Gripla - 2019, Page 224

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bestowed upon Guðbrandur, which he used both in writing and speaking
for the benefit of the church. The fifth similarity is that neither enjoyed a
smooth course through life, but thanks to their endowments and strength,
both managed to emerge unscathed from their various struggles and diffi-
culties. Moses fought for about forty years; and it would be tedious for the
foreign reader to relate in detail the tribulation that Guðbrandur had to en-
dure because of his printing-office, and how he finally struggled to escape
from a bitter and contumacious secular strife which had lasted for more
than 50 years. According to Arngrímur none of his fellow-countrymen
was unaware of this; but he abstains from dwelling on the subject, to avoid
reopening the wounds of the bishop’s friends and excite afresh his adver-
saries’ memory of a lost victory, so stirring up a hornet’s nest. Therefore
the author finds it advisable to refer us to his own work, Crymogæa, for
further information and to describe instead the more peaceful work of the
bishop for the benefit of the church, causing less upset or tedium to read-
ers of good will.10 But before doing so he seeks to conclude his comparison
with the story of Samuel already touched upon.
As in the case of Moses, the comparison with Samuel is presented in
a most systematic fashion. It is divided into three areas; first the inter-
pretation of the name of Samuel, secondly a discussion of his vocation,
and thirdly the contumacy shown to him by his fellow-countrymen. As
regards the interpretation of the name, the author finds three ways to
compare it to Guðbrandur. First of all it signifies that Samuel’s mother had
entreated God with sighs and tears to grant her a son – something which
Guðbrandur’s parents had undoubtedly done in their loathing of the papist
religion and their desire that in response to their tears and imploring God
should send them a herald of the pure faith. To enhance the importance of
the comparison, the Icelandic church is even said to have ardently begged,
like another Anna, for offspring to make the little, newly kindled torch
of God’s word shine more brightly. In its sterility the church had been
granted Guðbrandur – by which statement the reader is led to the second
etymological interpretation of Samuel, that God listened to the church in
this great matter. For the third interpretation Arngrímur refers to his old
friend David Chytraeus (1530–1600), who maintained that God was in
10 The full title of Arngrímur’s work is Crymogaea sive rerum Islandicarum Libri III. Per
Arngrimum Jonam Islandum (Hamburg: Typis Philippi ab Ohr, 1609).