalla. His second marriage was to Ingrid Maria

Bagge Bagge is a family name of predominantly Scandinavian origin. It may refer to: Families *Bagge family, Swedish family originating from Marstrand, Bohuslän, 16th century *Bagge baronets, Baronetage of the United Kingdom, created in 1867 Other *And ...

, daughter of Eva Christina Radhe

Palmencrona Palmencrona was a Swedish noble family from Gothenburg, Sweden. Captain Lars Palmencrona (1670-1724), his wife Ingrid Palmencrona (née Bagge) (1660-1721) as well as her issue were ennobled (No. 1559) in 1718 by King Charles XII Charles XI ...

, and great granddaughter of

Nils Fredriksson Bagge Bagge is a Swedish family originally of Norwegian background from Marstrand, Bohuslän, by Nils Fredriksson Bagge, burgher and mayor of Marstrand in the 17th century. According to ''Danmarks Adels Aarbog'', the yearbook of the Danish Nobility, enn ...

, Mayor of Marstrand. Professionally, Spaak served as Chief Inspector of the

Customs service Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

, and

in Uddevalla. Influenced by the pietism of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

theologian

Johann Konrad Dippel Johann Konrad Dippel, also spelled Johann Conrad Dippel (10 August 1673 – 25 April 1734), was a German Pietist theologian, physician, alchemist and occultist. Life Dippel was born at Castle Frankenstein near Mühltal and Darmstadt, and theref ...

, along with

Thomas Leopold Thomas Leopold (born 1693 near Kristianstad, Scania, died 1771 in Kungälv) was one of the prophets and martyrs of the Swedish Pietist movement during the 18th century. Leopold's father Sigfrid had immigrated from Germany, and his mother was th ...

and

Johan Stendahl Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

, Peter Spaak became one of the most prominent early proponents of the movement in Sweden. Originally, the new ideas were met with much opposition, culminating in the Conventicle Act in 1726. Like Leopold and Stendahl, at one time Spaak was threatened with prison sentence for heresy. However, contrary to the fate of the former two he was eventually relieved of the allegations, attributed to his contacts with the authorities, including notably family connections to clerics such as Zacharias Esberg the older and Zacharias Esberg the Younger, as well as

Jacob Benzelius Jakob Benzelius (25 February 1683 in Uppsala – 29 June 1747) was Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1744 to his death. Biography Jakob Benzelius was the son of Archbishop Erik Benzelius the Elder (1632–1714) and Margaretha Odh ...

and Erik Benzelius the younger, the latter both subsequent

archbishops of Uppsala This article lists the archbishops of Uppsala. Before the Reformation * 1164–1185: Stefan * 1185–1187: Johannes * 1187–1197: Petrus * 1198–1206: Olov Lambatunga * 1207–1219: Valerius * 1219 (1224)–1234: Olov Basatömer * 1236–1 ...

. The movement gained significant influence throughout the

. Spaak established a society based in Uddevalla. For a period from 1734 onwards, Spaak resided in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, where he came in contact with the

Skevikare Skevikare, or ''Skevikarna'', was a Swedish Radical Pietist Christian community founded in ca. 1722 by the "Eriksson brothers", two Swedish Army officers. After initial prosecution by the Lutheran Orthodox authorities, they went on exile in D ...

radicals on Värmdö. Around this time,

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

meetings evaluated the influences of Pietism in the realm, having gained supporters also among mainline Protestant clergy, with Spaak, Sven Rosén, and others making early appeals to freedom of religion in opposition to the staunch Lutheran orthodoxy. Peter Spaak died 1769 in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. Soon after, the initial criticism by the state authorities against the perceived cultural radicalism of the dissident Petists was relaxed, and the movement gained more popularity, right up to the Royal court. King Gustav III visited the Skevikare incognito in 1779. King Gustav IV Adolf made an official visit in 1797 with "tokens of appreciation". With time, Pietism was eventually reevaluated as a legitimate expression of Lutheranism. By consequence, following the increased acceptance by the mainstream Protestant society, in the mid-19th century, a part of the Pietist movement was fully integrated into the official Evangelical- Lutheran Church of Sweden, although another part would persist in Radical Pietist deference into a Uddevalla local predecessor of the Protestant Uniting Church in Sweden, independent of the state church. Subsequent to the great fire of Uddevalla in 1806, a stone house was erected for the Pietist adherents which gave the street block its name, ''Herrnhut''. The building, later purchased by the municipality, remained until another fire in the 1980s.Uddevalla Missionsförsamlings 100-årsskrift (1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaak, Peter 1696 births 1769 deaths 17th-century Swedish people 18th-century Swedish people Age of Liberty people People from Uddevalla Municipality Postmasters Swedish Protestants Pietists 17th-century Lutheran theologians 18th-century Lutheran theologians

Biography

See also

References