The Nordic kingdoms Denmark-Norway and Sweden are two of the most important Lutheran countries in early modern times. Although the impact of the universities on the development of Lutheranism has been stressed, the interaction between the Lutheran North and the Holy Roman Empire has hardly been examined from the perspective of educational history so far. This study aims at enhancing the confessional profile of the Scandinavian kingdoms with respect to academic theology using the example of their oldest universities in Copenhagen and Uppsala. Beginning with the legal reorganization of the universities after the Reformation, the teaching at the faculties of theology is outlined. Contacts between Scandinavian and German theologians indicate how Nordic scholars participated in Lutheran communication structures in general and how they were involved in the specific Lutheran culture of debate in particular. The comparative focus of this study sheds light on academic Lutheran interaction in an international context and raises awareness both for varieties and for similarities within early modern Lutheranism.

Autorentext
Dr. theol. Steffie Schmidt ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Lehrstuhl für Kirchengeschichte an der Universität Rostock.