Carl Olof Rosenius
| Carl Olof Rosenius | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 3, 1816 Nysätra, Västerbotten |
| Died | February 24, 1868 (aged 52) |
| Occupation | preacher author editor |
| Spouse(s) | Agatha Lindberg |
Carl Olof Rosenius (February 3, 1816 – February 24, 1868) was a Swedish preacher, author and editor of the monthly Pietisten (The Pietist) from 1842 to 1868.
Rosenius was born in Nysätra in Västerbotten. His father, Anders Rosenius, was a parish pastor, who supported the revival movement in Sweden. His mother, Sarah Margaret Norenius, was the daughter of a clergyman.
When Carl Olof was thirteen, his family moved to the town of Sävar. While living there he attended schools in Piteå, Umeå and Härnösand. His religious breakthrough came at the age of fifteen. Even then he led the school holiday conventicles. A sermon that he delivered in Härnösand in 1833 is said to have surprised Bishop Franzén because of its emphasis on the central Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith.
In 1838 Rosenius began his theological studies at the University of Uppsala but was forced to give them up after a year due to failing health and financial difficulties. He instead found employment as a tutor at Länna farm outside of . At this point he was beset with serious religious doubts. In he met the Methodist minister George Scott, who helped dispel his uncertainties. He abandoned his plans of becoming a priest and moved to to assist Scott in his ministry. He had a room there near Hötorget (Haymarket Square) on the premises of the Engelska kyrka (English church), which was not affiliated with the Church of England but financed by the Foreign Evangelical Society.
In 1842 Scott had to leave Sweden, and the English church ceased operations. Rosenius did not, however, curtail his activities. He became a leader in the growing religious revival of Sweden, traveling throughout the country, preaching both at private gatherings (conventicles) and in public halls. When the Swedish Evangelical Mission was formed in 1856, Rosenius was one of its founders. A year later the organization bought the English church's old building and reopened it as Bethlehem Church.
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