TheSynod of Dort (also known as theSynod of Dordt or theSynod of Dordrecht) was a European transnationalSynod held inDordrecht in 1618–1619, by theDutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy caused by the rise ofArminianism. The first meeting was on 13 November 1618 and the final meeting, the 154th, was on 9 May 1619.[1] Voting representatives from eight foreignReformed churches were also invited.Dort was a contemporary Dutch term for the town ofDordrecht (and it remains the local colloquial pronunciation).
In 2014, the first entire critical edition of the Acts and Documents of the Synod was published.[2]
There had been previous provincial synods of Dort, and a National Synod in 1578.[3] For that reason the 1618 meeting is sometimes called theSecond Synod of Dort.
The acts of the Synod were tied to political intrigues that arose during theTwelve Years' Truce, a pause in theDutch war with Spain. After the death ofJacobus Arminius his followers presented objections to theBelgic Confession and the teaching ofJohn Calvin,Theodore Beza, and their followers. These objections were published in a document calledThe Remonstrance of 1610, and the Arminians were therefore also known asRemonstrants. They taughtconditional election on the basis of foreseen faith,unlimited atonement,resistible grace, and thepossibility of lapse from grace. The opposing Calvinists or Gomarists, led byFranciscus Gomarus of theUniversity of Leiden, became known as theContra-Remonstrants.
The Arminians were accused of propagating false doctrine and perceived as ready to compromise with the Spanish, whereas the DutchCalvinists were not, so Arminianism was considered by some to be not only theologically unsound but also political treason; in 1617–1618 there was a pamphlet war andFrancis van Aarssens expressed the view that the Arminians were working forPhilip IV of Spain.[4] Planning for a National Synod was begun byAdriaan Pauw in March 1618.[5] 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 ambassadorDudley Carleton.[6]
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 [of the Remonstrant doctrines] was determined before the national synod met."[7] 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, president of the synod, himself aSupralapsarian, argued for the inclusion of theInfralapsarian position in the Canons. The more extreme views of Dutch Calvinists were moderated in the detailed debates.[8]
The Synod had 27 members[9] representingReformed groups fromcontinental Europe, as well as from theBritish Isles. Among these groups were alsoAnglican delegates from theChurch of England[10] and theChurch of Scotland.[11]
Simon Episcopius (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.[12]
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.[13] A delegation of Episcopius consisting of Bernard Arentsz Dwinglo (1582–1652) andJohannes Arnoldi Corvinus called on theChurch of England 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.[14]
The Synod concluded with a rejection of the Arminian views, and set forth the Reformed doctrine on each point, namely:total depravity,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 theperseverance of the saints. These are sometimes referred to as theFive points of Calvinism. The nomenclature did not imply 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 theCalvinist position regarding the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God in salvation.The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, popularly known as theCanons of Dort, is the explanation of the judicial decision of the Synod.[15] In the original preface, theDecision 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 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.[16]
On 5 July they were called to the States-General assembly where they were requested to signThe 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.[17] However, in the 18th century, Arminian theology spread toEngland where it became integral to the theology of theMethodist churches.[18]
The synod also initiated an official Dutch Bible translation (theStatenvertaling, i.e.Translation of the States or, theDutch Authorized Version) from the original languages that would be completed in 1637. Translators were appointed, and theStates-General were asked to fund the project. It had a lasting impact on the standardDutch language, 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 theNetherlands Reformed Congregations and similar, smaller denominations.
Like its sister translations, theGenevan Bible and theKing James Version (Authorized Version), the Dutch pastor-scholars worked in the Old Testament from theMasoretic Text (consulting theSeptuagint) and in the New Testament from theTextus Receptus (consulting theMajority Text).
In 1645, theWestminster Assembly appointedTheodore Haak to translate theStatenvertaling met kanttekeningen (The Dort Bible and its Commentary) into English for wider distribution. This work was published by Henry Hill in London 1657.
The Synod rejected the teachings of the Remonstrants on the controverted points as falling outside the bounds of the Reformed confessions. There followed thepolitical condemnation of the statesmanJohan van Oldenbarnevelt who had been the protector of the Remonstrants. For the crime ofgeneral 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 juristHugo 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.
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