The Synod of Dordt (1618–1619) and the Canons

The Synod of Dordrecht (1618–1619) has monumental significance for Reformed churches. While officially assembled for the provinces of the Netherlands, it gathered an international cast of delegates to solidify a pan-European accord on Reformed doctrine. In this book, readers gain valuable historical perspective from Donald Sinnema, the world’s leading authority on the Synod of Dordt. Sinnema opens with a helpful overview, summarizing the agenda and proceedings of four phases of the synod to capture the scope and magnitude of the gathering. Then Sinnema tackles various aspects of the synod with astounding detail and analysis. You will learn of procedural wranglings, dealings of church and state, how the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism were involved, disagreements among the delegates, and plenty about the consensus document known as the Canons of Dordt. A standard resource on the synod for years to come.

Endorsements

“Offering lucid and well-documented historical analyses of a variety of important aspects of the Synod of Dordt (1618–1619), the essays included in this volume show Donald Sinnema’s impressive knowledge of the relevant manuscripts and printed sources. Unpublished texts of Sinnema together with revised versions of articles that he previously published make up an essential collection that shows the complexity of the historical event and the broad scope and major significance of the synod’s work.”
—Aza Goudriaan, professor of theology and philosophy of the Reformation, Protestant Theological University, Utrecht, Netherlands

“Donald Sinnema’s collected essays on the Synod of Dordt is a significant gathering of analyses of the work of the synod by an eminent scholar in the field that combines examination of the workings of the synod and carefully done analyses of its theology based on a detailed textual understanding not only of the work of the several delegations to the synod and of the Canons but also of the many, often unexamined materials in the official Acta of the synod. The volume is a most-welcome addition to the scholarly literature on the synod and its place in the historical development of Reformed orthodoxy.”
—Richard A. Muller, scholar in residence for Reformation and post-Reformation studies, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Contents

Preface

1. The Synod of Dordt (1618–1619): An Overview
2. Procedural Wrangling in the Remonstrant Case at Dordt
3. The Belgic Confession at the Synod of Dordt
4. The Heidelberg Catechism at the Synod of Dordt
5. The Doctrine of Election at the Synod of Dordt
6. Disagreements and Doctrinal Dissension among Delegates at the Synod of Dordt
7. Church–State Entanglements at the Synod of Dordt
8. The Missing Correspondence between the States General and Its State Delegates at the Synod
9. Reformed Scholasticism and the Synod of Dordt
10. The Church Order of Dordt in Historical Perspective
11. Calvin and the Canons of Dordt
12. Calvin as Viewed by Remonstrants at Dordt
13. The Drafting of the Canons of Dordt
14. The Canons of Dordt: Historical Context and Theology
15. The Canons of Dordt: From Judgment on Arminianism to Confessional Standard
16. Distortions of the Canons: The Tilenus Abbreviation, the Five Points of Calvinism, and TULIP

Appendix 1: Overview of Dordt Sessions
Appendix 2: Editions of the Canons of Dort (1619–2019)
Appendix 3: Bibliography of Sinnema Writings
Bibliography of Sinnema Writings
Name Index
Subject Index