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JAMES
HARMENSZOON
or
Jacobus Arminius
(1560-1609)
Arminius was born in
1560, at Oudewater, a small town in Holland. He went
to school at Utrecht, and then at Marburg. In 1570 when
the Eighty Year was broke out Oudewater was at the
center of the war. In 1575 he lost his parents in a
massacre unleashed by the Spaniards. Orphaned at the
age of fifteen he entered as a student at the University
of Leyden. He then obtained a scholarship from the city
of Amsterdam on bond, which required him to serve the
city of Amsterdam after graduation. He
then joined the Theological School of Geneva, where,
Arminius studied under Prof. Theodore Beza (who was
staunch Calvinist). As a student he was asked to write a
term paper refuting the teachings of one Dirck
Coornhert, a Dutch lay theologian. Dirck considered the
doctrine of Predestination as a black mark on the
justice of God. His work appeared in AD 1576. Even
though he wrote this term paper opposing Dirck, the
Points Dirck raised impressed Arminius. He visited
various schools in Italy, and proceeded to Rome. (Later
Arminius was accused of collaborating with the Romans
citing these visits) Recalled to Amsterdam by the
burgomaster of the city, he was ordained as a minister
in 1588 with a strong recomendation from his Professor
Beza. In 590 he married Lijsbet Reael. In the year
1591 he was commissioned as to draw up a church order
in which he took the stand as Erastianism where Church
is considered dependent on the State. This was in
direct opposition to the calvinistic approach of
independence of State and Religion. This probably was
the starting point of his trouble with the strong
Calvinsts of the Holland. Arminius became the pastor in
a church in Amsterdam where his sermons, which raised
the questions of "predestination and free will of man",
seem to have raised criticisms. In 1603 he accepted a
professorship in the Leyden University. It is strange
that he was interviewed and recommended for this
position by Fransciscus Gomorus. As a professor his
voice was heard and this made him an enemy of Franciscus
Gomarus. Gomarus was not only a Calvinist he was a
supralapsarian (supralapsarianism believes that even the
fall of Adam was decreed) . In 1607 an assembly was
convened at the Hague to decide in what manner a synod
was to be held to determine the controversy. In 1608,
Arminius, and Gomar, his chief opponent, appeared before
the Supreme Court of the Hague, which, having heard
their statements, decided that the points on which they
differed were of little importance and unessential to
religion.
In 1608 Arminius
called for a national debate. In his Declaration of
Sentiments (1608) Arminius gave twenty arguments against
supralapsarianism. As time went on the issue became a
national issue verging on to civil war. We should
remember that in those days the nation was more or less
identified with the Church. The separation of church and
State was not in effect. over the issue and he made a
defense of his position before the Ruling Body of the
Netherlands in 1609. But Arminius died before he could
stand before the synod at the age of 45 on October 19,
1609. (Which some people construed as a decree of God.)
Arminian approach to
theology stands in contrast with the Calvinian aproach.
Pre-reformation fathers were mostly of "freewill of man"
supporters and John Wesley and the Anabaptist traditions
got greater strength through the stand of Arminius.
While most of the Western Churches followed the
Calvinistic Traditions, the Eastern churches never got
involved in the problem and are mostly Arminianistic.
Arminianism on the
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