Kingo, Thomas

Kingo, Thomas a famous hymn-writer of Denmark, was born December 15, 1634, at Stangerup, in the island of Zealand. He studied theology at Copenhagen, and was appointed pastor of his native parish in 1668, and bishop of Funen in 1677. He died in 1703. Kingo was a poet born, and a powerful Christian character, and he has given the Danish Church some of its very best hymns. He published Aandelige Sjunge-Chor, a collection of hymns, 1674; and another collection in 1681. He also compiled, at the instance of the government, a new hymn-book, known as Kingo's Psalmebog, 1699, which is still in use. See Nordish Conversations-lexicon (1879), s.v.; Brandt og Helweg, Den Danske Psalmodigtning Historie (Copenhagen, 1847); Michelsen, in Plitt-Herzog's Real-Encyklop, s.v. (B.P.)