HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Uppsala Synod in 1593 was the most important synod of the
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 ...
Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...
. Sweden had gone through its
Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
and broken with Roman Catholicism in the 1520s, but an official
confession of faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The e ...
had never been declared.


History

The synod was summoned to
Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...
by Duke Charles, heir to the Swedish throne. Four
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
s and over 300 priests were also present. The synod was opened on March 1, by Nils Göransson Gyllenstierna, and on the following day Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis, a professor of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
at the
Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...
, was elected chairman. By March 5, the synod had decided to declare the Holy Scripture the sole guideline for religion. The three creeds—the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian—were officially recognized, and the unaltered Lutheran Augsburg Confession (1530) was adopted. After the unanimous acceptance of the unaltered Augsburg Confession, Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis, who was presiding, exclaimed, "Now Sweden is one man, and we all have one Lord and God."N.F. ''Lutheran Cyclopedia'', article,
Upsala, Diet of
, New York: Schrivner, 1899. p. 528-9.
Another important decision was that only the
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 ...
doctrine was to be allowed;
Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
, Roman Catholicism, and
Zwinglianism The theology of Ulrich Zwingli was based on an interpretation of the Bible, taking scripture as the inspired word of God and placing its authority higher than what he saw as human sources such as the ecumenical councils and the church fathers. He ...
were all officially banned. The Catholic-inclined liturgy of King John III of Sweden (1537–1592) was also rejected. On March 15,
Abraham Angermannus Abraham Andersson, usually known under the Latin form of his name, Abrahamus Andreæ Angermannus or just Abraham Angermannus (died in October 1607) was the fourth Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1593 to 1599. He was d ...
was elected Archbishop of Uppsala. The meeting closed on March 20, after its decrees were signed—first by Duke Charles, members of the council, and bishops, and then by representatives from all over the country.


Signatories of the Uppsala Synod

Signatories of the Uppsala Synod were, among others: * Christopherus Stephani Bellinus * Johannes Stephani Bellinus * Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis * Laurentius Paulinus Gothus * Olaus Canuti Helsingius *
Petrus Kenicius Petrus Kenicius (1555 – 3 February 1636) was Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1609 to his death. He got his education from the Universities of Wittenberg and Rostock. In 1589 he was put in prison by King John III of Swe ...
* Olaus Martini * Ericus Erici Sorolainen


References


''Kyrkomöte''
in '' Nordisk familjebok'' (1911) {{Authority control 1593 in Sweden 16th-century church councils 1593 in Christianity Swedish Reformation Protestant councils and synods History of Uppsala