![Synode van Dordrecht](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Synode_van_Dordrecht.jpg)
The Synod of Dort (also known as the Synod of Dordt or the Synod of Dordrecht) was an international
Synod held in
Dordrecht
Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
in 1618–1619, by the
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...
, to settle a divisive controversy caused by the rise of
Arminianism. The first meeting was on 13 November 1618 and the final meeting, the 180th, was on 29 May 1619. Voting representatives from eight foreign
Reformed churches
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...
were also invited. ''Dort'' was a contemporary Dutch term for the town of ''Dordrecht'' (and it remains the local colloquial pronunciation).
In 2014, the first entire critical edition of the Acts and Documents of the Synod was published.
Background
There had been previous provincial synods of Dort, and a National Synod in 1578. For that reason the 1618 meeting is sometimes called the ''Second Synod of Dort''.
The acts of the Synod were tied to political intrigues that arose during the
Twelve Years' Truce
The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like France began treating the Republic as a soverei ...
, a pause in the
Dutch war with Spain. After the death of
Jacob Arminius
Jacobus Arminius (10 October 1560 – 19 October 1609), the Latinized name of Jakob Hermanszoon, was a Dutch theologian during the Protestant Reformation period whose views became the basis of Arminianism and the Dutch Remonstrant movement. ...
his followers presented objections to the
Belgic Confession and the teaching of
John Calvin,
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation ...
, and their followers. These objections were published in a document called
The Remonstrance of 1610, and the Arminians were therefore also known as ''Remonstrants''. They taught
conditional election
In Christian theology, conditional election is the belief that God chooses for eternal salvation those whom he foresees will have faith in Christ. This belief emphasizes the importance of a person's free will. The counter-view is known as uncond ...
on the basis of foreseen faith,
unlimited atonement
Unlimited atonement (sometimes called general atonement or universal atonement) is a doctrine in Protestant Christianity that is normally associated with Amyraldism (four-point Calvinism), as well as Arminianism and other non-Calvinist tradition ...
,
resistible grace, and the
possibility of lapse from grace. The opposing Calvinists or Gomarists, led by
Franciscus Gomarus
Franciscus Gomarus (François Gomaer; 30 January 1563 – 11 January 1641) was a Dutch theologian, a strict Calvinist and an opponent of the teaching of Jacobus Arminius (and his followers), whose theological disputes were addressed at the Synod ...
of the
University of Leiden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...
, became known as the ''Contra-Remonstrants''.
The Arminians were accused of propagating false doctrine and perceived as ready to compromise with the Spanish, whereas the Dutch
Calvinists were not, so Arminianism was considered by some to be not only theologically unsound but also political treason; in 1617–8 there was a pamphlet war and
Francis van Aarssens
Baron Francis van Aarssens or Baron François van Aerssen (27 September 1572 - 27 December 1641), from 1611 on lord of Sommelsdijk, was a diplomat and statesman of the United Provinces.
Biography
He was born in Brussels, the son of Cornelis van ...
expressed the view that the Arminians were working for
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...
. Planning for a National Synod was begun by
Adriaan Pauw in March 1618. Before that, there had been a debate as to whether the synod should be national, as the Contra-Remonstrants wished, or provincial for Holland, as the Remonstrants argued. This decision was worked out in 1617, with outside input from the English ambassador
Dudley Carleton.
Purpose
The purpose of the Synod was to settle the controversy over Arminianism. It was subsequently alleged, but never proven, that the outcome had already been decided. According to Frederick Calder, "condemnation
f the Remonstrant doctrineswas determined before the national synod met." On the other hand, beyond the condemnation of the Arminians, the theological formulations of the Canons of the Synod by no means gave support to all the Gomarists wanted. In fact,
Johannes Bogerman
200px, Johann Bogerman
Johannes Bogerman (1576 – 11 September 1637) was a Frisian Protestant divine.
He was born in Uplewert (Now Ostfriesland, Germany), the son of a preacher. From 1591 onwards, he studied in Franeker, Heidelberg, Genev ...
