What was the Synod of Dort?

Answer

The Synod of Dort (also known as the Synod of Dordt or the Synod of Dordrecht) was a church council that convened in 1618 in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, to resolve a dispute between two theological factions in the Dutch Reformed Church. The Synod of Dort has had a lasting impact on theology, as it was this synod that produced the summarized version of John Calvin’s teachings known today as the Five Points of Calvinism.

On one side of the dispute in the Synod of Dort were the Arminians (also known as the Remonstrants) who followed the teachings of Jacobus Arminius. On the other side were the Calvinists (Counter-Remonstrants) who adhered to the Reformed teachings of John Calvin. These two theological systems became nationalized, and Holland was divided. The Synod of Dort aimed to bring resolution to the conflict. Representatives of the Reformed Church from eight foreign countries were invited to the synod, and church leaders from Great Britain, Germany, and Switzerland attended.

From 1568 to 1648, Holland was engaged in a long struggle with Spain, seeking independence from the rule of King Philip II, who was the sovereign of what was then known as the Habsburg Netherlands. In 1581, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (the Dutch Republic) was established, a significant step toward Dutch independence. However, there were still decades of conflict ahead between the Dutch and the Spanish. In the midst of this conflict arose Arminianism, a theological system that emphasized man’s free will in salvation and rejected Calvinist doctrines, which emphasized God’s sovereignty in salvation. John Calvin’s teachings were refuted by the followers of Jacobus Arminius in their Five Articles of Remonstrance. The followers of Arminius were referred to as “the Remonstrants” after this document. A pamphlet war ensued between the Remonstrants (Arminians) and the Counter-Remonstrants (Calvinists) that actually s

Split the country. The Netherlands had no separation of church and state; what you believed politically was connected to what you believed theologically. Naturally, the theological split led also to a political split, and a rumor began that the Arminians were in league with Spain.

A statesman by the name of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt sided with the Remonstrants in the name of religious tolerance. He helped the Arminians propose a national synod to justify their views as valid. The Calvinists refused, saying that it should be only a church synod, without involving the government. The Arminians rejected that idea, and things escalated until both sides were militarized. The Dutch Republic supported the Counter-Remonstrants, and the States of Holland, under the leadership of van Oldenbarnevelt, backed the Arminians and formed their own small defense force of 4,000 men called waardgelders (“mercenaries in the pay of the town government”).

Eventually, the Calvinists agreed to the Arminians’ proposal for a national synod, and the Synod of Dort was held in 1618–19. The Arminians presented a list of reasons why Calvinism was wrong, apparently in an effort to gain votes for their side. The Calvinists argued that, since the Remonstrants were departing from the Dutch Reformed Church, they had to justify their beliefs using Scripture. The Arminians did not agree with this plan and chose to withdraw from the proceedings. The leaders of the Reformed Church examined the five points put forward by the Arminians, compared them to Scripture, and found them lacking. Finding no scriptural support for the position of Arminius, the Synod of Dort unanimously rejected Arminianism.

But the Synod of Dort went further than simply taking a stand against Arminianism; the delegates drafted their own five points to summarize Calvinistic doctrine, and the Canons of Dort published for the first time the Five Points of Calvinism. Other achievements of the Synod of Dort include the writing of the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism.

The Heidelberg Catechism was also revised, and the synod commissioned a new translation of the Dutch Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek.

The Synod of Dort marked a significant triumph for orthodox Reformed doctrine. However, due to the close relationship between the church and the state and the political unrest of the era, the consequences of the Synod of Dort were far from ideal. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was executed for treason, and the Arminians were compelled to sign the Act of Cessation, agreeing to halt their ministry. They refused to comply, were branded as “disturbers of the peace,” and were expelled from their homeland. Subsequently, Van Oldenbarnevelt’s sons made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Prince Maurice. Following Maurice’s death in 1625, the Arminians were permitted to return to the Netherlands, where they established churches and schools across the nation.

The Synod of Dort stands out as one of the most significant church councils in history. The unfortunate aftermath of the synod serves as a cautionary tale against the presence of a national or state-endorsed church and serves as a reminder that followers of Jesus are not to defend His teachings with violence (see John 18:36).