Jacobus Arminius was born at Oudewater, Holland on Oct. 10 1560 to middle-class parents. The Dutch form of his name is Jacob Harmensen [or Hermansz]. It was a common practice to Latinize ones Dutch name. And his became James Arminius. He lost his mother and siblings to Catholic Spaniards in the massacure of Oudewater. Theodore Aemilius [an Ex-Catholic Priest for Christ] adopted the child and provided for his schooling in Utrecht.
On the death of Aemilius in 1575, Rudolf Snellius [Snel van Roijen, 1546-1613], a professor at Marburg and native of Ouderwater, became the patron for Arminius' further education at the Universities of Leiden [1575-82] Basel, and Geneva [1582-86]. He entered the Univerity of Leiden at the age of fifteen.
The Merchants Guild of Amsterdam acknowledged Arminius' brilliance by financing his education, thus permitting him to study at Geneva with the eminent Calvinst Theodore de Beze as well at Basel and Padua. After brief stays at the University of Padua, in Rome, and in Geneva Arminius returned to Amsterdam Holland in 1588 where he was ordained and appointed as Pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church of Amsterdam. He became the city's first native Dutch clergyman.
Arminius as Theodore de Beze disciple was asked to defend "suprapsarianism: the Calvinist theory of predestination, which holds that even before the Creation and the Fall, God elected some humans to be saved without concideration of their worthiness.
After careful consideration and Biblical resarch Arminius recoiled against a teaching that he could not reconcile with the love and justice of God and reversed his Theological views.
Arminius taught that human salvation is entirely to the grace of God in Christ whereby fallen humankind is enabled to respond in freedom to the divine call. Arminius proposed a "universial sufficient grace" or [Universial Atonement] in place of Calvin's "limited effective grace" or [Limited Atonement]. Further Arminius denied a predestination of particular persons to salvation on the basis of God's secret will. but Arminius affirmed a particular predestination on the basis of God's foreknowledge of human free choices.
For much that has come to be known as Arminianism, the central issue is "free will" verses "election". Arminius and Beza clashed. Despite some strong opposition, Arminius was awarded a professorship at the University of Leiden in 1603, having successfully cleared himself of charges of heresy.
At Leiden, Arminius and Francisus Gomarus a fellow professor and zealous Calvinist clashed on the question of predestination and free will and twice debated before the Netherland States-General. At the time the question of predestination was raging and Arminius under was fire for refusing to defend any of the Calvinist options and for interpreting Romans seven and nine in a manner different from Calvin. He was sustained in his office and position by the Amsterdam Merchant-oligarchy, to which he was allied by blood and marriage.
Theological issues were intertwined with policitical issues. The followers of Arminius' view of scripture sided with the civil offical: Johan van Oldenbarneveldt, who favored a truce with Spain and the Calvinists sided with military leader Maurice of Nassau who wanted to press for war. Arminius died in the midst of the conflict in 1609, being severly sick. Some have said of a broken heart.
Simon Episcopius, also called Simon Biscop, Bischop, or Bisschop [his Dutch name] was born on Jan. 8 1583 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic [now The Netherlands]. An Arminian Theologian, Episcopius also studied at the University of Leiden under both James Arminius and Franciscus Gomarus. In 1610 became Pastor at Bleiswyk. And in 1612 succeeded Gomarus in the chair of Theology.
Arminius' cause was taken up by the Remonstrants, his followers. The name comes from a five-point statement of Arminianism called: the Remonstrance. This statment was drawnup after the death of Arminius in 1610 by Joahnes Uyttenbogart, a close friend of Arminius and minster from Utrecht, Simon Episcopius, Hugo Grotius and others, signed by 45 minsters and addressed to the States of Holland and West Friesland. Episcopius was the prinical spokesman for the Remonstrants at the Synod of Dort protested against the prejudgement of their case.
