A Baptism Rite in the Grundtvig Archival Materials
Abstract
A manuscript in the Grundtvig archival materials (Ny kgl. Saml. 3647 I 40 – 2 B 17) contains a baptismal rite, as well as a rite for the presentation in church of children baptized at home and another for an emergency baptism. Comparative handwriting analysis shows that the document containing the rites must have been written by Peter Andreas Fenger. Major parts of the document also correspond to the rite found in Fenger’s Proposal for a Freshly Revised Altar Book, Which Could Be Authorized for Use in the National Church of Denmark (1874). According to Fenger, this Proposal was prepared in collaboration with Grundtvig. This article provides a transcription of the manuscript, and presents a synopsis of the manuscript and the Proposal which is compared with the Authorized Altar Book (editions of 1812, 1830, 1857, and 1867). The synopsis is accompanied by a commentary. The manuscript and the Proposal appear to relate to the earliest edition of the authorized altar book – neither of them uses the 1819 translation of The New Testament. The rite in the manuscript is shorter than the one in the 1874 Proposal, which reduces the three persons of the Trinity to the second person, Jesus. Secondary corrections in the manuscript are included in the Proposal. These observations lead to the conclusion that the manuscript contains the first version, while the Proposal is a secondary reworking. Since several distinctive features in the manuscript relate directly to statements by Grundtvig, it is likely the original result of collaboration between Fenger and Grundtvig. The deviations in the Proposal must be attributed to Fenger, and it is suggested that its focus on Jesus can be understood considering Fenger’s emotionally charged involvement in the revival movements. Finally, the article explains in more detail how the rite in the manuscript aligns with Grundtvig’s theology of baptism, and it discusses whether elements of the manuscript’s rite also formed part of Grundtvig’s baptismal practice at Vartov Church.
