Born in Sweden in 1866, Søderblom attended the University of Uppsala and was ordained a priest in the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden in 1893. From 1894-1901, he served as Pastor of the Swedish Lutheran community in Paris, during which time he took his doctorate in theology at the Sorbonne. He returned to Uppsala in 1902 to teach and lead the School of Theology at the university. He was a highly respected scholar and teacher, a prolific writer, and an early proponent of the study of comparative religions.