Willem Teellinck (January 4, 1579,

Zierikzee Zierikzee () is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikze ...

– April 8, 1629,

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

) was an influential Dutch pastor during the

Further Reformation ''Nadere Reformatie'' (Dutch Second Reformation or Further Reformation) is the period of church history in the Netherlands, following the Reformation, from roughly 1600 until 1750. History The period and its representatives are known for thei ...

in the Netherlands.

Biography

Willem was born to Joost Teellinck, a mayor of Zierikzee, and Johanna de Jonge in 1579. His father died when he was 15. Willem received an excellent education. He studied at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and then received a doctorate from the University of Poitiers in France. He then lived among the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

in England for a time. It was at this time that he became a Calvinist. In England Willem met Martha Greendon. She was a Puritan woman, and the two were married. It was while in England that Willem also decided to become a minister and give up the pursuit of law. Dutch church historians tend to think of Willem, and perhaps his brother Eewout, as giving the original impulse to Precicianism as a movement.

Ministry

Willem studied theology at the University of Leiden under both

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 ...

and

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. ...

. At first he tried to stay neutral in the controversy although he personally was a

Gomarist 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 ...

. Teellinck was ordained in 1606 and began serving a parish in Duiveland. Teellinck stayed in contact with his English Puritan friends, especially

John Dod John Dod (c. 1549 – 1645), known as "Decalogue Dod", was a non-conforming English clergyman, taking his nickname for his emphasis on the Ten Commandments. He is known for his widely circulated writings. Although he lost one means of livelihood ...

Arthur Hildersham Arthur Hildersham (1563–1632) was an English clergyman, a Puritan and nonconforming preacher. Life Arthur Hildersham was born at Stetchworth, and brought up as a Roman Catholic. He was educated in Saffron Walden and at Christ's College, Camb ...

, and Thomas Taylor. Teellinck brought the English Puritanism to his ministry in the Netherlands. He stressed repentance, practical godliness, and willing to address current events in his sermons. In 1612, he was sent by his Classis to the Hague to have the government call a National Synod to resolve the growing conflict between Calvinism and Arminianism. This would eventually result in the

Synod of Dort The Synod of Dort (also known as the Synod of Dordt or the Synod of Dordrecht) was an international Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618–1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy caused by the rise of Arminianism. The fi ...

. In 1613 Willem Teellinck took a call to the pastorate in Middelburg. He served here until his death in 1629. The church grew under his leadership, and he gained quite a reputation as a very godly minister, even going as far to continually visit the sick even during an outbreak of pestilence and plague. At the age of 50, Willem Teellinck died. Thousands mourned his death.

Works

Teellinck wrote at least 127 manuscripts, including 20 full-length books (many of his books were printed by Middelburg printer Hans van der Hellen), although not all were printed and some were printed after his death. His first work was published in 1608, and was entitled ''The Love of the Fatherland''. It was about the need of the government to enact laws to help restrain sin. Most of his works, however, dealt more with personal piety or

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

of the Bible. This includes his longest work, ''The Key of Devotion'', which is about 800 pages. However, Teellinck did also write works against the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Arminianism Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

. His book ''The Path of True Godliness'' was translated into English in 2003.

Sources

*Introduction to ''the Path of True Godliness,'' edited by Joel Beeke

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Teelinck, Willem 1579 births 1629 deaths 17th-century Dutch Calvinist and Reformed ministers Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians People from Zierikzee