Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in
Dordrecht in 1618/19, by the
Dutch Reformed Church, in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of
Arminianism. The first meeting was on 13 November, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on 9 May, 1619. Voting representatives from the Reformed churches in eight foreign countries were also invited.
Dort was a contemporary colloquial English term for the town of
Dordrecht. The Synod is often also referred to as Synod of Dordt, or Synod of Dordrecht.
Encyclopedia
The
Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in
Dordrecht in 1618/19, by the
Dutch Reformed Church, in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of
Arminianism. The first meeting was on 13 November, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on 9 May, 1619. Voting representatives from the Reformed churches in eight foreign countries were also invited.
Dort was a contemporary colloquial English term for the town of
Dordrecht. The Synod is often also referred to as
Synod of Dordt, or
Synod of Dordrecht.
Purpose
The purpose of the Synod held in Dordrecht was to settle a controversy that had arisen in the Dutch churches following the spread of
Arminianism. After the death of
Jacob Arminius his followers presented objections to the Belgic Confession and the teaching of
John Calvin,
Theodore Beza, and their followers. These objections were published in a document called The Remonstrance of 1610, and his proponents were therefore also known as Remonstrants. The opposing Calvinists, led by
professor Franciscus Gomarus of the
University of Leiden, became known as the
Contra-Remonstrants.
In
The Remonstrance and in some later writings, the Arminians published an alternative to the
Calvinist doctrine of the Belgic Confession on five points of difference. They taught election on the basis of foreseen faith, a universal atonement, partial human depravity, resistible grace, and the possibility of lapse from grace. Simon Episcopius was spokesman of the 13 representatives of the Remonstrants who were summoned before the Synod in 1618.
Conclusion and the Canons of Dort
The Synod concluded with a rejection of these views, and set forth the Reformed doctrine on each point, namely: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible
grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are sometimes referred to as the Five points of Calvinism and remembered by many using the mnemonic "TULIP".
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, 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".
The
Canons are not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of Reformed doctrine, but only an exposition on the five points of doctrine in dispute.
Political impact
The acts of the Synod were tied to political intrigues that arose during the twelve year truce in the
Dutch war with Spain. The decision of the Synod was the doom of the very highly respected and influential statesman
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who had been the protector of the Arminian Remonstrants. For the crime of
general perturbation in the state of the nation, both in Church and State , he was beheaded on 13 May 1619, only four days after the final meeting of the Synod. He is considered, also by the Calvinists, to be one of the greatest men in the history of the Netherlands. Also lost to the nation as a consequence of the Arminian defeat, was the phenomenal jurist
Hugo Grotius, who was a supporter of the Remonstrants' rights leading up to the Synod. Grotius was given a life sentence in prison, but escaped with the help of his wife. Both Van Oldenbanevelt and Grotius had been imprisoned since 29 August 1618. Arminian theology later received official toleration by the State and has since continued in various forms within Protestantism.
Bible translation
The Synod also decided to have the
Bible translated into
Dutch, straight from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. Translators were appointed, and the States-General were asked to fund the project. After the translation was first published in 1637, it became known as the Translation of the States or
Statenvertaling.
Foreign Representatives
- From England: George Carleton , Joseph Hall , Thomas Goad , John Davenant , Lancelot Andrewes .
- From Scotland: Walter Balcanqual , Samuël Ward , William Ames
- From Heidelberg: Abraham Scultetus , Paul Tossanus , Hendrik Alting
- From Switzerland: Johann Jakob Breitinger , Wolfgang Mayer , Sebastian Beck , Mark Rütimeyer , Hans Conrad Koch .
- From Geneva: Giovanni Diodati , Theodore Trochin
- From Bremen: Ludwig Crocius , Matthiuas Martinius , Heinrich Isselburg .
- From Nassau-Wetteravië: Johann Heinrich Alsted , John Bisterfeld , Georg Fabricius
- From Emden: Ritzius Lucas Grimersheim , Daniël Bernard Eilshemius .
- From France: None because the French government prohibited their attendance. A set of empty chairs was set up in the assembly in honor of the absent French Huguenots.
See also
External links
