Johan Christian Heuch
Encyclopedia
Johan Christian Heuch, often referred to as J. C. Heuch (23 March 1838–1904) was a Norwegian bishop and politician for the Conservative Party
.
as the son of merchant and politician Johan Christian Heuch
(1794–1843) and his wife Christine Elisabeth Bonnevie (1803–1863). His paternal grandfather Peter Andreas Heuch
(1756–1825) was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway. On the maternal side he was a great-grandson of Honoratus Bonnevie
and a first cousin of Jacob Aall Bonnevie
; the latter was the father of zoologist Kristine Elisabeth Heuch Bonnevie.
In December 1861 he married Kirsten Anna Janette Elieson (1839–1913), a daughter of jurist and politician John Collett Postumus Elieson
. Direct descendants of J. C. Heuch include ceramicist Hanne Heuch
.
to be educated. He finished
his secondary education in 1856, and graduated from the Royal Frederick University
with the cand.theol.
degree in 1861. Among his lecturers at the University was the orthodox Lutheran Gisle Johnson
. Because of health issues Heuch did not intend to work as a clergyman; however he was headhunted by priest and writer Jørgen Moe
, and worked under him as a curate
in Bragernes
. He was ordained
in 1865. In 1869 he followed Moe to his new position in Vestre Aker
.
Due to his health he had to take a sabattical in Rome from 1873 to 1874, but when he returned to Norway he was hired as a priest working in municipal and private institutions of Christiania. From 1875 he was also a teacher at the Practical-Theological Seminary at the Royal Frederick University. He also edited the magazines Luthersk Kirketidende from 1875 and Luthersk Ugeskrift from 1877. He was hired as the vicar
of Uranienborg
in 1880, and his sermons became well-attended.
Theologically, he was orthodox, like his former lecturer Gisle Johnson. He became known for the 1883 publication Vantroens Væsen, the printing of a series of lectures from 1881 where he denounced infidel
ity. He later issued Kirken og vantroen (1888). A priest on the liberal side of the spectrum, Jens Jonas Jansen
, was referred to as a "dangerous" man in 1902. Other of his adversaries in the public debate were Arne Garborg
, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(whom he nonetheless knew on a personal level), Georg Brandes
and Liberal ideologist Ernst Sars
.
Politically, he belonged to the Conservative Party
, strongly supporting High Church Lutheranism
against the laity
movement affiliated with the Liberal, and later, Moderate Liberal
parties. He was selected as a member of the central committee of the Conservative Party at its foundation in 1884. For the term 1889–1891 he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament, representing the constituency of Kristiania, Hønefoss og Kongsvinger, and when Emil Stang
became Prime Minister
, Heuch took his seat in Parliament.
In 1889 Heuch was appointed as the new bishop of the Diocese of Kristiansand. The laity movement had a stronghold in this part of the country, and despite the fear of some, Heuch came to terms with these parts of the Church
. He became a popular bishop, especially when visiting the parishes. He remained bishop until his death in 1904. He was a Commander, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav from 1896, and held the Grand Cross of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
. The road Biskop Heuchs vei in Nordre Aker
has been named for him.
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
.
Personal life
He was born in KragerøKragerø
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø....
as the son of merchant and politician Johan Christian Heuch
Johan Christian Heuch, Sr.
Johan Christian Heuch was a Norwegian merchant and politician.A merchant based in the coastal town of Kragerø, his father Peter Andreas Heuch was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway...
(1794–1843) and his wife Christine Elisabeth Bonnevie (1803–1863). His paternal grandfather Peter Andreas Heuch
Peter Andreas Heuch
Peter Andreas Heuch was a Norwegian merchant.A ship-owner based in the coastal town of Kragerø, he was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway. He also helped found the Royal Frederick University in 1811....
(1756–1825) was among the wealthiest persons in Southern Norway. On the maternal side he was a great-grandson of Honoratus Bonnevie
Honoratus Bonnevie
Honoratus Bonnevie was a Norwegian physician.He was born in Odense as the son of Honoré Bonnevie and his wife Boel Corneliusdatter. His mother hailed from Svelvik, whereas his father hailed from Antibes, France. He had migrated to Norway from France around 1700, but then moved to Denmark...
and a first cousin of Jacob Aall Bonnevie
Jacob Aall Bonnevie
Jacob Aall Bonnevie was a Norwegian school director and a politician for the Conservative Party. Born in Christiania , he was the son of Honoratus Bonnevie who later became mayor of the city...
; the latter was the father of zoologist Kristine Elisabeth Heuch Bonnevie.
In December 1861 he married Kirsten Anna Janette Elieson (1839–1913), a daughter of jurist and politician John Collett Postumus Elieson
John Collett Postumus Elieson
John Collett Postumus Elieson was a Norwegian jurist and politician.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1845, 1848, 1854, 1857 and 1859, representing the constituency of Drammen. He worked as an attorney and later district stipendiary magistrate in that city.He was married to Ingeborg...
. Direct descendants of J. C. Heuch include ceramicist Hanne Heuch
Hanne Heuch
Hanne Heuch is a Norwegian ceramist.She was born in Oslo, and is the great-granddaughter of bishop Johan Christian Heuch. She took her education at the Norwegian National Academy of Crafts and Design and Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry...
.
