TheCanons of Dort, orCanons of Dordrecht, formally titledThe Decision of theSynod of Dort on the Five Main Points ofDoctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is an exposition of orthodoxReformedsoteriology againstArminianism, by the National Synod held in theDutch city ofDordrecht in 1618–1619.[1][2]: 240 At the time, Dordrecht was often referred to in English as in local dialects asDort or Dordt. The Canons are of a similar nature to theNicene Creed, in that they were written to settle a theological controversy (Arianism in the case of the Nicene Creed and theArminian controversy in the case of Dort), affirming and vindicating the orthodox position.[2]: 7–8
These canons are a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute in the Arminian controversy of that day. Following the death ofJacobus Arminius (1560–1609), his followers set forth in 1610 theFive Articles of Remonstrance. The five articles formulated their points of departure from the Confessional Reformed beliefs of theBelgic Confession that they had sworn ministerial oaths to teach and uphold. The Canons of Dort represent the judgment of the Synod against this Remonstrance.[3] The Synod consisted of eighty-four Reformed divines (fifty-eight of whom were Dutch) and eighteen lay assessors. TheStates General of theDutch Republic requested the attendance of foreign representatives from countries with significant Reformed populations.[2]: 241 In later years, Arminian theology received official acceptance by the State and has since continued in various forms within Protestantism, especially within theMethodist churches.[4]
The Canons consist of four chapters which serve as a response to the five points of the Remonstrance (the response to the third and fourth articles are combined), offering a detailed explanation of the Reformed perspective on five 'heads' of doctrine, each head consisting of a positive and a negative part, and a conclusion exhorting Christians to humility and reverence for the doctrine of predestination.[5][2]: 242, 247–248
The canons were not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of Reformed doctrine, but only an exposition on the five points of doctrine in dispute.[6] Thefive points of Calvinism, remembered by themnemonicTULIP (total depravity,unconditional election,limited atonement,irresistible grace andperseverance of the saints) and popularised by a 1963 booklet,[7] are popularly said to summarise the 1618 Canons of Dort.[8] While related to the 1618 Canons of Dort, the five points of Calvinism do not actually come from the 1618 document itself but from an earlier document and correction against the Arminians during the same controversy. The five points of Calvinism comes from theCounter Remonstrance of 1611.[9]
Today the Canons of Dort form part of theThree Forms of Unity, theconfessional standards of many of theReformed churches around the world, including theNetherlands,South Africa,Australia andNorth America.[2]: 250 Their continued use as a standard sets apart the Reformed Churches from those adhering to the doctrines ofJacob Arminius, theRemonstrants. W. A. Curtis in hisHistory of Creeds and Confessions of Faith describes the merits of the Canons thus.
[The Canons'] tone is as admirable as their eloquence is noble and sustained. Their ethical sensitiveness and zeal for the Divine glory, even at the cost of man's dignity, are manifest. Their courage in facing the problems of election and sin in the light of Scriptural revelation—problems which practically all non-Calvinistic systems discreetly elude or ignore—is worthy of the high spirit and noble ardour of the Dutch nation then emerging from their long struggle for independence.[2]: 248–249
Arminian theology was at first suppressed in the United Provinces (known today as the Netherlands) but caught on there later and spread to England and the American colonies, largely through the influence of John Wesley and the Methodists. The Canons of Dordt (or Dort) is still one of the Confessional documents taught and upheld in Reformed Churches today.
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