Anders Bendssøn Dall ( Latinized as Andreas Benedictus Dallinus) was a Danish

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

who served as

Bishop of Oslo The Diocese of Oslo is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. ...

from 1601 to 1607. He played an important role in proposing a new church ordinance for the Norwegian Church to have more autonomy from the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of ...

Early life and education

Dall was born in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

around 1550; his parents' names are unknown. After entering the priesthood, he studied at the

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

and other foreign universities. In 1591, after several years as a parish priest, Dall returned to the University of Copenhagen, receiving his

magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

Priesthood

Dall began his priestly career in the early 1580s in Denmark, first as the parish priest in Eltang and Vilstrup, before becoming pastor in

Kolding Kolding () is a Denmark, Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industria ...

in 1586. During his time in Kolding, he authored a large manuscript entitled Theologia Davidica, and a book of sermons on the Books of Psalms. In 1590, he became vicar of the Church of the Holy Ghost in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In 1591, after being awarded his magister degree, he was appointed court preacher of

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 and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

, King of Denmark and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. He accompanied the king on his trip to Norway in 1598. During the 1590s, Dall published several translations of theological writings, and also translated an account of Christian IV's coronation.

Episcopacy

Dall was appointed

in Spring 1600, and was installed in 1601. As bishop, he worked to clarify

church canons Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. Canon law includes the i ...

and issues involving church finances. It is believed that he was also the most prominent figure in proposing a separate church ordinance that would give the

independence from the

. On 2 January 1604, Dall and three other Norwegian bishops gathered to discuss the proposal, and Dall personally met with King Christian IV to represent the Norwegian Church. Dall led negotiations in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

between 22 April and 19 May 1604, and a draft of a new ordinance became the basis of the proposal that was presented to the king that same year. Dall and the other bishops, in authoring the ordinance, had considered some new theological positions, including a controversial understanding of baptism, and stricter church discipline with more power centered with the bishops. Church historian Tarald Rasmussen described Dall's theological views as an example of "early absolutist

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of th ...

." Ultimately, the ordinance presented to the king was rejected. A new, more moderate document was authored in Copenhagen by the Church's

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

in consultation with university professors. The new draft was approved by the king in 1607. Besides his proposal for the new church ordinance, not much is known about Dall's time as bishop. It is known that he served as a canon judge at the

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

for some time. In addition, he was involved in disputes over property lines in Aker in 1602 and again in 1606. He also advanced a plan to improve the

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

school system by imposing a new tax on all commercial farms, but the proposal was never implemented. Dall died in office on 18 April 1607, in his mid-50s.

Personal life

Dall was married to Anne Pedersdatter, who died in 1626. In 1603, he and his wife donated a silver

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

to St. Hallvard's Cathedral. The cathedral has since fallen into ruin, and the chalice was transferred to the

Oslo Cathedral Oslo Cathedral () — formerly Our Savior's Church () — is the main church for the Church of Norway Diocese of Oslo, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694 to 1697. The Norwegian royal family and th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dall, Anders Bendsson 1550 births 1607 deaths 16th-century Danish Lutheran clergy 16th-century Lutheran theologians 16th-century Danish writers 17th-century Danish Lutheran clergy 17th-century Danish writers 17th-century Lutheran bishops 17th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy Bishops of Oslo Danish emigrants to Norway Danish expatriates in Norway Danish Lutheran bishops Danish Lutheran missionaries 17th-century Danish translators University of Copenhagen alumni Translators of the Bible into Danish Translators to Danish Translators to Norwegian Missionary linguists