Mikko Juva

Juva Medal created by Terho Sakki

Mikko Einar Juva (born November 22, 1918 in Kokkola , † January 1, 2004 in Turku ) was a Finnish historian , politician and Lutheran theologian , most recently archbishop of his church.

Life

As the son of history professor Einar W. Juva (1892–1966), Mikko Juva also first studied history in Turku, but switched to studying theology at the University of Helsinki in 1939 (under the impression of being part of the Christian Student Union ) . Interrupted by his service as a soldier and a year of study in Gettysburg in the USA, he completed his studies with a dissertation in history (1950) and in theology (1955). He first worked as a student pastor , was 1957–1962 as successor to his father Professor of Nordic History at the University of Turku and 1962–1978 Professor of Church History at the University of Helsinki. His most important scientific work is a five-volume history of the Finnish people ( Suomen kansan historia , 1964–67), which he wrote with his father.

In the general election in Finland in 1962 Juva was a deputy of the People's Party of Finland in the Parliament elected. When the party united in 1965 with the Liberal Bund to form the Liberal People's Party ( Liberaalinen Kansanpuolue ), Juva took over its chairmanship. In the parliamentary elections in 1966 , however, he could not win a mandate and in 1968 gave up the party leadership and political engagement altogether. 1971–1973 he was rector of his university, 1973–1978 chancellor . He also held important positions in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF): 1963–1970 as chairman of the Theological Commission, 1970–1978 as president. Here he particularly advocated the opening of the LWF to the churches from the southern hemisphere.

In 1978 Juva was elected Archbishop of Turku and thus spiritual director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland . A particular concern for him was the opening of his church to society. In 1982 he took early retirement to return to writing. In 1994 he published his memoirs ( Seurasin nuoruuteni Näkyä: muistettavaa vuosilta 1939-82 ).

Juva was married to the physician Riitta Eleonora Brofeldt from 1946, and from 1991 to the agrologist Maisu Maija-Liisa Hägglund.

Honors

Juva was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland . The universities of Lund , Cluj , Rostock and Turku as well as the St. Olaf College in Northfield (Minnesota) awarded him an honorary doctorate .

Publications (in English or German)

• Suomen sivistyneistö uskonnollisen vapaamielisyyden murroksessa 1848-1869. (Summary: The Educated Classes of Finland in the Crisis of Religious Liberalism 1848-1869.) . Helsinki, Diss., 1950
• Varsinais-Suomen seurakuntaelämä puhdasoppisuuden hallitsemina vuosisations (1600-1808). [Summary: The country parish in Finland Proper during Lutheran orthodoxy (1600-1808)] . Helsinki, Theol. Diss., 1955.
• Martti Rautanen, the Apostle of Ovamboland . In: Aarne A Koskinen u. A .: Studia Fennica missio logica I . Helsinki 1957.
• Valtiokirkosta kansankirkoksi: suomen kirkon vastaus kahdeksankymmentäluvun haasteeseen (Summary: From the state church into the people's church) . Helsinki 1960.
• The Church of Finland . Pieksämäki: Bible House, 1963.
• A thousand years of Finland . London: G. Allen and Unwin, 1968.
• The Christian concern for world peace . In: The Inaugural event of the Stewart Winfield Herman Endowment for Mission: addresses presented at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, April, 1982 . Chicago 1982.

literature

• Norman A. Hjelm, Prasanna Kumari, Jens Holger Schjørring (eds.): From the World Federation to Community. History of the Lutheran World Federation 1947–1997 , Hanover 1997, pp. 397–403.

Web links

Commons : Mikko Juva  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Obituary on the LWF ( Internet Archive ) website
• Article in Biografiskt lexikon för Finland (Swedish)