Søren Georg Abel was a Norwegian priest and politician, also known as the father of mathematician Niels Henrik Abel

Niels Henrik Abel

Niels Henrik Abel was a Norwegian mathematician who proved the impossibility of solving the quintic equation in radicals.-Early life:...

.

Personal life

He was born in Mo, Telemark

Mo, Telemark

Mo is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Mo was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 .On 1 January 1964 a merger took place between Mo and Lårdal, creating the new municipality Tokke...

 as the son of Hans Mathias Abel (1738–1803) and Elisabeth Knuth Normann (1737–1817).

In 1800 he married Anne Marie Simonsen. Their second oldest son was Niels Henrik Abel

Niels Henrik Abel

Niels Henrik Abel was a Norwegian mathematician who proved the impossibility of solving the quintic equation in radicals.-Early life:...

, the world-famous mathematician. Søren Georg Abel was also a great-grandfather of the politician Hans Prydz

Hans Prydz

Hans Prydz was a Norwegian physician and politician for the Conservative Party.-Personal life:He was born in Grini in Bærum, as the son of lieutenant colonel Christen Edvard Prydz and his wife Isakine Wilhelmine Caspara Abel . He was a great-grandson of Peter Blankenborg Prydz and Søren Georg...

 (1868–1957).

Career

Søren Georg Abel enrolled as a student of Lutheran theology in 1788 and graduated as cand.theol.

Cand.theol.

Candidatus theologiæ , Candidata theologiæ , abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six year higher education in theology in Denmark and Norway. In Norway, the title has remained after the "Quality Reform", though it is equivalent to a Master of...

 in 1792. In 1794 he was hired as chaplain

Chaplain

Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...

 under his father, who was vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 in Gierestad

Gjerstad

Gjerstad is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Agder, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county.-General information:...

 og Wegaardsheien

Vegårshei

Vegårshei is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra.-General information:...

parish. As Abel maintained ties with Peder Hansen, bishop of Agder, Hansen suggested that Abel be appointed vicar in Bygland

Bygland

Bygland is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The municipal center is the village of Bygland. Other villages in the municipality include Byglandsfjord, Lauvdal, and Åraksbø...

 in 1798. This never materialized, but Abel was appointed vicar in Findøe

Finnøy

Finnøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is an island community located in Boknafjorden, 13 nautical miles north of Stavanger.The parish of Finnø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...

 the next year. Regarding this position as a stepping stone, in 1801 Abel unsuccessfully applied for the vicarships in Sigdal

Sigdal

Sigdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. -Background:...

, Holle

Holla, Telemark

Holla was a parish district and former municipality now located in municipality of Nome the in Telemark county, Norway.-History:Holla is situated in the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. Holla parish included the churches at Holla and Helgen both in Telemark county. The parish of Holden was...

 and Aas

Ås

Ås is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Follo traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ås...

. He remained in Findøe, and Niels Henrik Abel was born there in 1802.

In 1803 his father, the vicar, died. Abel applied for the vacant vicarship in Gierestad. Following a testimonial from Bishop Hansen and County Governor Koren, he was appointed. He later applied for ten other vicarships, but was not appointed and remained in Gierestad. In 1806 he published Religions-spørgsmaal med Svar, indrettede efter de unges Fatte-evne, a well-known explanation of Luther's Small Catechism

Luther's Small Catechism

Luther's Small Catechism was written by Martin Luther and published in 1529 for the training of children. Luther's Small Catechism reviews The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, The Office of the Keys & Confession, and The Sacrament of the...

.

In 1814 he was elected to the first session of the Norwegian Parliament, representing the rural constituency Nedenæs Amt

Aust-Agder

is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....

(today named Aust-Agder). He was not re-elected in 1815, but returned in 1818 to serve a final term.

He died in 1820.