Johannes Gezelius the Elder

Johannes Gezelius the Elder

Johannes Gezelius the Elder (born February 3, 1615 in Romfartuna , Västmanland , † January 20, 1690 in Turku (Åbo) ) was a Swedish - Finnish Lutheran theologian.

Life

Gezelius, son of a farmer, studied Protestant theology at the universities of Uppsala and Dorpat after attending grammar school in Västerås . In 1638 he acquired the title of master's degree , in 1641 became professor of biblical languages ​​and in 1643 associate professor of theology in Dorpat. On behalf of Queen Christina he took part in various projects for the reconciliation of the denominations, including the Thorner Religious Discussion of 1645. Here he probably met Johann Amos Comenius , whose educational ideas he later tried to realize. However, when Swedish church policy shifted to stricter orthodoxy , Gezelius was called back to Sweden in 1649 and took up a pastorate in Stora Skedvi , Dalarna . In 1660 he took over the position of Superintendent of Livonia , based in Riga . In 1664 he was elected Bishop of Turku and remained in that office until his death. His son of the same name, Johannes Gezelius the Younger , was his successor.

Work and meaning

Gezelius was particularly committed to improving theological training. He placed the greatest emphasis on the sermon , which should be clear and understandable. All pastors had to continue their education regularly. He obliged the parishes to buy books and build libraries. In order to provide them with good literature, he set up a printing company himself. He also reformed the city schools and committed them to the didactic program of Comenius. The Finnish catechism Yxi paras lasten tawara (Children's Best Treasure), which he wrote in 1666, was in use until the 19th century.

Gezelius' most ambitious work was a multi-volume annotated edition of the Bible , the so-called Biblical Works , which he wanted to publish with his son. But the work dragged on for a long time. Only in 1711 and 1713 could the New Testament appear in two parts. The edition of the Old Testament was only completed by his grandson Johannes Gezelius the Youngest (1686–1733).

Fonts (selection)

• Encyclopaedia synoptica . 1672.
• Perbreves commonitiones . 1673
• Casuum conscientiae decisions . 1689.

literature

• Aleksi Lehtonen: The Livonian church order of Johannes Gezelius . 1931.
• Pentti Laasonen: Gezelius vanhempi ja suomalainen taysortodoksia (= Johannes Gezelius the Elder and the Finnish High Orthodoxy ). Suomen Kirkhohist. Seura, [Helsinki] 1977.
• Kari Keinästö: Grammaticae Germanicae Synopsis by Johannes Gezelius the Elder (Turku 1667) and its template: a contribution to the textbook history of German teaching in Finland . Kümmerle, Göppingen 1991
• Marrku Leinonen: Johannes Gezelius vanhempi luonnonmukaisen pedagogiikan soveltajana: Comeniuslainen tulkinta . Jyväskylä 1998.
• Ralph Tuchtenhagen :  Gezelius, Johannes [Johan] Georgii, d. Ä .. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 15, Bautz, Herzberg 1999, ISBN 3-88309-077-8 , Sp. 652-655.
• Markku Leinonen: Johannes Gezelius the Elder and the Comenius-oriented educational renewal in Finland at the end of the 17th century . In: Comenius-Jahrbuch , 9-10, 2001-2002, pp. 99-115.
• Johannes Gezelius the Elder . In: Herman Hofberg, Frithiof Heurlin, Viktor Millqvist, Olof Rubenson (eds.): Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon . 2nd Edition. tape 1 : A-K . Albert Bonniers Verlag, Stockholm 1906, p. 389 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).

Web links

• Pentti Laasonen: Gezelius, Johannes (the elder) (1615–1690)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cf. Methodus informandi in pædagogiis tam ruralibus quam urbicis. ... 1683 . In: Finlandssvenska och baltiska läroverk: urkunder, undersökningar och minnen , ed. v. Rudolf B. Hall (Årsböcker i svensk undervisningshistoria 1941/2, 62.) Stockholm: Föreningen för svensk undervisningshistoria, 1942, pp. 33–48
2. ↑ Online publication: s1.doria.fi .