Livet i Døden

En lesning av Hans Nielsen Hauges bok fra 1818

Abstract

In a small but widespread book from 1818, Livet i Døden, Hans Nielsen Hauge presents descriptions of the deathbeds of !fteen of his followers. Making use of letters and reports from eyewitnesses, he describes how the dying believers in various ways show emotions and express their faith, thereby becoming examples for others. Hauge draws heavily on the Moravian «Lebenslauf» literature, but also on the Lutheran genre of funeral sermons. The book promoted a community among the Haugeans – a wider, imagined community of dead and living – and created literary monuments, raised in honor of ordinary believers. In this way, the book contributes to a growing interest in religious psychology.