Jens Lauritz Arup Seip (11 October 1905 – 5 September 1992) was a Norwegian historian originally trained as a medieval historian, but stood out as the strongest of his time in interpreting Norwegian political history in the 1800s, particularly known for having created the term "embedsmannsstaten".

He worked as a research fellow at the University of Oslo from 1936,[6] under the tutorship of Edvard Bull,[7] and became known for the journal article Problemer og metode i norsk middelalderforskning in 1940.

[6] The same year his uncle Didrik Arup Seip was removed by the Nazi occupants from his position as rector.

[8] Jens Arup Seip completed his thesis Sættargjerden i Tunsberg og kirkens jurisdiksjon in 1942, but did not receive the dr.philos.

Among his most important publications were Fra embedsmannsstat til ettpartistat (1963) and Utsikt over Norges historie in two volumes (1974 and 1981).