Abstract

In most Protestant countries, the Reformation was closely connected to the development of vernacular languages and literatures. In Norway under Danish rule, this was not the case. Only in the 19th century, during the nation-building period of independent Norway, a Norwegian ecclesiastical language was developed. Some authors claim that this completed the Reformation in Norway – a protracted Reformation indeed. Particularly important were the hymns of Magnus Brostrup Landstad and Elias Blix.
 This study examines the role of Luther in the Norwegian 19th century national discourse, suggesting a three-phase development: Luther as text, as inspiration, and as argument. The full-blown use of Luther as argument was taken up by proponents of a nynorsk ecclesiastical language only during the final years of the Swedish-Norwegian union, just before its dissolution in 1905.

Highlights

  • This study examines the role of Luther in the Norwegian 19th century national discourse, suggesting a three-phase development: Luther as text, as inspiration, and as argument

  • When Aasen and others started developing a nynorsk ecclesiastical language, they did what Luther did in Germany 350 years earlier

  • This was the bold conclusion of the essay “Da nynorsk vart kyrkjemål” (“When nynorsk became an ecclesiastical language”, Furre 1996; 1997), published on the occasion of the 1996 centennial commemoration of the death of the linguist and language reformer Ivar Aasen (1813–1896) by the late Berge Furre, a professor of history at the University of Tromsø ( Arctic University of Norway) and of church history at the University of Oslo

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Summary

Introduction

When Aasen and others started developing a nynorsk ecclesiastical language, they did what Luther did in Germany 350 years earlier. I want to expand Furre’s thesis: I will argue that through the efforts of Aasen and others, Luther is assigned a role in Norwegian nation-building as well. He does not refer to the changes in law and church order, from Roman Canon law to a Protestant state church system. This development was implemented already in the 16th century. The second concept that may need clarification is “nation-building”, used to characterize certain processes in the formation of modern nation-states. Nation-building is typically a process driven by elites from the (geographical as well as social and political) centre

The Lutheran Reformation in Denmark and Norway
Luther as Text
Luther as Inspiration
Luther as Argument
Luther Belated
Luther and the Protracted Language Reformation
Findings
Works Cited
Full Text
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