Religious Underground An Examination of The Moravian Society in Copenhagen (1739-1747)

Defence of PhD Thesis by Sigrid Nielsby Christensen.

Read thesis (PDF)

 

I 1740’ernes København ulmede en religiøs undergrund, repræsenteret af Det Københavnske Brødresocietet – en gren af den herrnhutiske brødremenighed. Ved hjælp af et upubliceret kildemateriale fra Societetets egne dagbøger, breve og medlemslister anlægger afhandlingen et perspektiv nedefra og en mikrohistorisk tilgang. Den afslører at der mellem Det Kgl. Vajsenhus og Societetet var en tæt forbindelse, som tidligere har henligget i mørke, i nogen grad skjult, men kan åbne for en ny forståelse. Afhandlingen viser, hvordan brødrenes betoning af lægmandskristendom samt en praksis med løsenord, selvprøvelse, indbyrdes sjælesorg og syndsforladelse udfordrede statskirkens autoritet og introducerede nye menighedsfællesskaber med en kristocentrisk teologi. Samtidig ses, at statsmagtens forsøg på at begrænse Societetet paradoksalt nok styrkede dets indre struktur og skabte nye former for menighedsliv. Afhandlingen giver dermed et fornyet indblik i, hvordan denne religiøse undergrund påvirkede dansk kirkehistorie.

 

 

In the 1740s, a religious underground was emerging in Copenhagen, representing the Moravian Society in Copenhagen – a branch of the Moravian Church. Drawing on unpublished source material from the Society's diaries, letters, and membership catalogs, this thesis adopts a bottom-up perspective and a microhistorical approach. The findings reveal a long-obscured and partly concealed connection between the Royal Orphanage (Det Kongelige Vajsenhus) and the Copenhagen Society, offering a novel perspective on their relationship. The thesis demonstrates how the Society's emphasis on lay Christianity and the practices of daily watchword, self-examination, mutual pastoral care, and absolution challenged the authority of the state church and introduced new congregational communities grounded in a Christocentric theology. Concurrently, the thesis illustrates that the state's attempts to restrict the activities of the Copenhagen Society paradoxically strengthened its internal structure and nurtured new forms of congregational life. The PhD thesis thus provides new insights into how this religious underground influenced Danish church history.

 

Supervisor

  • Associate professor, dr.theol. Tine Ravnsted-Larsen Reeh

Assessment committee

  • PhD, Independent Researcher, Christina Petterson
  • Professor Sivert Angel, Oslo Universitet, Norway
  • Associate Professor Sven Rune Havsteen, University of Copenhagen (Chair)

After the defence, there will be a reception at Markedspladsen.