This document, after asserting the primacy of Scripture over creeds, set forth a revision of Calvinism: Christ died for all, not only for the elect; Divine grace is not irrestible. Christians can fall from grace through free will and be lost. These affirmations constituted a rejection of the most extreme Calvinist interpretation of pre-destination.
The Synod of Dort opened November 13, 1618, and continued through 154 sessions, ending May 9, 1619. One hundred two Dutch Orthodox Calvinists were offical members of the conference together with 28 delegates from foreign countries. Thirteen Arminian representatives were present, but they were prisoners of state, condemed for treason because of their views about theology and tolerance in every area of church and state; hence they had no voice or vote.
As a result, the Five Points of Calvinism were unanimously declared to be the official Calvinistic postion, and the Remonstrants' Five Points heretical. The Remonstrants were condemned by the Dutch reformed Church at the Synod of Dort. As a result two hundred Arminian clergy were deprived of their position and Johan Oldenbarneveldt the civil official was executed. With twelve others, Episcopius was banished from the Netherlands. Episcopius spent his time of exile in Paris, Antwerpe, and Rouen. During his exile he composed "A Confessio" in 1622, a doctrinal statement of Arminianism. He also wrote many other books and articles.
After the death of the enemy of the Remonstrants, Prince Maurice of Nassau, [called Protector of the Gomarites] in 1626, Episcopius was later able to return to Holland. The Remonstrants were allowed to return to Holland in 1633. Fourteen years of persecution, exile, and services banned had gone by. Among the refugees arose a Remonstrant reformed brotherhood, which later became the Remonstrant Reformed Church community. They have a congregational polity, the Synod having no local authority over the church.
In 1634 Simon Episcopius became the head rector and professor of the College of Remonstrants Seminary in Amsterdam. In his "Institutiones Theologicae" (1650-1651, Vol 4), Episcopius did what Arminius had not done, namely presented a systematic exposition and defense of Arminianism, asserting that God's sovreighity and free will are compatible. Broad and tolerant in his views, Episcopius minimized the importance of speculative dogmas and insisted rather on the practical aspect of Christianity, stressing man's responsibility to such an extent that he was accused of Pelagianism. Like most Arminians at the time, he was also probably without foundation, accused of Socinianism. Simon Episcopius died in 1643 in Amsterdam, his own home town.
The Remonstrant Reformed Church continued as a small free church after 1793 when full toleration was established and influenced Evangelical theology in both the Netherlands and the United States. Arminianism survived in the Netherlands and strongly influenced theologicans everywhere, such as John Wesley in England [founder of Methodism] and others who were opposed to the Calvanistic teachings on predestination. John Wesley accepted the term "Arminian" for his theological position and published "The Arminian Magazine". The tension between the Arminian and Calvinist positions in theology was somewhat quiescent until Karl Barth sparked its revival in the twentieth century. Note: This is a combination of a number of outstanding articles from these great Encyclopedias: Academic Americana, Britannica, Colliers, and The Encyclopedia of Religion, also one paragraph from Mildred Bangs Wynkoop's "Foundations of Wesleyan-Arminian Theology". This combination is purely for personal study and edifcation and should probly have verbal or written permission for any extenisive distrabution.
POSTSCRIPT: It would seem that in some Calvinistic circles, it is believed that Arminianism was "snuffed-out" at the Synod of Dort. Nothing could be further from the truth. Arminianism is alive and well. Arminianism spread through England and America as Professor Carl Bangs has written "to such an extent that American culture has been designated as Arminian". Arminianism or Wesleyian-Arminianism has been the balance and foundation-theology of many demonations throughout England, America and the world. To name a few: The Church of God, The Nazerene Church, The Free Methodist Church, The Free-will Baptist Church, The General Baptist Church, The Christian Church, The Calvary Chapels and more. If the current members were tallied, their numbers would be a staggering. This would give a more accurate idea of the vast enfluence and outreach of Arminianism's more reasonible position over Calvinism. God Bless you in your further studies on this very important subject!
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