Dutch Creed

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The Dutch creed - often in Latin Confessio Belgica called - together with the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort , the three formulas of the unity of the Reformed churches . It was written in 1561 by Guido von Bray in what was then the southern part of the Spanish Netherlands , which today belongs to Belgium , from which the second name is derived.

The Dutch Creed is a petition addressed to King Philip II of Spain . He let the Protestants persecute in his territory, which together with his despotism would later give rise to the Eighty Years War . In the petition, the reformers are defended against the charge that they are heretics and rebels. The will to obey the authorities is expressly affirmed, but the right to exercise one's own faith is just as clearly demanded. For this purpose, the petition tries to support the argument as far as possible with the help of the Bible .

Thematic structure

The Dutch Creed consists of 37 articles, which are thematically structured as follows:

Of the essence of God (Art. 1), Of the knowledge of God (Art. 2)
From the Holy Scriptures (Art. 3–7) From the Holy Scriptures (3), from the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments (4), from the reputation of the Holy Scriptures (5), from the differences between the canonical and apocryphal books (6), from the perfection of the Holy Scriptures ( 7)
Of the Trinity (Art. 8-11) Of the Holy Trinity of Persons in the One Divine Being (8), Of the Holy Trinity (9), Of the Eternal Deity of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ (10), Of the Person and Eternal Deity of the Holy Spirit (11 )
Of creation and the sins of man (Articles 12–15) Of the creation of the world and the angels (12), Of God's providence (13), Of man's creation, fall and corruption (14), Of original sin (15)
Of divine predestination (Art. 16)
Of Jesus Christ and His Work (Art. 17-21) About the reestablishment of the human race through the Son of God (17), About the Incarnation of the Son of God (18), About the hypostatic or personal union of the two natures in Christ (19), About the kind of redemption through the demonstration of justice and mercy Of God in Christ (20), Of Christ's satisfaction for our sins (21)
From faith (Articles 22-26) Of justifying faith and justification by faith (22), Of our righteousness by which we stand before God (23), Of sanctification and good works (24), Of the abolition of the ceremonial law and of the conformity of the Old and New Testaments (25), On the mediation of Christ (26)
From the Church (Art. 27–32) From the Catholic Church (27), From the communion of saints with the true Church (28), From the marks of the true Church (29), From the governance of the Church (30), From the calling of the ministers (31), From the power of the church to give ecclesiastical laws and to administer discipline (32)
From the Sacraments (Art. 33), Baptism (Art. 34) and the Lord's Supper (Art. 35)
From the authorities (Art. 36)
Of the Last Judgment, the resurrection of the flesh and eternal life (Art. 37)

effect

The petition had no effect on Philip II; he continued his policy of persecution. Regardless of this, it was spread throughout the population. In the last three decades of the 16th century, the Dutch Creed was adopted by various regional synods and was finally adopted as a Reformed creed during the Dordrecht Synod held in 1618 and 1619 .

Two confessional writings, which are also in the Geneva theological tradition of Calvinism , emerged from similar political situations and are closely related to the Confessio Belgica : the Confessio Gallicana of the French Huguenots from 1559 and the Confessio Scotica (Scottish Confession) from 1560.

expenditure

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