Jean-Baptiste Baudoin
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste BaudoinJean-Baptiste Baudoin (11 January 1831 in Juniville
, France
– 15 November 1875 in Juniville
) was a French Catholic
priest
and missionary
in Iceland
.
(1821–1895) were the first Catholic priests serve in Iceland
after the Reformation
. They arrived in 1857 (Bernard) and 1858 (Baudoin) respectively, and built a small chapel at the Landakot farmstead near Reykjavík
. They met with a difficult reception and in 1862 Bernard left the country, while Baudoin persevered until 1875.
Baudoin was occupied with polemics all the time he lived in Iceland (1858–1875). He wrote many articles in newspapers in order to answer criticism against the Catholic Church. In addition to that he wrote several books in Icelandic (see the bibliography below), e.g. a booklet with the title Jesús Kristr er guð þrátt fyrir mótmæli Magnúsar Eiríkssonar (1867) [Jesus Christ is God in spite of the protest of Magnús Eiríksson], which was aimed at the book by the Icelandic Theologian Magnús Eiríksson
, entitled Er Johannes-Evangeliet et apostolisk og ægte Evangelium [Is the Gospel of John an apostolic and true Gospel] (1863).
Juniville
Juniville is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northern France.-Population:-Personalities:* The poet Paul Verlaine rented a room in Juniville in the 1880s, close to the farm where his pupil Lucien Létinois lived. The village inn has been restored and turned...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– 15 November 1875 in Juniville
Juniville
Juniville is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northern France.-Population:-Personalities:* The poet Paul Verlaine rented a room in Juniville in the 1880s, close to the farm where his pupil Lucien Létinois lived. The village inn has been restored and turned...
) was a French Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Life
Baudoin and Bernard BernardBernard Bernard
Bernard Bernard was a French Catholic priest and missionary in Norway, Iceland and Scotland. He was the first Prefect Apostolic of Norway and Lapland from 1869 to 1887.-Life:...
(1821–1895) were the first Catholic priests serve in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
after the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. They arrived in 1857 (Bernard) and 1858 (Baudoin) respectively, and built a small chapel at the Landakot farmstead near Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. They met with a difficult reception and in 1862 Bernard left the country, while Baudoin persevered until 1875.
Baudoin was occupied with polemics all the time he lived in Iceland (1858–1875). He wrote many articles in newspapers in order to answer criticism against the Catholic Church. In addition to that he wrote several books in Icelandic (see the bibliography below), e.g. a booklet with the title Jesús Kristr er guð þrátt fyrir mótmæli Magnúsar Eiríkssonar (1867) [Jesus Christ is God in spite of the protest of Magnús Eiríksson], which was aimed at the book by the Icelandic Theologian Magnús Eiríksson
Magnús Eiríksson
Magnús Eiríksson was an Icelandic theologian and a contemporary critic of Søren Aabye Kierkegaard and Hans Lassen Martensen in Copenhagen....
, entitled Er Johannes-Evangeliet et apostolisk og ægte Evangelium [Is the Gospel of John an apostolic and true Gospel] (1863).
Main works
- Útskýring um trú katólsku kirkjunnar í þeim trúaratriðum, þar sem ágreiningr er milli hennar og mótmælenda, Reykjavík 1865.
- [Anonymous], Svar hinna katólsku presta upp á 1. bréfið frá París eptir Eirík Magnússon. Hvað segir sagan um Parísarbréfið?, Reykjavík 1866.
- Jesús Kristr er guð. Þrátt fyrir mótmæli herra Magnúsar Eiríkssonar, Reykjavík 1867.
- [Anonymous], Er það satt eðr ósatt, sem hra Jónas Guðmundsson segir um bækling vorn: "Jesús Kristr er Guð" o. s. frv.?, Reykjavík 1867.
- Til Íslendinga : um Lestrarbók handa alþýðu, eftir séra Þórarinn Böðvarsson. Reykjavík 1875.
Secondary literature on Baudoin
- Gunnar F. Guðmundsson, Kaþólskt trúboð á Íslandi 1857-1875, Reykjavík: Sagnfræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands 1987.
- St. Ansgar. Jahrbuch des St.-Ansgarius Werkes, Cologne 1983, pp 70–81.
See also
- Religion in Iceland#Catholic revival
- LandakotskirkjaLandakotskirkjaLandakotskirkja , formally named Basilika Krists konungs , is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland. It is often referred to as Kristskirkja . Landakotskirkja is located in the western part of Reykjavík, on the Landakot property. It has a distinctively flat top, as opposed to the standard...
- Magnús EiríkssonMagnús EiríkssonMagnús Eiríksson was an Icelandic theologian and a contemporary critic of Søren Aabye Kierkegaard and Hans Lassen Martensen in Copenhagen....