Saga - 2015, Page 73

sem stóðu fram undir 1600. Þá tók siðbreytingin við, þ.e.a.s. lang-
tímaþróunin er allur almenningur tók að mótast af lútherskunni. Sú
saga er ekki til umfjöllunar hér.
Abstract
hjalt i hugason
THe ICeLANDIC ReFORMATION.
A PRIeST’S STORy
The Icelandic Reformation may be seen as a number of steps rather than as an
abrupt revolution. Not only were the existing Catholic priests influenced by their
upbringing and education, unprepared for or even unwilling to abandon their
customary practices, but initially they also lacked the paraphernalia of Protestant -
ism even if they wished to convert. In addition, their congregations had grown up
with the medieval Catholic understanding of how a person achieved harmony
with God, so that priests had occasion to resist the reformatory changes rather
than take part.
The article deals with how one particular priest, Sigurður Jónsson, responded
to the Reformation and was in the end cooperating closely with the first two
Lutheran bishops at Hólar. Sigurður had previously been an important figure in
the Hólar Diocese and was indeed a son of the last Catholic bishop there.
There always came a point in time when individual priests had to take a
stance on Protestant rituals and even lead worship in the vernacular. For Sigurður
Jónsson, this step occurred on easter Sunday, 1554. While he has hitherto been
thought of as reforming relatively late, the article argues that he actually did so
fairly quickly. He had undertaken two trips overseas in service of his father, firstly
while the Reformation was most turbulent in Denmark (1533) and secondly while
it was most turbulent in Iceland (1542), and these experiences had probably con-
vinced him that Lutheranism would be the outcome. He had even had to swear
allegiance to the king in matters of politics, and to some extent of faith. Although
it is uncertain whether he ever became a critical Reformist or was influenced by
Lutheranism during his latter trip abroad, he was definitely affected by Human -
ism and on the second trip was in close contact with the man who later became
the first Lutheran bishop at Skálholt.
Despite the various steps and the time Sigurður Jónsson took in adopting the
new practices, the Reformation does not seem to have hurt his religious career.
The same can probably be said about many of his clerical contemporaries.
frumkvöðull siðbótar á norðurlandi? 71
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