Thomas von Westen (13 September 1682 – 9 April 1727) was a Norwegian

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

priest and missionary. He was a driving force in the Sami mission, and founded the education institution ''Seminarium Scholasticum'', the later Seminarium Lapponicum, in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

Personal life

Von Westen was born in

in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. He was the son of Arnoldus von Westen (1643–1698) and his second wife, Inger Marie Thomasdatter Meyer. His father was a pharmacist at Løveapoteket

Apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

. His grandfather had been mayor of Trondheim.

Career

Von Westen attended Trondheim Cathedral School and was educated for the priesthood at the

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

where he took his Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1698. He received his Cand.theol. in 1699. After completing his education, he started working as a priest in Helgeland. In 1709, he was appointed vicar of Veøy in

Romsdal Romsdal is a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named after ...

. Along with his friend and fellow priest Nils Engelhart, von Westen was an active participant of an association of priests which they named ''Syvstjernen''. Established in 1713, ''Syvstjernen'' was an association of the seven priests in Romsdal. The group met regularly to establish mutual support and to advance the principals of

Pietism 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 an ...

(). He was also a pioneer of

Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

among Sami people in Norway. He undertook three trips to northern Norway between 1716 and 1723. He also educated Sami boys to become teachers. During 1717, he founded a school at his home in Trondheim which he called "Seminarium domesticum". The school closed after Westen died in 1727; however, it served as a model for the later Seminarium Lapponicum which operated between 1752–1774.

References

Other sources

*Sæter, Ivar (1926) ''Thomas von Westen (1926) Finnefolket sande ven, Læreren og videnskapsmanden'' (Oslo: Gyldendal) *Grankvist, Rolf (2003) ''Seminarium Lapponicum Fredericianum i Trondheims-miljoet'' (Trondheim: DKNVS) {{DEFAULTSORT:Westen, Thomas von 1682 births 1727 deaths Clergy from Trondheim People educated at the Trondheim Cathedral School University of Copenhagen alumni 18th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy Norwegian Lutheran missionaries People in Sámi history People from Sør-Trøndelag Lutheran missionaries in Europe Protestant missionaries in Norway

Personal life

Career

See also

References

Other sources