Peder Palladius
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Petrus Palladius | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Zealand | |
 | |
| Church | Church of Denmark |
| In office | 1537–1560 |
| Successor | Hans Albertsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1503 |
| Died | 3 January 1560 (aged 56–57) Copenhagen, Denmark |
Peder Palladius (1503 – 3 January 1560) was a Danish theologian, Protestant reformer, and bishop of Zealand. As the first protestant bishop in Denmark, he oversaw the conversion of ecclesiastic affairs. He helped create the church ordinance which founded the Church of Denmark, produced a Danish translation of the Bible, and removed Catholic images and rituals from his diocese.
Peder was born in Ribe in 1503. Little information is known about his childhood.[1] Palladius’ own published account of his childhood suggests that he grew up near Ribe and attended school there ca. 1510–1515. He describes his father, Esbern Jensen, as a devout layman. Though his father was illiterate, he had memorised much of the gospel and chastised his son when he failed to recite them properly.[2][1] Peder had a younger brother, Niels Palladius, who was born in 1510. Niels followed in Peder’s footsteps, also becoming a protestant theologian and member of the clergy.[3]
By 1530, Peder was employed as a school teacher in Odense. He was later sponsored by the city’s mayor, Mikkel Pedersen, to study in Wittenberg along with his son, Knud Mikkelsen, and another young man from the city. On September 3, 1531, “Petrus Esbernus Pladius” matriculated at the University of Wittenberg. The origin of his latin name is uncertain. Petrus is the latinized version of his given name, Peder, while Esbernus is in reference to his father, Esbern. However, his chosen surname is of unclear origins. Some sources speculate that he was born Peder Esbern Plade or Plad, having adopted the name Palladius as a latinized version of his surname.[2] Other sources suggest that Plad was a nickname he received as schoolboy, in reference to his father's supposed work as a shoemaker. Alternatively, the name may have been given to him by Philip Melanchthon, in reference to Pallas Athene.[4]
He obtained a master’s degree in 1533 and began working towards a doctorate in theology. Palladius spent approximately six years studying in Wittenberg. While there, he had become closely acquainted with the reformation movement for which the University became famous. Palladius described his own conversion to Lutheranism in a 1550 letter to the Catholic bishop of Holar in Iceland, wherein he illustrated his realisation that the teachings of papism were inconsistent with those of Jesus Christ.[1] His education and proximity to the epicentre of the reform movement brought him to the attention of King Christian III. Having forcefully removed the existing Catholic bishops from Denmark, Christian III needed to establish his own church and clergy. A selection of Danish graduates of Wittenberg were recommended. The king was advised to allow Palladius to complete his doctorate in Wittenberg before he was recalled to Denmark. The completion of his studies were funded by the King, and he then was granted his doctorate in 1537.[1][2]
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