Rasmus Hjort ( – 17 April 1604) was a Norwegian priest and humanist. Neither his exact birthplace or his parentage are unknown. His training had been associated with Poul Madsen (1527–1590), Bishop of the

Diocese of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a Lutheran diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into th ...

in Denmark. He worked at the

Oslo Cathedral School Schola Osloensis, known in Norwegian language, Norwegian as Oslo Katedralskole (''Oslo Cathedral School'') and more commonly as "Katta",

, where he advanced to rector. From 1562 he served as

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

which Bishop

Frants Berg Frants Berg (1504 – 2 November 1591) was a Danish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Oslo. He was born in Odense, Denmark. He was the son Claus Berg (ca. 1470 – ca. 1532) and his wife Margrethe de Groth. His father was a German bor ...

had ceded to him. He was married to Gidse Frantsdatter Berg, a daughter of Bishop Frants Berg. He is also known for his role as father. In 1613, three of his sons were accused of supporting

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. At that time, strong measures in Denmark and Norway were being made against

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, especially supporters of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, due to fear of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

movement. Two of his sons,

Christoffer Hjort Christoffer Hjort (1561–1616) was a Norwegian clergyman and crypto-Catholic. He served as a vicar in Aker and was the priest at the chapel of Akershus Castle, until he was expelled from the country for Catholicism in 1613. Personal life Hjo ...

, chapel of Akershus Castle and Jacob Hjort, vicar at

Onsøy Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik. History The parish of ''Onsø'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Onsøy w ...

were expelled.

References

Year of birth uncertain 1604 deaths 16th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy Heads of schools in Norway 1520s births {{Norway-reli-bio-stub