Conrad Vorstius
Encyclopedia
Conrad Vorstius (Cologne
, July 19, 1569 – Tönning
, September 29, 1622) was a German-Dutch Protestant Remonstrant theologian, and successor to Jacobus Arminius
in the theology chair at Leiden.
on July 19, 1569. His parents were Roman Catholic but he converted to the Reformed religion. He studied at Düsseldorf from 1583 to 1587, he also studied at Aix-la-Chapelle and then entered the college of St. Lawrence in Cologne; he next studied for two years to prepare for business but in 1589 again altered his intention and studied at the Herborn Academy
from 1589 until 1593, he entered further schooling at Heidelberg
on April 12, 1593 focusing on theology on April 12, 1594. There he studied under Johannes Piscator
and received a theological doctorate in July 4, 1594.
In December 1595 he went to Basel
and Geneva
, where he attended Lectures by Theodore Beza
. It was also here where his disputations De sacramentis (Basel, 1595) and De causis salutis (1595) gained him the offer of a position as teacher (with the approval of Beza and Johann Jakob Grynaeus
). Instead, he went to Steinfurt
in 1596, in the County of Bentheim. There, thanks to a recommendation from Beza and David Pareus
, he taught at Graf von Bentheim's gymnasium for fifteen years. At Steinfurt Vorstius defended the Reformed religion against the Catholic theologian Robert Bellarmine
. He also received offers for teaching positions at Saumur and Marburg. It was at Steinfurt that his De praedestinatione (Steinfurt, 1597), De sancta Trinitate (1597), and De persona et officio Christi (1597) brought on him a suspicion of Socinianism
; but in 1599 he successfully defended his orthodoxy before the theological faculty of Heidelberg. He was promoted in Steinfurt, in 1605 receiving the additional appointments of preacher and assessor to the consistory.
He reprinted in 1610 his Disputationes decem de natura et attributis Dei (Steinfurt, 1602) as Tractatus theologicus de Deo sive de natura et attributis Dei, and in the same year published Anti-Bellarminus (1610). His statements in the Tractatus on God, the divine attributes, predestination, and Christ led the Counter-Remonstrants to accuse him of Socinianism and heterodoxy
. The Heidelberg theologians condemned the book; Vorstius replied in his Protestatio epistolica contra theologorum Heidelbergensium (The Hague, 1610). In 1611 he damaged his reputation by re-editing a work of Socinus
; De auctoritate sanctae scripturae, with a preface of his own. The authorities in Heidelberg refused to publish it and he later claimed to have been ignorant of its authorship.
As the controversy grew "His appointment became a symbolic cause in the struggle between the two parties [Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants] in church and state. Oldenbarnevelt and Uyttenbogaert, the leaders of the Remonstrants, were committed to the appointment of Vorstius, which would ensure that an exponent of the Arminian-Remonstrant point of view would continue to be heard at Leiden." They were joined by Hugo Grotius
who defended the right of the civil authorities to appoint whomever they wished to university faculty.
Vorstius' opponents, led by Sibrandus Lubbertus
, protested to the states of Holland and West-Friesland. They attempted to bring the Anglicans over to their side by communicating with the archbishop of Canterbury and other English divines and succeeded in winning over King James I of England
. King James issued a pamphlet against him in 1612; he also recruited Richard Sheldon
and William Warmington, English Protestant converts from Catholicism, to write against him. James caused Vorstius's book to be burned in London, Oxford, and Cambridge, and informed the States-General
, through his ambassador Ralph Winwood
, that he would consider them his enemies if they tolerated the presence of such a heretic. Winwood but forward a long speech entirely based on the Contra-Remostrant tenet theat the appointment of Vorstius was not just a political matter but one of religion as well. He stated that since some cities, such as Holland, were against the appointment to move forward on it threatened the unity of the Provinces. Oldenbarnevlet, thanked the ambassador for the king's "princely affection" and promised the proposal would be considered. In a letter to Cecil, Winwood cast the contest as between those "who sincerely do affectionate, the profession of the one only true religion" and those who hold "that the strength of their state, chiefly does consist, in maintaining Religion to be professed in a certain Latitude, the bounds whereof they enlarge, and restrain, at the humor and appetite of every particular man's fantasy". While Vorstius called for toleration of various religious opinions, his English opponents held that this could only lead to the disruption of the state and lose the blessing of Jesus. They held that only reason the United Provinces had not been annihilated by Spain was through the service of God and the advancement of true religion. While James was tolerant for his time, it was only toleration in private; no public preaching or opposition to his religious policies was allowed. Despite the Remonstrants having the same position of supremacy of the state over the Church, there open toleration was seen as a danger to the peace of the state.
