Paavo Ruotsalainen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paavo Ruotsalainen
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Paavo Ruotsalainen depicted in the book Suomen historia (3rd edition, 1926)
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| Born |
Påhl Henrik Ruotsalainen
9 July 1777 Tölvänniemi, Lapinlahti, Finland
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| Died | 27 January 1852 (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Farmer, lay preacher, leader of revivalist Awakening religious movement |
Paavo Heikki Ruotsalainen (born Påhl Henrik; 9 July 1777 – 27 January 1852) was a Finnish farmer and a special kind of preacher. He led an important religious movement in Finland called the Awakening. Paavo was born in Tölvänniemi, Finland, and passed away in Nilsiä.
Paavo's Early Life and Faith
Paavo grew up in a small village called Tölvänniemi, in Finland. He was the oldest son of ordinary farmers. He got his first Bible when he was just six years old! By the time he was confirmed in the church, he had already read the entire Bible three times. Because he spent so much time reading the Bible, some people called him foolish Paavo.
When Paavo heard about a special preacher named Jakob Högman, who lived far away in Jyväskylä, he decided to visit him. In the winter of 1799, Paavo walked about 200 kilometers (124 miles) to meet him! This long journey and meeting changed Paavo's life and helped him understand his faith much better.
Jakob Högman was known for reading a special book called "The Choice Drop of Honey." He gave Paavo a copy of this book, which stayed important to Paavo his whole life. Högman told Paavo that he was missing one very important thing:
"One thing you lack, though, and with it everything else: the inner feeling of Christ."
Leading the Awakening Movement
Paavo Ruotsalainen became the leader of a religious movement in Finland called herännäisyys (Awakening). He traveled all over Finland to meet with other people who were part of this movement. He met with important pastors like Jonas Lagus and Nils Gustav Malmberg.
It's thought that Paavo traveled about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) in his lifetime. Most of these long journeys were made on foot! As the Awakening movement grew, both the church and the government became worried about it. In 1838-1839, Paavo was even put on trial and had to pay a fine. However, this did not stop the movement from growing.
Paavo's Later Years and Legacy
Paavo Ruotsalainen passed away on 27 January 1852, in Nilsiä, when he was 74 years old.
In 1975, Paavo's life became the subject of an opera called The Last Temptations (Viimeiset kiusaukset in Finnish). The music for the opera was written by Joonas Kokkonen. The story for the opera was written by Lauri Kokkonen, who had also written a play with the same name earlier.
