Norwegian Unitarian hymn books
2007. June 10. SundayFriday I received from America the hymn book pastor Kristofer Jansons edited when he startet his Unitarian ministry among the Norwegian settlers in Minnesota. His headquarter was Minneapolis where the Unitarian congregation disposed of a wonderful church building (later to be sold and become synagoge).
The hymn book was published 1883 and titled «Salmer og Sange for Kirke og Hjem» («Hymns and songs for church and home»). In the Foreword Janson writes that liberal Christians no longer can use the old hymn books (probably referring to the standard and even to day well known Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran hymn book edited by pastor Landstad). Janson therefore collected hymns that did not preach Trinitarian Christian theology and in some cases – where the hymns was so dear and well-known to the Norwegians – he admits having changed the text.
What is interesting from our Norwegian Unitarian view is that Janson included many hymns and songs by Henrik Wergeland (1808-1845) – a person who many of the first Unitarians in Norway at the end of the 19th century regarded as one of the first Norwegian Unitarians. If not the very first. Of course Wergeland was not a Unitarian but he was a very liberal minded person, a famous poet and played an important role in the formation of what to day is Norway. For more information about Henrik Wergeland, see Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Wergeland
We have to day information saying Janson edited two Unitarian hymn books. The first was the one mentioned above. The second after his return to Norway and after he was forced to leave the Norwegian Unitarian church he founded 1895. The second hymn book was published in Oslo (then named Krisitiania) in 1901 and titled «Sanger og Sange» («Hymns and songs»).
It has not been time to compare these two hymn books and part from the fact that the 1883-hymn book has 386 pages, includes also some American Unitarian songs and different writers while the 1901-hymn book has 92 pages and seems mostly to include Jansons own hymns and songs – part from this little is so far known about the two hymn books.
But one very interesting comment was made in the Foreword of the 1883-hymn book, here it says that this hymn book includes some American Unitarian songs in case the Services sometimes should be in English. This is interesting because it indicates that Janson preached Unitarianism in Minneapolis in Norwegian and only among Norwegians (or Scandinavians). While other Norwegian Unitarian pastors also working in America would preach in English also and therefore not just among Scandinavians, such as Hans Tambs Lyche and Herman Haugerud. Earlier studies have shown that these Norwegian Unitarians preaching in English were more liberal in their Unitarian identity than Kristofer Janson.
