Jakob Benzelius

Jakob Benzelius

Jakob Benzelius , sometimes Jacob Benzelius (born February 26, 1683 in Uppsala , † June 19, 1747 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish Lutheran theologian and Archbishop of Uppsala .

family

Benzelius belongs to the important family of theologians Benzelius . His father Erik Benzelius the Elder was a theology professor in Uppsala and later Archbishop, his mother Margaretha Odhelia (1653–1693) was a granddaughter of Archbishop Petrus Kenicius . Three of their children were ennobled by the name Benzelstierna and held high secular offices, while Jakob, the successor to his brother Erik and the predecessor of his brother Henrik, was archbishop and thus the highest dignitary of the Church of Sweden .

Benzelius married Catharina Edenberg (1693–1765) in 1709, who was also a descendant of the Archbishops Petrus Kenicius and Johannes Canuti Lenaeus (1573–1669). Her sons were also ennobled in 1747 and have been called Benzelstierna since then. Their daughter Margareta married the bishop Johannes Engeström (1699–1777).

Life

Benzelius studied at Uppsala University and obtained his master's degree in philosophy in 1703 . He then worked as an adjunct at the university before going on a study trip to Germany, France and Holland from 1707 to 1709. After his return he worked again at Uppsala University and had the parish of Uppsala-Näs as prebender . In 1718 he was appointed professor of theology at Lund University and in 1722 was rector. In 1725 he received his doctorate theologiae . In 1731 he succeeded his brother Erik Benzelius the Younger Bishop of Gothenburg . When he died in 1743 before taking office as Archbishop of Uppsala, Jakob succeeded him in 1744. He baptized Crown Prince Gustav (later King Gustav III ) in 1745 . In 1747 he died during the Reichstag in Stockholm, but was buried in Uppsala Cathedral.

Work and meaning

Benzelius had a lasting influence primarily through his theological textbooks, which were written in the spirit of Lutheran Orthodoxy . His Epitome repetitionis theologicæ (first 1734, also in Swedish) was reprinted well into the 19th century and used in school lessons. He turned particularly sharply against followers of Pietism such as Johann Konrad Dippel and Erik Tolstadius (1693–1759). As a member of the Reichstag, he supported the Hattarne party .

literature

• G. Walli: Jacob Benzelius . In: Svenskt biografiskt lexikon vol. 3, 1922, p. 256ff online resource .

predecessor	Office	successor
Erik Benzelius the Younger	Archbishop of Uppsala 1744–1747	Henrik Benzelius