The OG Synod
The Synod of Emden of 1571
Synod 2024 will be the latest in a long line of what must surely be thousands of Synods since the first organized gatherings in Geneva. The first Synod in the Dutch Reformed tradition happened in 1571. The context of that first Synod was nothing like our current moment. Still, there’s a great deal recognizable in what those first delegates did.
Emden during the Dutch Revolt
Emden was the center of the Dutch Reformed Church from 1568–1572. To the extent there was an official church, it operated in exile, with refugees in England and Emden, located just across the border in present-day Germany. The seventeen provinces of the Low Countries belonged to Philip II of Spain, Europe’s foremost defender of the Catholic faith. He and his father, Charles V, had objected to the spread of Protestantism in their realm since 1519. They responded with the Inquisition in Spain, but because they shared power with various dukes and nobles in Germany and the low Countries, they took more modest measures to suppress it. This largely came in the form of placards, occasional burnings-at-the-stake, and an inquisitor with limited power. Occasionally, Charles V would show up in the Netherlands just to reinforce his authority.
This struggle took on a new dynamic in the early 1560s, when the Huguenots—i.e. Calvinists—in France undertook a briefly successful resistance to the French king. The internal wars that followed aroused support for Calvinists across the border in the Low Countries, many of whom spoke French and had sympathies for their cause. Philip II, worried about an uprising in his domains, particularly in the regions of the Low Countries which border France (modern day Belgium) sent the Duke of Alba to take care of it. They called him the Iron Duke. Alba enacted a Council of Blood, executing leading Dutch nobles and Protestant conspirators—over 1200 people in all, including prominent nobles. The nascent Dutch Reformed Church, which had gained momentum mostly in and around Tournai thanks to the efforts of Guido de Bres (author of the Belgic Confession), was forced underground and abroad, mostly to London or Emden.
In Emden was located the center of the resistance on the continent. In 1568 it served as the base of the Sea Beggars, a quasi-naval group created by Count Louis of Nassau in May 1568 to protect his supply lines from the sea during a Friesian invasion. His invasion failed, but the Sea Beggars lived on under the flag of William of Orange. For the next several years, they functioned as little more than pirates, conducting raids on the Dutch coast and boarding Spanish goods. Most of the plunder was sold on Emden’s market, which, combined with the influx of refugees meant the city prospered. William of Orange even had a representative there.
The church under the Cross
Meanwhile, what was left of the church in the Low Countries went into hiding. In 1566, before Alba’s arrival, Reformed congregations were active in Wallonia, Flanders, Brabant, Zeeland, and may have been active in Amsterdam, too. Even after Alba, Reformed communities were still present in Haarlem, Leeuwarden, and Delft in the north, and in Antwerp in the south, though in the spring of 1571 the Antwerp church was discovered and most of its members were imprisoned. Though individual clusters continued, there was no formal or even informal organization in the Netherlands between 1567 and 1572. These were dangerous times.
The Synod of Emden convened on October 4, 1571 to develop an organizational structure and doctrinal statements after the recent rapid expansion. It was organized at the initiative of Gaspar van der Heyden, who was a preacher in exile in the Palatinate. Thirty delegates attended, mostly from Holland, Flanders, Brabant, Tournai, and Hainaut. The synod was timed to occur at the same time as the Emden market, which meant Reformed pastors could travel across the Low Countries to Emden without suspicion. Exile churches in England were invited to send delegates, but none came because the English would not allow them to travel.
William of Orange strongly supported the Synod of Emden because it would bring solidarity and agreement among the Reformed communities in the Low Countries. As long as the disparate Reformed communities in the Low Countries remained uncoordinated, he could never hope to defeat the Duke of Alba.
There was already conflict before the delegates began meeting. Represented from churches in the north of Holland distrusted William of Orange, who had in 1567 prevented armed Antwerp Calvinists from coming to their rescue at Austruweel.
What the Synod of Emden decided
The Synod of Emden made a number of important decisions. First, they made the consistory, not civil authorities (like nobles or kings) responsible for appointing ministers. This was in response to Philip II’s reorganization of the ecclesiastical structure of the Low Countries the previous decacde, which included, among many other things, the appointment of Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, who actively worked against the interests of the Dutch, as archbishop.
The Synod also decided that churches would be organized into regional classes and provincial synods, following the model of the Huguenots in France—and a model we have followed since. Further, churches could not “exercise dominion” over other churches, nor could office-bearers outrank other office-bearers. This reflected the implicit church structure that emerged from a context of secrecy since 1568, where it was impossible to have a formal hierarchy. This arrangement has been a hallmark of Reformed church polity since. This egalitarian tendency continues to make things challenging today—at least from a polity standpoint.
On matters of doctrine, the Synod of Emden subscribed to the 1561 French confession. They also recommended the use of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Geneva Catechism and crafted ten articles of church discipline.
The Acts of the Synod of Emden
Here are some the Acts of the Emden Synod. The whole thing is a fascinating read, and it’s Friday, so today is the perfect time. Some gems:
Ministers of the word “shall be installed with appropriate prayers and the laying on of hands (but without superstition and as a requirement).” (article 16)
“Whether to sprinkle with water once or three times in baptism is considered an indifferent and free matter.” (article 19)
“But whether one stands or sits while receiving the Lord's Supper, we consider this to be an indifferent matter.” (article 21)
“We feel that church discipline or Christian punishment should be maintained in every congregation; therefore it shall be the duty of the minister of the Word not only publicly to teach, admonish, and to punish, but also to admonish everyone [personally] to [do] his duty, which the elders must also do.” (article 25) Many subsequent articles elaborate on this. It’s not unlike the issues in our own time.
“No one shall print or have printed any book of his own or written by another in which religion is dealt with, or otherwise bring it to light, unless the book has been examined and approved by the ministers of the classis or by the public professors of theology who are of our faith and confession.” (article 51)
Some overtures to the Synod of Emden
Some of the overtures are pretty great, too:
“The question of those from Aken concerning a young man and a (maid) servant, the brethren postone [the matter] until after a diligent investigation of all the circumstances of the acts, which [investigation] shall be done by the consistory, and afterwards they shall bring [this] to the classical meeting.” (overture 17)
“What should be done with a woman who says that her husband died in the war five or six years ago and still cannot prove his death with any degree of certainty?” (overture 18)
“It is asked what degrees of social and blood-relationship are forbidden in marriage.” (Overture 21)
“The question presented by those of Aken concerning the minister who has a heretical housewife…” (Overture 22)
Thanks for reading,
Kent
P.S. Earlier this week, Clayton Libolt and I joined Paul Vander Klay for a two-and-a-half hour conversation about the CRC. I’m told the full interview will be posted next week (I’ll send out a link), but the first installment is available now if you want a preview.