ARMIN'IANISM, The name given to a school of Protestant theology which arose in the Netherlands toward the close of the Sixteenth Century, taking the name of the leading early representative, Jacob Arminius (q.v.). 'It con sisted at first of a protest against the strict predestinarian doctrine of Calvin and Beza (see ll.uviNism), but developed gradually into an in creasingly liberal theology. The accepted teach ers of the Reformed Church, at the time the Arminian movement began, emphasized the im portance of unconditional election and a limited atonement. Against these views objection was raised in 1578, when Koornheert, a sccretarius of Haarlem, began his agitation to secure a sim pler doctrinal system. Arminius, who was the most influential preacher in Amsterdam from the year 1588 on, was called upon to refute Koo•nheert's alleged errors; but while study ing the question became himself infected by them. Thus gradually he adopted views at variance with the Calvinistie doctrines named above, and began to teach that God, who knows beforehand how all men will act, decrees their salvation or condemnation accordingly; in other words, that election is conditional. He further thlight the universality of the atonement—that is, that Christ offered a sufficient sacrifice for all mankind, although it becomes efficient only for such as have faith and believe in Him. (This should he distinguished from modern Universal q.v.).
After the death of Arminius (1609), his fol lowers, to the number of forty-six, presented to the Estates of Holland and West Friesland a 'Remonstrance,' drawn up by one I'ytenbogaert, embodying a moderate statement of their views under five articles, which they declared to be `agreeable io the Word of God' and `snilicient for salvation.' These articles were substan tially as follows: (1) Predestination depends 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 regen erated 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 per severe unto the end. The publication of this remonstrance was met by a •Counter-Remon strance' from the Orthodox side, setting forth in five articles the high Calvinism most of the Dutch churches agreed in maintaining. From these two documents the progressive and conservative 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 (IOW and at Delft (1613), but without result. The toleration law. issued by the States-General in 1614, was no more suc cessful. It had become clear by this time that the theological question was inextricably inter woven with politics. Hugo Grotius, scholar and diplomatist, and John van Olden Barneveldt, advocate-general of Holland, sided with the Ar minians, who supported their republican policy; while the Stadtbolder, Prince Maurice, favored the Calvinists, who in turn gave their support to his party of political centralization. No de cision upon the doctrinal questions at issue was reached before the meeting of the national synod at Dordrecht (Dort) in 1618.
The Synod of Dort (November, 1618, to May, 1619) is one of the most important councils in the history 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 synod was this man's change of view, when he "forever bade John Calvin good-night." The two oppos ing parties were led by Gomanis. a Calvinist, and Simon Episcopins, an Arminian. The Ortho dox members were largely in the majority, and it soon appeared 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 synod, which then proceeded to formulate the true faith in a series of decrees, afterwards confirmed by the States-General. Epis copius himself was banished, and some two hun dred Arminian pastors were deposed. Proceed ings were begun 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 synod. Grotius was condemned to life imprisonment, but escaped after about two years' confinement. The doctrinal decrees of Dort were accepted by the churches in Holland and in France, but they met with seine opposition elsewhere. They are still the official standard of the Reformed Dutch Church in America.