Vorstius had made reply in his Christiana ac modesta responsio ad articulos quosdam nuper ex Anglia transmissos (Leiden, 1611), but the States-General felt obliged to dismiss him, though continuing his salary, in 1612. He settled as an exile in Gouda
, about May, 1612.
Attacks on Vorstius continued, and he pleaded his own cause in a series of polemics. Finally, in 1619, he was condemned as a heretic by the Synod of Dort
and banished.
. In 1622 Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
offered him a refuge. Shortly before his death he is reported to have drawn up a confession of faith in which he openly professed Socinianism. He died at Tönning
on September 29, 1622.
' ideas, he was still viewed as Christian and Protestant, and it was difficult to oppose him without appearing to oppose the political powers that had appointed him chair at Leiden University. But upon the appointment of Vorstius the Calvinists had "a golden opportunity to present their intervention in politics as a defence, quite simply, of the Christian religion." To them Vorstius "was an academic of the most troubling kind, who pushed the framework of scholastic theology to its limits." The historian Sarah Mortimer lists elements of his theology, saying "He began to argue that God was not infinite in essence, that his knowledge of the future was limited and that he could not be wholly present in every part of the universe. Though, Vorstius noted, he could not be sure of any of these claims - it was said that he began every theological proposition with the phrase 'it seems that'. Not only did Vorstius appear heterodox but also deeply skeptical, and he convinced many of his hearers and readers that his beliefs and arguments went beyond Christianity, even beyond theism."
Vorstian theology did not find any defenders, "even those who had backed his appointment dissociated themselves from his opinions." The opponents of the Calvinists focused instead on the ecclesiological point, "arguing that it was for the civil magistrate and not the clergy to decide who would instruct students at Leiden University." Hugo Grotius
wishing to detach the issue from both Arminian and Vorstian theology, argued that the states of Holland had the right to appoint the university professors they deemed fit.
Vorstius' theology was seen as so heterodox that it became difficult for people to separate it from the question of the rights of the States. Holding his works up as blasphemy and irreligious, the Calvinists derided the political authority of Holland for appointing him to teach the youth. Vorstius did not help his cause as his work began to be influenced by Socinianism
(another theological system which questioned the concept of a Trinitarian and infinite god; which was also opposed by the Calvinists). Vorstius began meeting with Socinians and giving their books to his students. He even printed his own edition of one of Socinus's works.
Sibrandus Lubbertus
championed the Calvinist side, insisting that while they had no intent to encroach on the magistrates' territory, they couldn't sit by while true religion was being molested. He warned that religious divisions where bad for the States and blamed the magistrates for perputating them. Grotius, on the other side, argued that the States could not be judged on religious grounds, and their rights were independent of religious learning or beliefs. The truce with Spain that had allowed the debate was coming to a close in 1621 so there was an urge to have the matter settled before then.
, 1597 - Leiden, 1663) was to become professor in medicine at the Leiden University
in 1636. His son Willem Hendrijk Vorstius (d. October 1, 1652), who studied rabbinical literature, was Remonstrant preacher at Leiden after 1642, and was also suspected of Socinianism. Another son, Guernerus, was also a Remonstrant preacher at Doccum in 1632, but was banished for five years in 1634. In the following year he returned, only to be arrested and rebanished again, after which he was a preacher at Hoorn
(1641), Leiden (1653), and Rotterdam
(1658), where he became pastor emeritus in 1680 (d. March 1682). He edited his father's Doodsteek der Calvinistische prasdestinate. Descendants of Vorstius were preachers in Dutch Remonstrant churches for a century.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, July 19, 1569 – Tönning
Tönning
Tönning is a town in the district of Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. During the Great Northern War, Tönning was besieged twice.-Geography:...
