RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Grueneisen Grundtvig
Berlin (lie. theol., 1901), and in 1902 became privatdocent at Greifswald. In the following year he was appointed to his present position of associate professor of systematic theology at Rostock. He has written Wort und Geist, eine historische und dogmatische Untersuchung zum Gnadenmittel des Wortes (Leipsic, 1902); Weltweites Christentum (Hamburg, 1904); Studien zur systematischen Theologie (2 parts, Leipsic, 1905); Moderne positive Vortrdge (1906); and 1st das liberate Jesusbild modern? (1907).
GRUNDEMANN, PETER REINHOLD : German Protestant; b. at Burwalde (48 m. n.e. of Berlin) Jan. 9, 1836. He was educated at the universities of Tubingen, Halle, and Berlin (1854-58), and was assistant pastor at Pouch, near Bitterfeld (1861- 1863). He was then prison chaplain at Frankforton-the-Oder for two years, after which he was a chartographer in the establishment of Justus Perthes, Gotha, for four years, preparing a missionary atlas. Since 1869 he has been pastor at Morz, near Belzig. In 1882 he founded the Brandenburg missionary conference, of which he has since been the president. In addition to his work as editor of G. E. Burkhardt's Kleine Missionsbibliothek (4 vols., Bielefeld, 1876-81) and of the Jahrbuch der nordostdeutschen Missions-Konferenz, he has prepared Allgemeiner Missions-Atlas (Gotha, 1868- 1871); J. F. Riedel, ein Lebensbild (Giitersloh, 1873); Kleiner Missions-Atlas (Calw, 1883); Zur Statistik der evangelischen Mission (Giitersloh, 1886); Die deutschen Schutzgebiete in Afrika und in der Siidsee (1886); Die Entwicklung der evangelischen Mission im letzten Jahrzehnt, 1878-1888 (Bielefeld, 1890); Missions- Studien und Kritiken (2 vols., Giitersloh, 1894-98); Neuer Missions- Atlas (Stuttgart, 1896); and Kleine Missionsgeographie und Statistik (1901). He also contributed ten parts to the Dornen und Aehren vom Missionsfelde (Berlin, 1887-1904).
GRUNDTVIG, grunt'vig, NICOLAI FREDERIK SEVERIN: Danish bishop, poet, and hymn- writer, was born at Udby, near Vordingborg (on the s. coast of the island of Seeland, 52 m. s.w. of Copenhagen), Sept. 8, 1783; d. at Copenhagen Sept. 2, 1872. In 1800 he entered the University of Co- Early penhagen and passed his theological Life and examination in 1803. From his mother Works, he inherited an inclination to history and poetry, and his active mind took a deep interest in the events of his own time, and he became interested also in the songs of the Edda and the medieval chronicles of Snorre Sturleson and Saxo Grammaticus. In 1805 he became private tutor upon the small island of Langeland. Later he occupied himself in the study of Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller, Schelling, and Fichte; translated some of the German masterworks into Danish; and published at Copenhagen in periodicals treatises on the fundamental thought of northern mythology, on the reform of the liturgy in the Danish Church, and on the lack of solid scientific education which he found among the students and officials of the country. In 1808 he went to Copenhagen as schoolteacher, and published the same year a peculiar poetical book, Nordens Mythologie ("Mythology
of the North"). Other literary works of this period were a dramatization of the Icelandic saga of the Jomsvikings under the title, Optrin af Karnipelivets Undergang i Nord ("Scenes from the Decline of North Vikingism," Copenhagen, 1809), and a compilation of the Wolsungsaga, Optrin of Norners og Asers Kamp ("Scenes from the Struggle between Norns and iEsir," 1811).
A change in Grundtvig's life ensued when his aged father summoned him to become his assistant at Udby. His trial sermon treated the theme that the unity of history must be sought in Ordina- the effect of Christianity upon the nation; Con- tions. Shortly after it was published flict and in 1810, six influential clergymen of Mental Copenhagen addressed a complaint to Struggles, the ministry of public affairs, alleging that the sermon contained a series of insulting charges against the whole clergy. Grundtvig was reprimanded, but his sermon spread among the laity in Denmark and foreign countries. About this time he underwent experiences like those of Luther in the monastery, seriously asking himself whether he was a Christian and whether his sins were forgiven. This mental suffering was aggravated by physical weakness due to overexertion. In June, 1811, he was ordained and devoted himself with great zeal to his duties as pastor. But he also felt that the gifts which he possessed as poet and historian should be employed for the renewal of old Lutheran Christianity in his vocation. He asked prominent men of his country to cooperate in the revival of the Danish State Church, but repelled many of his friends by his admonitions. In 1812 appeared his Verdens Kronike ("World History") in which he openly criticized men who were still alive and active. At a convention of ecclesiastics in 1814 Grundtvig offended again by his denunciations of the clergy. From 1813 he had lived in Copenhagen and had frequently preached there; but after this offense pastors hesitated to admit him to their pulpits. Before 1811 he had broken with that part of the educated world which stood on the ordinary ground of the eighteenth century. Those who had been influenced by Steffens had almost all separated from him between 1812 and 1814. Now he was deprived even of the opportunity to preach.
To occupy his time and energies he turned to literary work. He began to translate Snorre's history of Norway, which had been written in Icelandic, and Saxo's Historia Danica. A Resump- rich Dane induced him to publish a tion of Danish translation of the Anglo-Sax- Literary on poem Beowulf. For seven years Work. (1815-21) translations filled up all his time. Christianity had taught him to see a brother in the lowliest of his fellow men, and he intended his translations principally for the common people. He aimed to revive the northern heroic spirit for the performance of Christian deeds in a manner adapted to the needs and conditions of his time. For this purpose he considered it necessary to adapt his written word to the understanding of the plain people and to find a genuinely Danish mode of expression as he heard it among
Grrundtvig Gualther