Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand (5 August 1585 - 19 April 1652) was a Danish Lutheran clergyman, theologian and professor who served as

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the

Diocese of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a protestant diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into ...

from 1638 until his death. Brochmand was a key founder of the dogmatic system that formed the basis for the

lutheran orthodoxy Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the ''Book of Concord'' and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine Ro ...

in Denmark.

Biography

Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand was born in Køge,

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. He attended Herlufsholm Academy in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

, followed by training as a theological student in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city o ...

and the

University of Franeker The University of Franeker (1585–1811) was a university in Franeker, Friesland, the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University. History Also known as ''Academia Franekerensis ...

. He returned to Copenhagen in 1608 to serve as Rector of Herlufsholm Academy. In 1610, he became a Professor Pædagogicus at

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

, professor of Greek in 1613 and a member of the

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

faculty in 1615. In 1617 he was appointed tutor to Crown Prince Christian, eldest son of King

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

, returning to the university three years later. He was ordained Bishop of Zealand (''Bisperække for Sjællands stift'') in 1639. During his long and fruitful activity in this office, he reorganized the worship service of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

, especially by abolishing the Latin choir and by introducing Wednesday services during

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...

. At this same time, Denmark-Norway was impacted by the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

efforts of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

through propaganda generated by the scholastic revival. Brochmand made the controversy with

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

a subject of his public lectures. In 1626–28, he published his ''Controversiæ sacræ'' (3 parts), a reply in the style of Lutheran scholasticism to

Cardinal Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine, SJ ( it, Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 3 ...

's attacks on the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. In 1634, at the king's order, he engaged in a

polemic Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topic ...

with the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, who endeavored to defend the conversion of Christian William, Margrave of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.Carl Frederik Bricka: ''Brochmand, Jesper Rasmussen, 1585-1652, Biskop'' (Dansk biografisk Lexikon / III)
/ref>Against this pamphlet Brochmand delivered a series of lectures which, after his death, were collected and published under the title ''Apologiæ, speculi veritatis confutatio'' (1653). His reputation as a dogmatist was established by his ''Systema universae theologiae'' (2 vols., 1633) in which he proved himself a firm opponent, not only of the Roman Catholics, but also of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

. He wrote several devotional works, of which his ''Sabbati sanctificatio'' was for more than two centuries a favorite collection of sermons with the Danish people.

Selected works

* ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars I'' (1626) * ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars II'' (1627) * ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars III: Akropolis pontificatus'' (1628) * ''Systema universae theologiae didacticae, polemicae, moralis'' (1633) * ''Lychnos logou prophetikou oppositus veritatis pontificiae speculo'' (1634) * ''Päpstischer Warheit'' (1638) * ''Sabbati sanctificatio aller Gudelig Betaenkning over alle Evangelier og Epistler paa Sondage og alle hellige Dage'' (1638) * ''Apologiae speculi veritatis confutatio'' (1653)

Note

References

External links

''Caspar Rasmussen Brochmand'' (Post-Reformation Digital History)

''Rektorer 1537-1850'' (University of Copenhagen)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brochmand, Jesper Rasmussen 1585 births 1652 deaths 17th-century Danish clergy 17th-century Danish writers People from Køge Municipality Danish Lutheran bishops Danish Lutheran theologians 17th-century Latin-language writers Lutheran sermon writers 17th-century Lutheran bishops Rectors of the University of Copenhagen Burials at the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen 16th-century Lutheran theologians 17th-century Lutheran theologians Early modern Christian devotional writers

Biography

Selected works

Note

References

Related Reading

External links