Background
He was born in Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.
He was born in Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.
He was educated for the priesthood in Copenhagen where he took his Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1698.
He received his Candidate.theol. in 1699. After completing his education, he started working as a priest in Helgeland. In 1709, he was appointed vicar of Veøy in Romsdal.
He was also a pioneer of Christian mission among Sami people in Norway.
He undertook three trips to northern Norway between 1716-1723. He founded the school Seminarium scholasticum in Trondheim in 1717.
The school closed after Westen died in 1727. Seminarium scholasticum was a model for the later Seminarium Lapponicum which operated between 1752-1774.