Olof Persson, sometimes Petersson, better known under the Latin form of his name, Olaus Petri, was a clergyman, writer, judge, and major contributor to the Protestant Reformation in Sweden.
20 Facts About Olaus Petri
2.
Olaus Petri then went to the capital and studied at the University of Uppsala, studying theology and German.
3.
In 1520, Olaus Petri returned to Strangnas on the mainland, accepting ordination as a deacon and serving bishop Mattias Gregersson Lilje as secretary, chancellor of the Diocese of Strangnas, canon of the Strangnas Cathedral and dean of the cathedral school.
4.
Olaus Petri accompanied Gregersson to Stockholm and attended the tumultuous crowning of Danish King Christian II, who had captured Stockholm and held it for about a year until returning to Denmark, where he was deposed and replaced by his uncle, who became King Frederick I of Denmark.
5.
When Olaus Petri expressed his outrage, he was almost executed as well, but a German who had seen him in Wittenberg identified Olaus Petri as a fellow German and thus saved his life.
6.
Olaus Petri attended the coronation, swore fealty to his monarch, and soon became the kingdom's chancellor.
7.
Olaus Petri became known for his advocacy of Lutheranism and criticism of the prevailing Roman Catholicism.
8.
In 1525, Olaus Petri married, as Lutheran practice permitted, and implemented another of Luther's ideas by having the mass sung in Swedish for the first time.
9.
In 1526, Olaus Petri published the first Swedish translation of the New Testament, and published a catechism in Swedish.
10.
In 1531, Olaus Petri published a slightly simplified version of the Catholic mass in Swedish.
11.
Olaus Petri wrote a Swedish hymnal, liturgical manual, and many homiletic and polemic tracts.
12.
Olaus Petri wrote a Chronicle of Sweden, which despite some historical inaccuracies, contains many interesting facts and anecdotes and remains an important historical document.
13.
Olaus Petri had an important part in translating the whole Bible into the vernacular; the Gustav Vasa Bible was completed circa 1541.
14.
Olaus Petri was arrested and put on trial for treason, supposedly because he had learned about a conspiracy against the King during confession and had not revealed it.
15.
One historian suggests that Olaus Petri' writings criticizing the King's harsh punishments and taxation policies contributed to the criminal trial.
16.
King Gustav wanted to control the church, while Olaus Petri distrusted the king's autocratic tendencies and supported religious self-government.
17.
Olaus Petri received a royal pardon in 1542, possibly as a reward for completing the massive biblical translation project, and in that year was appointed inspector over Stockholm's schools.
18.
Olaus Petri was buried at Storkyrkan, which became the national cathedral two centuries later.
19.
Olaus Petri is the main character of August Strindberg's play Master Olof, the five-hour-long premiere of which opened on 30 December 1881.
20.
Olaus Petri's collected works were published in Uppsala.