Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/56

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ARMINIANISM.
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ARMINIUS.

upon God's foreknowledge. ( 2 ) The atonement is universal in the sense that all men are salvable. (3) No one can exercise saving faith until regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (4) It is possible to resist the operation of divine grace. (5) It is not certain that all who seem to be called will persevere unto the end. The publication of this remonstrance was met by a •Counter-Kemonstraiice' from the Orthodox side, setting forth in five articles the high Calvinism which most of the Dutch churches agreed in maintaining. From these two documents the progressive and consen-ative parties came to be known as 'Re- monstrants,' and 'Counter-Remonstrants' re- spectively, and from the number of articles in dispute, "the struggle is sometimes called the 'Quinquarticular" controversy. In the vain hope of reconciliation, conferences were arranged at The Hague (IGll) and at Delft (1013), but without result. The toleration law, issued by the States-General in IfiU, was no more suc- cessful. It had become clear by this time that the theological question was inextricably inter- woven with polities. Hugo Grotius, scholar and diplomatist, and John van Olden Barneveldt, advocate-general of Holland, sided with the Ar- miuians, wlio supported their republican policy; while the Sta'dtholder, Prince ^Maurice, favored the Calrinists, who in turn gave their support to his party of political centralization. No de- cision upon the doctrinal questions at issue was reached befcn-e the meeting of the national synod at Dordrecht (Dort) in 1618.

The Synod of Dort (November, 1618, to May, 1G19) is" one of the most important councils in the hist(U-y of the Reformed Church. It bears an international stamp, having been attended by delegates sent from England. "Switzerland, the German States of the Palatinate, Hesse, and Bremen. King James, of England, was person- ally represented by .John Hales, "the ever-mem- orable,' and an interesting incident of the s^-nod was this man's change of view, when he "forever bade John Calvin good-night." The two opposing parties were led by Gomarus, a Calvinist, and Simon Episcopius, an Arminian. The Ortho- dox members were largely in the majority, and it soon ajjpeared that the Liberals were there merely to be tried, not to deliberate and consult in equal debate. Episcopius and thirteen other Remonstrants "were condemned as heretics and excluded from the sjniod, which then proceeded to fornuilate the true faith in a series of decrees, afterwards confirmed by the States-General. Episcopius himself was banished, and some two hun- dred Arminian pastors were deposed. Proceed- ings were Ijcgun by the civil government against the political leaders who sided with the Re- monstrants. Barneveldt had already been exe- cuted before the adjournment of the sjTiod. Grotius was condenuied to life imprisonment, but escaped after about two years' confinement. The doctrinal decrees of Dort were acce])ted by the churches in Holland and in France, but they met with some opposition elsewhere. They are still the oflieial standard of the Reformed Dutch Church in America.

After the death of Jlaurice (1G25) the sever- ity of the laws against Arminianism was re- laxed, and Episcopius was allowed to return from his exile. The closing years of his life were spent in teaching theology at the new Re- monstrant college in Amsterdam (founded in 1(330). His successor here was a French theo- logian, Courcelles, who c'ied in 1659. There fol- lowed in turn three eminent Arminian scholars, Limborch (died 1712), Le Clerc (died 1736), and Wetstein (died 175-!)i. Wetstein is noted for his contribution to the cause of biblical criti- cism, especially for his work upon the text of the New Testament. Arminianism has contin- ued in Holland down to our own time, though without any large numerical following. There are Remonstrant churches in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The movement put forth its best energy in the period of controversy, upon which, as has frequently been remarked, it seems to have thriven better than upon peace. In this respect it shares the fate of most movements that are based upon protests against some real or fancied grievance. During the Eighteenth Cen- tury,, not a few Arminians went over to the Socinian or Arian position, discarding more and more of the Reformed system of belief. But. aside from this radicalism, the Arminian influ- ence has lieen widespread. It passed over into England, and. from the time of Archl)ishop Laud, controlled the theology of the Establislu-d Cluirch, leaving Calvinism to the non-Conformists. It took on new life in the time of Wesley, and. with some modifications, became the theology of ileth- odism. It is substantial!}- the faith of many Protestants, of other names, who suppose them- selves to be Calvinistic. Indeed, it would be a mistake to think of Arminianism as an isolated phenomenon, for it is akin to the teaching of some of the early Greek theologians, to the semi- Pelagianism of the Fifth Century, and to snn"ie imputed views of Erasmus. Protestants in gen- eral shared in the controversy on the doctrines of Arminianism, and all opponents of Calvinism are still often characterized as Arminians.

Consult: Th? IVor/.'.? of Arniiiiiu.i, English translation, reprinted from the Enelish edition (Bufl'alo. 18.53, 2 vols.) ; Calder. ' .l/r»ioic.s of Episcopius (New York, 1837) ; Scott. The Si/nod of Dort (Philadelphia, 1841) : Schafi", frcffh- of Christciirloiii. especially, vol. i.. .508-23, and vol. iii.. 545-!17 (New York, 1877) : ilotley. John of Barneveld (New York. 1874) ; Blok. Hisfori/ of the People of the yethcrlniids. part iii., English translation by Putnam (New York. 1000) ; Dresbach. Die protestantisrhen Sekten der (lciirnii:urt (Barmen. ISSS). See also Dort, Syxod of.


ARMIN'IUS (B.C. IS-C.20 a.d.). A chief of the Cherusei, a German tribe inhabiting parts of what is now Hanover and Brunswick. He •was born in B.C. 18, and passed his early years at Rome. The period of Arminius's youth was a time of great peril for Germany. To secure the frontiers of the Empire against the attacks of the Teutonic tribes, the Romans had advanced into the more turbulent districts and erected a series of strong fortresses. Between B.C. 9 and A.D. 4, Drusus and Tiberius penetrated into the northwest of Germany as far as the Elbe, and reduced the various tribes to virtual subjecticm^ With so mucli prudence and caution, however, had Tiberius proceeded, that the Germans continued to all appearance on the best terms with the Romans, gradually adopted Roman habits, and frequently took service in the Roman armies. Arminius and his brother Flavins enrolled themselves under the Roman standards, and as leaders of Cheruscan auxiliaries not only obtained