Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.01.1991, Side 74

Jónas Gíslason
Mig langar til þess að ljúka þessum orðum mínum með því að segja frá
atviki, sem átti sér stað, meðan ég enn var guðfræðistúdent.
Ég var á leið til Noregs til þátttöku í kristilegu móti. Fé var einatt af
skomum skammti á þeim ámm, svo að halda þurfti vel á því, sem
handbært var.
Ég hitti Jóhann og það barst í tal, að ég væri á leið til Noregs á vegum
Kristilegs stúdentafélags. Hann settist niður og skrifaði ávísun, sem hann
rétti mér, um leið og hann sagði:
“Góða ferð og Guð blessi þér ferðina. Ég vona, að þetta komi sér vel.”
Hann hafði engu gleymt frá fyrri ámm og skyldi öðmm betur þarfir
stúdenta.
Ég var tvö hundmð norskum krónum ríkari.
Slíkt vinarbragð gleymist ekki.
Ég bið Guð að blessa minningu Jóhanns Hannessonar.
Summary
Jónas Gíslason writes about his long personal acquaintance with Jóhann
Hannesson, as his student and as his colleague at both the University of
Iceland and within the YMCA Society, and records that he stands greatly
indebted to him. He describes Professor Jóhann Hannesson's career and
his formative years, telling how he received his Christian calling while
studying at a theological college in Norway. It was during this period that
Jóhann Hannesson met his future wife, Astrid Skarpaas, and the author
remarks on how well suited they were to each other. Jóhann Hannesson
studied at the missionary school at Stavanger and eventually went on to
read theology at the University of Iceland, where he graduated in 1936.
he helped found the Students' Christian Society on June 17, 1937, and
became its first chairman. In the summer of 1937, Jóhann Hannesson was
the first Icelander to be ordained as a missionary priest. He studied at
Basle under the intemationally renowned Karl Barth before leaving to
undertake work as a missionary in China. Jónas Gíslason emphasizes the
fact that Jóhann Hannesson had always been of a missionary persuasion in
all his thoughts and deeds. As a teacher, he was especially concemed with
the well-being of his students and had a more substantial formative
influence on them than most of their other instmctors.
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