, president of the synod, himself a
Supralapsarian, argued for the inclusion of the
Infralapsarian In Calvinist theology, lapsarianism is the study of the logical order of God's decree to ordain the fall of man in relation to his decree to save some sinners through election and condemn others through reprobation. Several opposing positions have b ...
position in the Canons. The more extreme views of Dutch Calvinists were moderated in the detailed debates.
Delegates
![Synode te Dordtrecht](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Synode_te_Dordtrecht.jpg)
The Synod had members representing
Reformed groups from
continental Europe, as well as from the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. Among these groups were also
Anglican delegates from the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
[The British Delegation and the Synod of Dort (1618-19) (Church of England Record Society) 2005] and the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
.
Proceedings
Simon Episcopius
Simon Episcopius (8 January 1583 – 4 April 1643) was a Dutch theologian and Remonstrant who played a significant role at the Synod of Dort in 1618. His name is the Latinized form of his Dutch name Simon Bisschop.
Life
Born in Amsterdam, in 16 ...
(1583–1643) was spokesman of the 14 Remonstrants who were summoned before the Synod in 1618. At the opening of the synod, Episcopius asked to speak.
Episcopius ... insisted on being permitted to begin with a refutation of the Calvinistic doctrines, especially that of reprobation, hoping that, by placing his objections to this doctrine in front of all the rest, he might excite such prejudice against the other articles of the system, as to secure the popular voice in his favor. The Synod, however, very properly, reminded him ... that, as the Remonstrants were accused of departing from the Reformed faith, they were bound first to justify themselves, by giving Scriptural proof in support of their opinions. The Arminians would not submit to this plan of procedure because it destroyed their whole scheme of argument ... and were thus compelled to withdraw. Upon their departure, the Synod proceeded without them.
He concluded by expressing his dissatisfaction with the organization of the assembly, and that the Contra-Remonstrants had prevented an accurate representation of the Arminian supporters in the Dutch Reformed Church with votes in the synod. A delegation of Episcopius consisting of Bernard Arentsz Dwinglo (1582-1652) and
Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus born Joannes Arnoldsz Ravens (c.1582, Leiden – 2 January 1650, Amsterdam) was a Dutch Remonstrant minister and jurist.
Life
He was born in Leiden, and in 1606 was a Calvinist preacher there. A pupil of Jacobus Arminius, ...
called on the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
representatives, and others coming from outside, asking for support and giving written accounts of the context. After that a month was spent on procedural matters concerning the Remonstrants. They were finally ejected from the Synod at session 57 on 14 January.
The Canons of Dort
The Synod concluded with a rejection of the Arminian views, and set forth the Reformed doctrine on each point, namely:
total depravity
Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...
,
unconditional election,
limited atonement (arguing that Christ's atoning work was intended only for the elect and not for the rest of the world),
irresistible (or irrevocable) grace, and the
perseverance of the saints
Perseverance of the saints (also called preservation of the saints) is a Christian teaching that asserts that once a person is truly "born of God" or "regenerated" by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they will continue doing good works and bel ...
. These are sometimes referred to as the
Five points of Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...
. The nomenclature never inferred that all of Calvinism could be reduced to a mere five points, but that TULIP—the acronym that was later developed for the teachings of Dort in the English-speaking world—summarized the
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
position regarding the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God in salvation. It is ''The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands'', popularly known as the
Canons of Dort
The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618 ...
, is the explanation of the judicial decision of the Synod. In the original preface, the ''Decision'' is called:
a judgment, in which both, the true view agreeing with God's word concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine is explained and, the false view disagreeing with God's Word is rejected.
Aftermath
![Allegory of theological dispute-Abraham van der Eyk-MBA Lyon H1151-IMG 0428](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Allegory_of_theological_dispute-Abraham_van_der_Eyk-MBA_Lyon_H1151-IMG_0428.jpg)
The thirteen Remonstrant ministers, including Episcopius, had been charged to remain in Dort until further instruction. On 20 May 1619 the Remonstrant ministers who had been present were summoned by the lay-commissioners of the synod and directed to abstain from ministerial activities such as preaching, exhorting, administering the sacraments, and visiting the sick. Furthermore, Episcopius was commanded not to write letters or books promoting the doctrines of the Remonstrants. The Remonstrants agreed to refrain from ministering in the government-ordained churches, but confessed their duty to expound their doctrines wherever people would assemble to hear them.
