The Sacred Pilgrimage : The Concept of Truth in the Life and Work of Lars Skytte

Sammanfattning: This thesis studies the life and work of Lars Skytte (1610-1696), a Swedish Ambassador to Portugal who converted to Catholicism and became a Franciscan theologian, in relation to the concept of Truth. For Skytte, Truth and Catholicism are synonymous. The thesis focuses on his semi-autobiographical book Peregrinatio sancta fratris Laurentii a D. P. Sueci (1658). As a sort of intellectual biography, this study aims at situating Skytte within the context of post- reformation rhetoric and theological thought. The main question guiding the thesis is in what way Lars Skytte argues for the Truth of the Catholic Church, as opposed to what he terms ‘schismatic’ and ‘heretical’ movements. Following a set of identified arguments for the Catholic Church as the religio vera, the thesis looks at how they are employed in various ways to answer the overarching question.