, September 29, 1622) was a German-Dutch Protestant Remonstrant theologian, and successor to Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
in the theology chair at Leiden.
Early life
Vorstius was born at CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
on July 19, 1569. His parents were Roman Catholic but he converted to the Reformed religion. He studied at Düsseldorf from 1583 to 1587, he also studied at Aix-la-Chapelle and then entered the college of St. Lawrence in Cologne; he next studied for two years to prepare for business but in 1589 again altered his intention and studied at the Herborn Academy
Herborn Academy
The Herborn Academy was a German institution of higher learning very similar to a university in Herborn, which existed from 1584 to 1817...
from 1589 until 1593, he entered further schooling at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
on April 12, 1593 focusing on theology on April 12, 1594. There he studied under Johannes Piscator
Johannes Piscator
Johannes Piscator was a German Reformed theologian, known as a Bible translator and textbook writer.He was a prolific writer, and initially moved around as he held a number of positions...
and received a theological doctorate in July 4, 1594.
In December 1595 he went to Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where he attended Lectures by Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation...
. It was also here where his disputations De sacramentis (Basel, 1595) and De causis salutis (1595) gained him the offer of a position as teacher (with the approval of Beza and Johann Jakob Grynaeus
Johann Jakob Grynaeus
Johann Jakob Grynaeus was a Swiss Protestant divine.-Life:He was born at Bern. His father, Thomas Grynaeus , was for a time professor of ancient languages at Basel and Bern, but afterwards became pastor of Röteln in Baden...
). Instead, he went to Steinfurt
Steinfurt
Steinfurt is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Steinfurt.-Geography:Steinfurt is situated north-west of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name came into being in 1975 when the two – up to then independent – parts of the city – Borghorst and...
in 1596, in the County of Bentheim. There, thanks to a recommendation from Beza and David Pareus
David Pareus
David Pareus was a German Reformed Protestant theologian and reformer.-Life:He was born at Frankenstein December 30, 1548. He was apprenticed to an apothecary and again to a shoemaker...
, he taught at Graf von Bentheim's gymnasium for fifteen years. At Steinfurt Vorstius defended the Reformed religion against the Catholic theologian Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
. He also received offers for teaching positions at Saumur and Marburg. It was at Steinfurt that his De praedestinatione (Steinfurt, 1597), De sancta Trinitate (1597), and De persona et officio Christi (1597) brought on him a suspicion of Socinianism
Socinianism
Socinianism is a system of Christian doctrine named for Fausto Sozzini , which was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Minor Reformed Church of Poland during the 15th and 16th centuries and embraced also by the Unitarian Church of Transylvania during the same period...
; but in 1599 he successfully defended his orthodoxy before the theological faculty of Heidelberg. He was promoted in Steinfurt, in 1605 receiving the additional appointments of preacher and assessor to the consistory.
At Leiden
After the death of Arminius, he accepted, in 1610, a call to Leiden. He was "praised enthusiastically by indisputably orthodox divines at Heidelberg and Arnhem as worthy of the post". He was nominated for the divinity chair there by moderate members of the Remonstrant party who approved of his support of public freedom of opinion ("having defended the toleration of diverse opinions in his book against Bellarmine") and thought that due to his orthodox background he would also be acceptable to some of the Contra-Remonstrants.He reprinted in 1610 his Disputationes decem de natura et attributis Dei (Steinfurt, 1602) as Tractatus theologicus de Deo sive de natura et attributis Dei, and in the same year published Anti-Bellarminus (1610). His statements in the Tractatus on God, the divine attributes, predestination, and Christ led the Counter-Remonstrants to accuse him of Socinianism and heterodoxy
Heterodoxy
Heterodoxy is generally defined as "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". As an adjective, heterodox is commonly used to describe a subject as "characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards"...