On 5 July they were called to the States-General assembly where they were requested to sign ''The Act of Cessation'', the legalization of the order to desist from the ministry. When they refused to sign it, they were sentenced as "disturbers of the public peace" and ordered to leave the United Provinces. However, in the 18th century, Arminian theology spread to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
where it became integral to the theology of the
Methodist churches.
Bible translation
The synod also initiated an official Dutch Bible translation (the ''
Statenvertaling'', i.e. ''Translation of the States'' or, the ''Dutch Authorized Version'') from the original languages that would be completed in 1637. Translators were appointed, and the
States-General were asked to fund the project. It had a lasting impact on the standard
Dutch language
Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...
, which was just then beginning to gain wider acceptance and developing a literary tradition. It would remain the standard translation in Protestant churches for more than three centuries and still is used in some sister churches of the
Netherlands Reformed Congregations
The Netherlands Reformed Congregations is a conservative Calvinist denomination with congregations in Canada, the United States and Bolivia.
It is affiliated with the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Reformed Congreg ...
and similar, smaller denominations.
Like its sister translations, the
Genevan Bible and the
King James Version
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...
(Authorized Version), the Dutch pastor-scholars worked in the Old Testament from the
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
(consulting the
Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...
) and in the New Testament from the
Textus Receptus
''Textus Receptus'' (Latin: "received text") refers to all printed editions of the Greek New Testament from Erasmus's ''Novum Instrumentum omne'' (1516) to the 1633 Elzevir edition. It was the most commonly used text type for Protestant deno ...
(consulting the
Majority Text
In the textual criticism of the New Testament, the Byzantine text-type (also called Majority Text, Traditional Text, Ecclesiastical Text, Constantinopolitan Text, Antiocheian Text, or Syrian Text) is one of the main text types. It is the form fo ...
).
In 1645, the
Westminster Assembly
The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopt ...
appointed
Theodore Haak
Theodore Haak (1605 in – 1690 in London) was a German Calvinist scholar, resident in England in later life. Haak's communications abilities and interests in the new science provided the backdrop for convening the " 1645 Group", a precursor of ...
to translate the ''Statenvertaling met kantekeningen'' (''The Dort Bible and its Commentary'') into English for wider distribution. This work was published by Henry Hill in London 1657.
Political impact
The Synod rejected the teachings of the Remonstrants on the controverted points as falling outside the bounds of the Reformed confessions. There followed the
political condemnation of the statesman
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (), Heer van Berkel en Rodenrijs (1600), Gunterstein (1611) and Bakkum (1613) (14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619) was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch struggle for indepen ...
who had been the protector of the Remonstrants. For the crime of ''general perturbation in the state of the nation, both in Church and State'' (treason), he was beheaded on 13 May 1619, only four days after the final meeting of the Synod. As consequence of the Arminian defeat, the jurist
Hugo Grotius was given a life sentence in prison; but he escaped with the help of his wife. Both Van Oldenbarnevelt and Grotius had in fact been imprisoned since 29 August 1618.
See also
*
History of the Netherlands
The history of the Netherlands is a history of seafaring people thriving in the lowland river delta on the North Sea in northwestern Europe. Records begin with the four centuries during which the region formed a militarized border zone of the Ro ...
Notes
References
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Further reading
* Brown Patterson, W. (1990). 'The Synod of Dort and the Early Stuart Church'
.e., the Church of England ''This Sacred History: Anglican Reflections,
estschriftfor John Booty'', ed. Donald S. Armentrout (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cowley Publications), p. 199-221.
* Hoeksema, Homer C., ''The Voice of Our Fathers: an Exposition of the Canons of Dordrecht''. Second ed. (Jenison, Mich.: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2013). ''N.B''.: The publisher's first ed. appeared in 1980.
* Lieburg, Fred van. ''The Synod of Dordrecht, 1618–1619'' (Dordrecht: Historisch Platform Dordrecht, 2017) (also published in Dutch and German)
*
External links
* at CRC home
Canons of Dortat Reformed.org
{{Authority control
17th-century Calvinism
1618 establishments in the Dutch Republic
Arminianism
Calvinism in the Dutch Republic
History of Dordrecht
Jacobus Arminius