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n. JOHN III. AND THE CHURCH ORDER. 231
ii. THE REIGN OF JOHN III. (1568 1592). His
SCHEME OF REFORM ON A PRIMITIVE MODEL.
LAURENTIUS KYRKO-ORDNING OF 1571. His
TEACHING ABOUT BISHOPS AND CONFIRMATION.
When Eric, who had occasional fits of passion amount
ing to madness (as shown in particular by his murder of
the Stures), was deposed by his brother, John III., in 1568,
the Church acquiesced, but it incurred another danger.
John was a learned man, and had married a Polish Roman
Catholic wife, Katharina Jagellonica, who followed him
into captivity, and he spent much time of his imprisonment
in study, particularly of the Fathers and early Church his
tory. He was strongly under the influence of George
Cassander (11566), and the party who desired mediation
between the old and new forms of religion. At one time,
as we shall see, he actually entered into communion with
Rome, but, on the whole, his mind was set upon his own
scheme of moderate reform, which was to take as its model
the age of Constantine the Great. It was, therefore, of
great importance for the future of Sweden that the old
archbishop was at last able before his death to put out his
own long-meditated Kyrko-ordning, or Directory for
public worship, in the year 1571, before the king s plans
had developed. This epoch-making book is the founda
tion of all the successive Swedish formularies. It was
issued at first with royal sanction, though not with that of a
Church council. It was felt that it was too argumentative
and undecided to be of the nature of an absolute law.
The section which deals with the office of a bishop is of
such importance that the opening paragraphs of it must be
quoted at length :
45
45
1 have a copy of the rare original book of 1571 given me
by the great kindness of Professor Quensel. The reprint in
Kyrko-ordningar, etc., I.e., pp. 1-180, is so well and clearly
printed that the reader will probably prefer it for reference to the
original. The section on bishops begins p. 144, and is headed
Ordning om Biscopar, hwilke pa Latijn hollas Superatten-
dentes, Ordinarii eller Ordinatores,
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