. The Heidelberg theologians condemned the book; Vorstius replied in his Protestatio epistolica contra theologorum Heidelbergensium (The Hague, 1610). In 1611 he damaged his reputation by re-editing a work of Socinus
Socinus
Sozzini may refer to:* Fausto Paolo Sozzini * Lelio Sozzini...
; De auctoritate sanctae scripturae, with a preface of his own. The authorities in Heidelberg refused to publish it and he later claimed to have been ignorant of its authorship.
As the controversy grew "His appointment became a symbolic cause in the struggle between the two parties [Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants] in church and state. Oldenbarnevelt and Uyttenbogaert, the leaders of the Remonstrants, were committed to the appointment of Vorstius, which would ensure that an exponent of the Arminian-Remonstrant point of view would continue to be heard at Leiden." They were joined by Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
who defended the right of the civil authorities to appoint whomever they wished to university faculty.
Vorstius' opponents, led by Sibrandus Lubbertus
Sibrandus Lubbertus
Sibrandus Lubbertus was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and was a professor of theology at the University of Franeker for forty years from the institute's foundation in 1585. He was a prominent participant in the Synod of Dort...
, protested to the states of Holland and West-Friesland. They attempted to bring the Anglicans over to their side by communicating with the archbishop of Canterbury and other English divines and succeeded in winning over King James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. King James issued a pamphlet against him in 1612; he also recruited Richard Sheldon
Richard Sheldon (controversialist)
Richard Sheldon was a Church of England clergyman, a convert from Catholicism, known as a polemical writer.-Life:From a Catholic family, and destined for the priesthood, he was sent during the pontificate of Pope Clement VIII to the English College, Rome. He returned to England, via Spain, and...
and William Warmington, English Protestant converts from Catholicism, to write against him. James caused Vorstius's book to be burned in London, Oxford, and Cambridge, and informed the States-General
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
, through his ambassador Ralph Winwood
Ralph Winwood
Sir Ralph Winwood was an English diplomat and politician.-Life:He was born at Aynhoe in Northamptonshire and educated at St John's College, Oxford....
, that he would consider them his enemies if they tolerated the presence of such a heretic. Winwood but forward a long speech entirely based on the Contra-Remostrant tenet theat the appointment of Vorstius was not just a political matter but one of religion as well. He stated that since some cities, such as Holland, were against the appointment to move forward on it threatened the unity of the Provinces. Oldenbarnevlet, thanked the ambassador for the king's "princely affection" and promised the proposal would be considered. In a letter to Cecil, Winwood cast the contest as between those "who sincerely do affectionate, the profession of the one only true religion" and those who hold "that the strength of their state, chiefly does consist, in maintaining Religion to be professed in a certain Latitude, the bounds whereof they enlarge, and restrain, at the humor and appetite of every particular man's fantasy". While Vorstius called for toleration of various religious opinions, his English opponents held that this could only lead to the disruption of the state and lose the blessing of Jesus. They held that only reason the United Provinces had not been annihilated by Spain was through the service of God and the advancement of true religion. While James was tolerant for his time, it was only toleration in private; no public preaching or opposition to his religious policies was allowed. Despite the Remonstrants having the same position of supremacy of the state over the Church, there open toleration was seen as a danger to the peace of the state.
Vorstius had made reply in his Christiana ac modesta responsio ad articulos quosdam nuper ex Anglia transmissos (Leiden, 1611), but the States-General felt obliged to dismiss him, though continuing his salary, in 1612. He settled as an exile in Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, about May, 1612.
Attacks on Vorstius continued, and he pleaded his own cause in a series of polemics. Finally, in 1619, he was condemned as a heretic by the Synod of Dort
Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618-1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The first meeting was on November 13, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on May 9, 1619...
and banished.
