Johan Christian Heuch or J. C. Heuch (23 March 1838–13 February 1904) was a Norwegian bishop in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

and politician for the Conservative Party.

Personal life

He was born in Kragerø, Norway as the son of merchant and politician Johan Christian Heuch (1794–1843) and his wife Christine Elisabeth Bonnevie (1803–1863). His paternal grandfather

Peter Andreas Heuch Peter Andreas Heuch (18 April 1756 – 5 December 1825) was a Norwegian merchant. Heuch was a ship-owner based in the coastal town of Kragerø in Telemark county, Norway. He was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway. He also helped ...

(1756–1825) was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway. On the maternal side he was a great-grandson of Honoratus Bonnevie and a first cousin of Jacob Aall Bonnevie; the latter was the father of zoologist Kristine Elisabeth Heuch Bonnevie. In December 1861, he married Kirsten Anna Janette Elieson (1839–1913), a daughter of jurist and politician

John Collett Postumus Elieson John Collett Postumus Elieson (21 February 1810 – 27 May 1876) was a Norwegian jurist and politician. Elieson was born at Rygge in Østfold, Norway. He worked as an attorney and later district stipendiary magistrate in Drammen. He was electe ...

. Their daughter Kristine Elisabeth married barrister

Fredrik Moltke Bugge Frederik Moltke Bugge (16 January 1865 – 8 November 1938) was a Norwegian barrister and politician. Personal life He was born in Haram as a son of bishop Frederik Wilhelm Klumpp Bugge and Edvardine Magdalene Margrethe Daae. He was a grandson ...

.''Hvem er hvem?'' 1912
/ref> Other direct descendants of J. C. Heuch include ceramicist

Hanne Heuch Hanne Heuch (born 1 June 1954) is a Norwegian ceramist. She was born in Oslo, and is the great-granddaughter of bishop Johan Christian Heuch. She took her education at the Norwegian National Academy of Crafts and Design (now a part of the Bergen ...

Career

Despite the merchant background of his family, J. C. Heuch embarked on an academic career. His father died before J. C. turned five years old, and at the age of fifteen he moved to Christiania to be educated. He finished his secondary education in 1856 when he received his examen artium. He then graduated from the Royal Frederick University with the

cand.theol. Candidatus theologiæ (male), Candidata theologiæ (female), abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six-year higher education in theology in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. In Norway, the title has re ...

degree in 1861. Among his lecturers at the university was the orthodox Lutheran

Gisle Johnson Gisle Christian Johnson (10 September 1822 – 17 July 1894) was a leading 19th-century Norwegian theologian and educator. Biography Gisle Christian Johnson was born at Fredrikshald (now Halden) in Østfold, Norway. He grew up at Kristiansand ...

. Because of health issues, Heuch did not intend to work as a clergyman; however he was headhunted by priest and writer Jørgen Moe, and worked under him as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in the parish of Bragernes. He was ordained in 1865. In 1869, he followed Moe to his new position in the parish of Vestre Aker. Due to his health he had to take a sabbatical in Rome from 1873 to 1874, but when he returned to Norway he was hired as a priest working in municipal and private institutions of Christiania. Starting in 1875, he was also a teacher at the Practical-Theological Seminary at the Royal Frederick University. He also edited the magazines ''Luthersk Kirketidende'' from 1875 and ''

Luthersk Ugeskrift ''Luthersk Ugeskrift'' ("Lutheran Weekly") was an ecclesiastical periodical issued from 1877 to 1893. History and profile ''Luthersk Ugeskrift'' was established in 1877 by Wilhelm Bugge and Johan Christian Heuch, who both later served as bishops. ...

'' from 1877. He was hired as the vicar of Uranienborg in Christiania in 1880, and his sermons became well-attended. Theologically, he was orthodox, like his former lecturer Gisle Johnson. He became known for the 1883 publication ''Vantroens Væsen'', the printing of a series of lectures from 1881 where he denounced

infidel An infidel (literally "unfaithful") is a person accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or the irreligious. Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church ...

ity. He later issued ''Kirken og vantroen'' (1888). He referred to

Jens Jonas Jansen Jens Jonas Elstrand Jansen (8 March 1844 – 1 August 1912) was a Norwegian priest, teacher and columnist. Biography He was born in Hobøl as a son of priest David Middelthon Jansen and his wife Eleonore Cathrine Elstrand. In May 1883 he married ...

, a priest on the liberal side of the spectrum, as a "dangerous" man in 1902. Other adversaries of his in the public debate were Arne Garborg, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (whom he nonetheless knew on a personal level), Georg Brandes, and liberal ideologist

Ernst Sars Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars (11 October 1835 – 27 January 1917) was a Norwegian professor, historian, author and editor. His main work was ''Udsigt over den norske Historie'', four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines ...

Politically, he belonged to the Conservative Party, strongly supporting High Church Lutheranism against the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

movement affiliated with the Liberal, and later, Moderate Liberal parties. He was selected as a member of the central committee of the Conservative Party at its foundation in 1884. For the term 1889–1891 he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament, representing the constituency of ''Kristiania, Hønefoss og Kongsvinger'', and when Emil Stang became Prime Minister, Heuch took his seat in Parliament. In 1889, Heuch was appointed as the new bishop of the

Diocese of Kristiansand In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. The laity movement had a stronghold in this part of the country, and despite the fear of some, Heuch came to terms with these parts of the Church. He became a popular bishop, especially when visiting the parishes. He remained bishop until his death in 1904.

Honors

He was a Commander, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav from 1896, and held the Grand Cross of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star. The road ''Biskop Heuchs vei'' in Nordre Aker has been named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heuch, Johan Christian 1838 births 1904 deaths Bishops of Agder og Telemark 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran bishops 20th-century Norwegian Lutheran bishops Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Politicians from Oslo University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo People from Kragerø Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Norwegian expatriates in Italy Norwegian magazine founders