Ebbe Gustaf Bring (4 July 1814 – 13 August 1884) was a Swedish

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 ...

in the

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 Swed ...

and

theologian 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 th ...

Biography

Bring was born in

Askersund Askersund is a locality and the seat of Askersund Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with a population census of 3,887 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Askersund is a popular tourist destination with swimming and nature experiences. The cit ...

Örebro County Örebro County ( sv, Örebro län) is a county or ''län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly no ...

in 1814, to

city physician City physician ( German: ; , , from Latin ) was a historical title in the Late Middle Ages for a physician appointed by the city council. The city physician was responsible for the health of the population, particularly the poor, and the sanit ...

and assessor Sven Håkan Bring and Ulrika (Ulla) Sofia Silfverswärd. He married Maria Ulrika (Ulla) Ehrenborg, sister of writer Betty Ehrenborg, in 1841. Bring was the father of lawyer as well as grandfather of artist Maj Bring; he was also cousin of . Bring enrolled at

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 durin ...

in 1829 and at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de con ...

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

and

moral theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...

in 1837 and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

the same year. In 1844 he was appointed adjunct theology professor and in the same year provost of his own

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

es. From 1839 to 1847 he held various professorships in the Faculty of Theology almost continuously, and in 1848 he was appointed professor of

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as a ...

and in 1856 also dean of

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) 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 archi ...

. In 1861 he was appointed bishop of Linköping; in 1860 he received his doctorate in theology, and in 1870 he was elevated to the second rank on the proposal of archbishop. He had an interest in

public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

and

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

and was a member of

Pro Fide et Christianismo (full name , ) is a Christian association within the Church of Sweden. The organization was an "informal or semi-official national school board" prior to the founding of Sweden's public education system and made a significant impact on Sweden's ...

, a Christian education society. As a councillor for the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chu ...

, he was a member of the clergy in the 1853 and 1856

Riksdag of the Estates Riksdag of the Estates ( sv, Riksens ständer; informally sv, Ståndsriksdagen) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to ...

, where he was a member in his own right in 1862–1863 and 1865–1866. During the first of these assemblies he was a member of the clergy's individual committee (pastoral department), during the second and third of the Committee on Civil Law and during the fourth of the

Committee on the Constitution The Committee on the Constitution ( sv, konstitutionsutskottet) (KU) is a parliamentary committee in the Swedish Riksdag. The committee's responsibilities include examining issues relating to the Swedish Constitution and Administrative laws, as ...

. At the of 1868, 1873 and 1883 he was vice-president, but at the General Synod of 1878 he had withdrawn from all positions of trust due to illness. Bring was also a member of several committees: for the preparation of proposals for new sermon texts (1850), for the revision of the

agenda Agenda may refer to: Information management * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed and acted upon, displayed as a list * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group * Lotus Agenda, a DOS-based personal information manager * Per ...

and catechism (1852), as well as for the preparation of a new catechism (1869 and 1875). He also supported the revision of the 1819 hymnal.

Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norwe ...

's three eldest sons were prepared by him for their

first Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin Church tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communi ...

. As bishop, he held clerical meetings in 1862, 1868, 1874 and 1882. Bring was one of the most prominent defenders of the

high church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originat ...

movement in Sweden. In political matters as well, he remained on the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

side. Together with Hans Magnus Melin, Bring published ' in 1841–1842 and, with

Anton Niklas Sundberg Anton Niklas Sundberg (27 May 1818, Uddevalla – 2 February 1900) was a Lutheran clergyman, and the Church of Sweden archbishop of Uppsala 1870–1900. Biography He acquired a doctor of philosophy and theology degree at Uppsala Universi ...

and , in 1855–1863. These journals feature several of his contributions. Among his other writings may be mentioned (1851), (1862) and (1865). (See also Gottfrid Billing's "" (1886).) Bring died in Linköping in 1884 and is buried at Norra griftegården.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bring, Ebbe Gustaf 1814 births 1884 deaths Rectors of Lund University Lutheran theologians Lutheran bishops of Linköping 19th-century Swedish Lutheran bishops Pietists Members of the Riksdag of the Estates