Dorotheus, arehimandrite of Palestine, 7th cen- tury, a disciple of Joannes the Abbot, wrote ^idaaxa' Xiai did^poL, Doctrinas Diversa, given (Gr. and Lat.) in Migne, Pairohgia Graea, 88, p. 1611 sq., and in the other great collections of the Others. See Fabricius, Bibliotkeca Grteca (ed. Harles), xi, 108 sq. ; Cave, Hist. LU. (Genev. 1720), i, 878.
Dorsche, Johann Gbobo, a Lutheran theologian, was bom at Strasburg, Nov. 18, 1597 ; became profess- or of theology at Strasburg in 1627, and was called to the same chair at Rostock in 1654. He died January 25, 1659. Dorsche (Latin form Dorscheus) was a volu- minous writer in theology and Biblical literature.
DORT, SYNOD OF
870
DORT, SYXOD OP
Among hiB works are Distertationes Theologioa (3d ed. Frank/. 1698, 4to) i—Biblia Numerata (I rankf. 1674, fol.) : — ConvawUarvu in quat, EvctngtUatoi (Hamburg, 1706, 4to) :—C(mm. in Ep. Pauli ad Hebraos (Frankt 1717, 4to) ; — Fragment. Comm. •» JEp. Judes, with Greb- hardl, Comm. m> £p. JudcB (Frankfort and Leips. 1700, 4to).— Winer, Theol. Literatur^ 11, 496 ; Kltto, Cychprn- (ikt, 1,696.
Dort, S3rnod of (Synodus Dordracena), a na- tional synod of the United Provinces, held at Dort (Dordrecht; Lat. Dordractm) In 1618-19.
I. Origin of the Synod. — The opposition of James Annlnius to the Angustinian and Calvinistic doctrines on predestination gave rise to a bitter controversy, for an account of whiah, see Armikianism. After the death of Annlnius (f 1609), the strife increased, and with added bitterness. The clergy and laity of Hol- land were arrayed in two hostile armies — Gomarists and Armlnlans, the former being the most numerous, but the latter including the leading scholars and statesmen. In 1610 the Armlnlans presented a peti- tion to the States of Holland and West Frlesland, which was called a " Remonstrance" (Remonstrcmtk^ UbeUu» tupphx adhibitus HoUandia et West Frime or- dinilnu). They were named Remonstrants (q. v.) in consequence; and, as the Calvinists presented a '^Counter-Remonstrance,^' they were called Contra- Remonstrants. The '* Remonstrance" sets forth the Arminian theory over against the Calvinistic In five articles (for which, see AnMuaANisM). Attempts were made by the authorities to reconcile the two contending parties by a conference between them at the Hague in 1611, a discussion at Delft in 1618, and also by an edict in 1614, enjoining peace. The Re- monstrants desired a provincial synod for the prov- ince of Holland, where the two parties were nearly equal in numbers and Influence; or else a general synod of all Protestant Christendom, to which Luther- ans as well as Reformed should be summoned. Gro- tius, especially (1617), argued In favor of a general Protestant council.
Unfortunately, political Interests aided to increase the difficulty. The great patriots and statesmen, Grotius and Bameveldt, were advocates of toleration for all opinions, and the former was also one of the literary pillars of the Remonstrant party. The stadt- holder, Maurice of Nassau, was a great soldier, but a narrow and ambitious politician. The pensionary Barneveldt succeeded, against the wbhes of Maurice, in obtaining, in 1609, a twelve-years' truce with Spain, and for years held Maurice in check in his attempts to secute for himself and his family a hereditary sovereignt}' over the States. Maurice, though him- self said to have been an Arminian in sentiment, placed himself at the head of the Gomarists, who con- stituted the majority of the clergy and people ; while the leading statesmen and patriots, as has been said, were on the other side. One of his measures was to chan$^ the municipalities of the cities wherever the Armlnlans were in power, and to substitute Calvin- istic burgomasters and governors. Another was to imbue the popular mind with the belief that Bame- veldt, Grotius, and the Armlnlans were secretly aim- ing to deliver the country up to Spain. By means of the changes thus effected, the States-General came finally to be strongly in favor of Maurice, and willing to carry out all his measures, whether political or re- ligious.
James I of England was greatly interested, on po- litical grounds, in the peace and prosperity of the United Provinces. Moreover, his pride and pedantry were involved in securing the condemnation of Tors- tins, who had been elected to fill the chair of Arminl- ns, and who was charged with Socinianism. See VoRSTius. In 1618 (Maach 6) he wrote an autograph letter to the States-General, urging that the difficult question of predestination should be kept out of the
pulpit, and that there should be especially as the *' opinions of oeitber pttty mm] consistent with Christian truth and with titt of souls" {EpisL Prmst. ei ErudiL mrortm^Aa^m] p. 898). But on the 20th of March, 161C, ke v*{ again to the States-General, urging that the -'lb and pestilent opinions" should be pat do«a adi national synod could be summoned to decide aim tie the question (see the letter In EpitL Pnai, Firvm p. 480. See also the reply of the [ArmintaB^ ^^^ Holland to king James, in the aame coUedka flTIc- ters, p. 492).
The States of Zealand, FriesUnd, Grauaf^ea. oi Guelderland demanded a national synod. IW Site of Utrecht, Holland, and OverysKl werc ofpteedk it, although some of their chief cities (e. g. AjhIk- dam) favored it. The States, under the gndoEe tf Maurice, resolved, Nov. 11, 1617, to convoke t ant- al synod, to be held May 1 the fbllowing jar. il opposition to the convocation was at last fot^sitrp, down by the arrest and imprisonment of the ptA leaders of the Arminians — Bameveldt, Gncia, ai Hogerbeeto (Gieseler, Ecd. liiMi^ ed. by ^siiii, td iv, § 43) — who maintained, in advance of thaitiKk the doctrine that the State had no n^st to tntafaca questions of religiotts doctrine, and tbeielDce kd ■ right to order a national synod whose dcciiin— ibnii be authoritative. Opposition in vanoosqaaxteBeaari a further decree of the States that the natiBosI erme should be summoned for Nov. 1, 1618, for tks and at Dordrecht for the place. Letters of Ibi 9b0- General, dated June 25, 1618, Invited tiie churches of England, France, the Palatinate, Bt» Switzerland, Bremen, Embden, BrandenbotpiGeBen. and Nassau to send as del^ates some oUbaT^ab- gians to aid the deputies of the Belgic duotkei k *' settling the controversies." The ReffamedCtei of Anhalt was not invited, nor were the Latkoi churches. The aim of the State»-Genenl was Id r» stitute a body holdipg Calvinistic views on tke pus in dispute. The Btritish deputies w»e G^orgt O^ ton, bishop of Llandaff ; John Davenant, jitokma d theology at Cambridge ; Samuel Ward, of SKiaej Cil- lege, Cambridge ; and Joseph Hall, afterwardi ii^ of Norwich. These took their seats at the li^iiniig of the synod; but Dr. HaU returned to EnglaDdoB s- count of sickness, and was replaced by Tbootss G^ of St. Paul's, London. Walter Balcanqoal, a Sc9» presbyter, was also deputed by king James to ic^ sent the Scottish Church. He wrote miaitfes vlci are published with Hales's Letters, mentioned b^ John Hales, of Eton, ''the ever-memormtde,'^ wa^tki: chaplain to Sir Guy Carlton, English amhawwkr a the Hague, and in tiiat capacity attended, muj cf tic sessions, taking minutes, which he regularly ttaaaai- ted to the ambassador. These minntes an to be &•>> in Hales's Golden Hemcdns,