Johan Olof Wallin
The Most Reverend Johan Olof Wallin | |
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University of Uppsala |
Johan Olof Wallin, (15 October 1779 – 30 June 1839), was a Swedish minister,
Early life
He was born in Stora Tuna in
While he was studying, his first poem was published in
Clerical work
In 1810 he married Anna Maria Dimander. In the same year, he was elected to the Swedish Academy. In addition to this, he took upon himself to commission the creation of a new Swedish book of hymns. The project was finished in 1816. It was approved by the king in 1819, and printed the same year. Of the 500 hymns, Wallin had written 128, translated 23, and involved himself in the revision of another 178.[2] Additionally the structure or arrangement of the hymnal was mainly his creation.
In 1827, he was elected a member of the
He held many different clerical posts throughout his life. Ultimately he was ordained Archbishop of Sweden in 1837. But before he had even moved to Uppsala (seat of the bishopric), he died a sudden death in 1839, and was buried in Stockholm. The Swedish Biographical Dictionary of 1906 indicates that he at his death was "mourned by the entire Swedish people". The Swedish Literature in Summary (1904) writes that no Swedish orator or preacher ever had his distinctive glow as a speaker.
He was undoubtedly a talented person in literature and a most pious man. But he was weak in body, and this trait in combination with his strong work ethic may have caused stress on his health.
Educational work
Wallin was the instigator of the progressive pioneering girls' school Wallinska skolan, the fourth serious educational girls' school in Sweden and the first in the capital of Stockholm, an initiative he convinced Anders Fryxell to take motivated by his view that women should be entitled to more serious education than given in a finishing school.[5]
He was also president of Pro Fide et Christianismo, a Christian education society which made an impact on the country's early public education system.[6]
Legacy
During the remainder of the 19th century he was highly beloved and praised by writers and intellectuals in Sweden. In some places his 100th anniversary was celebrated in 1879. A monument of him was also erected in his hometown, and a bust of him was unveiled in Falun in 1917. During the 20th century, the harsh Lutheranism associated with Wallin was being increasingly scorned in Sweden as being oppressive and guilt-stricken, and this trend in combination with increased secularization has diminished his reputation; today he is remembered for merely those hymns still in use in Swedish churches, the traditional Christmas hymn "Var hälsad, sköna morgonstund" among them.[7]
Besides hymns, Wallin wrote several secular poems highly praised in his time. He published several
His style is described as melancholic but ravishing, often dealing with death, with frequent references and quotes from the Bible. His grand work was the long poem Angel of Death, finished only about year before his death. Compared to Swedish poets contemporary with Wallin, some consider him second only to Esaias Tegnér.
Notes
- ^ "Religious Organizations" (in Swedish). World Statesmen. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ See, e.g., the note mentioning Wallin in the Ein feste Burg English Wikipedia article.
- Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon(in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ Berg, P. G. (1851). Svenskt konversations-lexicon (in Swedish). Vol. 4. Tryckt hos P.G. Berg. p. 315.
- ^ Heckscher, Ebba, Några drag ur den svenska flickskolans historia: under fleres medverkan samlade, Norstedt & söner, Stockholm, 1914
- OCLC 186228009.
- ^ Psalmer och sånger (Örebro: Libris; Stockholm: Verbum, 1887), a hymnal widely used in Swedish churches of various fellowships, lists 44 hymns and gospel songs (p. 923) for which Wallin provided the lyrics or the musical score or a translation/revision.
- ^ "Again, Thy Glorious Sun Doth Rise". Cyberhymnaö. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
External links
This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.
- Svenskt Biografiskt Handlexikon (1906), in Swedish
- Hymnuts's biography on Wallin "The homepage for the hymnuts of the world"
- Nordiskt familjelexikon article Wallin, Johan Olof. In Swedish.
- Works by Johan Olof Wallin at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Johan Olof Wallin at Internet Archive
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