Later life
He left Gouda and remained in hiding, mostly in the area of UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
. In 1622 Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.He was the elder son of Duke Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and Augusta of Denmark. His mother was a daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark....
offered him a refuge. Shortly before his death he is reported to have drawn up a confession of faith in which he openly professed Socinianism. He died at Tönning
Tönning
Tönning is a town in the district of Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. During the Great Northern War, Tönning was besieged twice.-Geography:...
on September 29, 1622.
Vorstian theology
While the Calvinists had opposed ArminiusJacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
' ideas, he was still viewed as Christian and Protestant, and it was difficult to oppose him without appearing to oppose the political powers that had appointed him chair at Leiden University. But upon the appointment of Vorstius the Calvinists had "a golden opportunity to present their intervention in politics as a defence, quite simply, of the Christian religion." To them Vorstius "was an academic of the most troubling kind, who pushed the framework of scholastic theology to its limits." The historian Sarah Mortimer lists elements of his theology, saying "He began to argue that God was not infinite in essence, that his knowledge of the future was limited and that he could not be wholly present in every part of the universe. Though, Vorstius noted, he could not be sure of any of these claims - it was said that he began every theological proposition with the phrase 'it seems that'. Not only did Vorstius appear heterodox but also deeply skeptical, and he convinced many of his hearers and readers that his beliefs and arguments went beyond Christianity, even beyond theism."
Vorstian theology did not find any defenders, "even those who had backed his appointment dissociated themselves from his opinions." The opponents of the Calvinists focused instead on the ecclesiological point, "arguing that it was for the civil magistrate and not the clergy to decide who would instruct students at Leiden University." Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
wishing to detach the issue from both Arminian and Vorstian theology, argued that the states of Holland had the right to appoint the university professors they deemed fit.
Vorstius' theology was seen as so heterodox that it became difficult for people to separate it from the question of the rights of the States. Holding his works up as blasphemy and irreligious, the Calvinists derided the political authority of Holland for appointing him to teach the youth. Vorstius did not help his cause as his work began to be influenced by Socinianism
Socinianism
Socinianism is a system of Christian doctrine named for Fausto Sozzini , which was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Minor Reformed Church of Poland during the 15th and 16th centuries and embraced also by the Unitarian Church of Transylvania during the same period...
(another theological system which questioned the concept of a Trinitarian and infinite god; which was also opposed by the Calvinists). Vorstius began meeting with Socinians and giving their books to his students. He even printed his own edition of one of Socinus's works.
Sibrandus Lubbertus
Sibrandus Lubbertus
Sibrandus Lubbertus was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and was a professor of theology at the University of Franeker for forty years from the institute's foundation in 1585. He was a prominent participant in the Synod of Dort...
championed the Calvinist side, insisting that while they had no intent to encroach on the magistrates' territory, they couldn't sit by while true religion was being molested. He warned that religious divisions where bad for the States and blamed the magistrates for perputating them. Grotius, on the other side, argued that the States could not be judged on religious grounds, and their rights were independent of religious learning or beliefs. The truce with Spain that had allowed the debate was coming to a close in 1621 so there was an urge to have the matter settled before then.
Family
Conrad's son Adolph Vorstius (DelftDelft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, 1597 - Leiden, 1663) was to become professor in medicine at the Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
in 1636. His son Willem Hendrijk Vorstius (d. October 1, 1652), who studied rabbinical literature, was Remonstrant preacher at Leiden after 1642, and was also suspected of Socinianism. Another son, Guernerus, was also a Remonstrant preacher at Doccum in 1632, but was banished for five years in 1634. In the following year he returned, only to be arrested and rebanished again, after which he was a preacher at Hoorn
Hoorn
-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
(1641), Leiden (1653), and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(1658), where he became pastor emeritus in 1680 (d. March 1682). He edited his father's Doodsteek der Calvinistische prasdestinate. Descendants of Vorstius were preachers in Dutch Remonstrant churches for a century.
Further reading
- Frederick Shriver, Orthodoxy and Diplomacy: James I and the Vorstius Affair, The English Historical Review, Vol. 85, No. 336 (Jul., 1970), pp. 449–474