Career
Despite the merchant background of his family, J. C. Heuch embarked on an academic career. His father died before J. C. turned five years years old, and at the age of fifteen he moved to ChristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
to be educated. He finished
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education in 1856, and graduated from the Royal Frederick University
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
with the cand.theol.
Cand.theol.
Candidatus theologiæ , Candidata theologiæ , abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six year higher education in theology in Denmark and Norway. In Norway, the title has remained after the "Quality Reform", though it is equivalent to a Master of...
degree in 1861. Among his lecturers at the University was the orthodox Lutheran Gisle Johnson
Gisle Johnson
Gisle Christian Johnson was a Norwegian theologian.He grew up in Kristiansand, and studied theology until 1845. In 1849 he became a lecturer at the University of Christiana, and in 1860 became a professor, first in systematic theology and dogmatic history, and from 1875 in church history...
. Because of health issues Heuch did not intend to work as a clergyman; however he was headhunted by priest and writer Jørgen Moe
Jørgen Moe
right|thumb|Norske Folkeeventyr Asbjørnsen and Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe was a Norwegian bishop and author...
, and worked under him as a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in Bragernes
Bragernes
Bragernes is one of the central parts of the Norwegian city of Drammen.-Location:Bragernes is located on the northern side of the Drammen River and contains the famous town square Bragernes square , the town hall, the Drammen Theatre , Drammen park and most of the shopping and nightlife in Drammen...
. He was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in 1865. In 1869 he followed Moe to his new position in Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.The previous municipality Aker was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948.The borough of Vestre Aker was organized as part of the 1 January 2004 reform. Previous boroughs...
.
Due to his health he had to take a sabattical in Rome from 1873 to 1874, but when he returned to Norway he was hired as a priest working in municipal and private institutions of Christiania. From 1875 he was also a teacher at the Practical-Theological Seminary at the Royal Frederick University. He also edited the magazines Luthersk Kirketidende from 1875 and Luthersk Ugeskrift from 1877. He was hired as the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Uranienborg
Uranienborg, Norway
Uranienborg is a neighborhood in the borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway.-History:Originally a rural area in the former municipality Aker, it was incorporated into Christiania city in 1859. The property used to have a wonderful view, and it was therefore named after the famous observatory...
in 1880, and his sermons became well-attended.
Theologically, he was orthodox, like his former lecturer Gisle Johnson. He became known for the 1883 publication Vantroens Væsen, the printing of a series of lectures from 1881 where he denounced infidel
Infidel
An infidel is one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of a particular religion – especially in reference to Christianity or Islam....
ity. He later issued Kirken og vantroen (1888). A priest on the liberal side of the spectrum, Jens Jonas Jansen
Jens Jonas Jansen
Jens Jonas Elstrand Jansen was a Norwegian priest.He was born in Hobøl as a son of priest David Middelthon Jansen and his wife Eleonore Cathrine Elstrand. In May 1883 he married twenty-year-old Jenny Therese Schroeter from Drammen, a sister of professor Jens Fredrik Schroeter...
, was referred to as a "dangerous" man in 1902. Other of his adversaries in the public debate were Arne Garborg
Arne Garborg
Arne Garborg, born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg was a Norwegian writer.Garborg championed the use of Landsmål , as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into it...
, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
(whom he nonetheless knew on a personal level), Georg Brandes
Georg Brandes
Georg Morris Cohen Brandes was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind the "Modern Breakthrough" of Scandinavian culture...
and Liberal ideologist Ernst Sars
Ernst Sars
Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars was a Norwegian historian, publicist and editor. His main work was Udsigt over den norske Historie, four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines Nyt norsk Tidskrift from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift from 1882 to 1887...
.
Politically, he belonged to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
, strongly supporting High Church Lutheranism
High Church Lutheranism
"High Church Lutheranism" is the name given in Europe for the 20th century Lutheran movement that emphasizes worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both Roman Catholicism and the Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism...
against the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
movement affiliated with the Liberal, and later, Moderate Liberal
Moderate Liberal Party
Moderate Liberal Party was a Norwegian political party that emerged from the conservative branch of the Liberal Party in 1888, consisting mainly of the Low Church...
parties. He was selected as a member of the central committee of the Conservative Party at its foundation in 1884. For the term 1889–1891 he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament, representing the constituency of Kristiania, Hønefoss og Kongsvinger, and when Emil Stang
Emil Stang
Emil Stang was a Norwegian jurist and politician. He became Prime Minister of Norway and was the first chairman of the Conservative Party....
became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Norway
The Prime Minister of Norway is the political leader of Norway and the Head of His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Stortinget , to their political party, and ultimately the...
, Heuch took his seat in Parliament.
In 1889 Heuch was appointed as the new bishop of the Diocese of Kristiansand. The laity movement had a stronghold in this part of the country, and despite the fear of some, Heuch came to terms with these parts of the Church
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
. He became a popular bishop, especially when visiting the parishes. He remained bishop until his death in 1904. He was a Commander, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav from 1896, and held the Grand Cross of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
. The road Biskop Heuchs vei in Nordre Aker
Nordre Aker
Nordre Aker is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.-History:This area became part of the city of Oslo in 1948. Before that it was a part of Aker municipality in Akershus county.-Demographics and housing:...
has been named for him.