Johannes Bilberg

Johannes Bilberg

Johannes Bilberg (17 November 1646 – 11 March 1717) was a Swedish theologian, professor and bishop.[1] As a professor he was involved in the controversy over Cartesianism.[2]

He was the son of school principal and vicar Jonas Amberni and his wife Ingrid Denckert.[1] At the age of thirteen Bilberg started studying at Uppsala University.[1] After he graduated with Bachelor of Arts,[3] he took employment as a tutor for a young baron named Ulf Bonde on a trip around the continent of Europe when they visited royal courts and universities.[1] When he returned home in 1677 he was named professor of mathematics at Uppsala University.[1]

At this time a controversy had erupted between the new Cartesian philosophy and the theological orthodoxy in Uppsala.[4] Priests at the Riksdag were also involved in the debate, which made the government feel compelled to set up a special commission to investigate the matter.[1] A compromise was reached and Bilberg and the Cartesians were given full rights.[1]

The conflict and battle continued until Bilberg, with the blessing of the King of Sweden, became dean and vicar in Örebro in 1692.[1] In his new home he gathered a number of young disciples who he educated in theology and philosophy.[1] At the command of King Karl XI, Bilberg travelled to Torneå and Kengis along with Anders Spole to study the midnight sun.[1][5] The expedition, dedicated to Karl as "sun-king",[6] observed that the sun could indeed be observed around the clock at high altitudes.[7] Bilberg afterwards published a work in Latin and Swedish under the title of Refractio solis inoccidui, in septemtrionalibus oris (About the refraction of the midnight sun, in the Northlands).[1]

In 1683, Bilberg married Margareta Staaf, whose father was a trader in Uppsala.[8] The couple had four children together. All four were knighted by Karl XII in Bender at which time they were entitled to retain their father's last name of Bilberg.[1][8]

In 1701, Bilberg was named bishop of Strängnäs after Erik Benzelius resigned to become archbishop.[9] He continued as bishop in that congregation until his death in 1717.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l La Motraye, Aubry de; Wiklund Karl Bernhard, Bring Samuel E., Hultenberg Hugo (1988). Seigneur A. de La Motrayes resor 1711- 1725. Stockholm: Rediviva. p. 340. Libris 7605968. ISBN 91-7120-212-9 (inb.) ^ Svenskt biografiskt lexikon
  2. ^ "Stiftets biskopar". Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. ^ Feingold, Mordechai; Navarro-Brotons, Victor (3 October 2006). Universities and Science in the Early Modern Period. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9781402039751. Retrieved 26 August 2016 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ La Motraye, Aubry de; Wiklund Karl Bernhard, Bring Samuel E., Hultenberg Hugo (1988). Seigneur A. de La Motraye, Aubry de; Wiklund Karl Bernhard, Bring Samuel E., Hultenberg Hugo (1988). Seigneur A. de La Motrayes resor 1711- 1725. Stockholm: Rediviva. p. 340. Libris 7605968. ISBN 91-7120-212-9 (inb.) ^ Svenskt biografiskt lexikon
  5. ^ Ulla Ehrensvärd (2006). The history of the Nordic map: from myths to reality. John Nurminen Foundation. p. 318. ISBN 9789529745203. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  6. ^ David Duner (2013). The Natural philosophy of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Study in the Conceptual Metaphors of the Mechanistic World-View. Translated by Alan Crozier. Springer, Dordrecht. p. 150. ISBN 9789400745605. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  7. ^ James Edward Smith (1811). Lachesis Lapponica. White and Cochrane, London. p. 145. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Bilberg nr 1466 – Adelsvapen-Wiki". Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. ^ a b Strängnäs Stift: Biskopar i Strängnäs Stift, Domprostar i Strängnäs, Församlingar i Strängnäs Stift, Historiska Församlingar i Strängnäs Stift. General Books. 1 September 2011. ISBN 9781231616871. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2016 – via Google Books.