This dissertation examines the memory cultures of Netherlandish migrants who left their homes during the Dutch Revolt (ca. 1568-1648) and the religious persecutions preceding it. It shows how... Show moreThis dissertation examines the memory cultures of Netherlandish migrants who left their homes during the Dutch Revolt (ca. 1568-1648) and the religious persecutions preceding it. It shows how narratives of exile and victimhood were transmitted between generations and cultivated in various social and religious settings until the eighteenth century. The consciousness of a shared past connected Netherlandish diaspora groups all over Europe and at the same time provided them with models of identification with their various local host societies. Integration into the various host societies in Germany, England and the Dutch Republic did not inhibit the commemoration of the refugee past, but led to an incorporation of exile narrative into new memory canons. New generations could often benefit from identifying with the fate of persecuted ancestors, especially in pietist and puritan circles in Germany and England. Having suffered for one’s faith served as a proof of religious steadfastness and the identification with the persecuted ‘small flock of true Christians’ appealed to many pietists without a migrant background. Exile narratives were increasingly shared by migrants and non-migrants and allowed individuals to participate in cultures of religious exclusivity Show less
Unity in Diversity presents a fresh appraisal of the vibrant and diverse culture of Stuart Puritanism. This work provides a historiographical and historical survey of current issues within... Show moreUnity in Diversity presents a fresh appraisal of the vibrant and diverse culture of Stuart Puritanism. This work provides a historiographical and historical survey of current issues within Puritanism, critiques notions of Puritanisms, which tend to fragment the phenomenon, and introduces unitas within diversitas in three divergent Puritans, John Downame, Francis Rous, and Tobias Crisp. This study draws on insights from these three figures to propose that seventeenth-century English Puritanism should be thought of both in terms of Familien_hnlichkeit, in which there are strong theological and social semblances across Puritans of divergent persuasions, and in terms of the greater narrative of the Puritan Reformation, which united Puritans in their quest to reform their church and society. Show less
This dissertation consists of a completely annotated transcription of the acts of the Brielle classis covering the years 1574-1623, preceded by a comprehensive Introduction. This Introduction... Show moreThis dissertation consists of a completely annotated transcription of the acts of the Brielle classis covering the years 1574-1623, preceded by a comprehensive Introduction. This Introduction provides historical context and the background for the acts of the Brielle classis. The Introduction discusses the gradual development of the classis to the status of a fully-fledged church institution by the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century and the historiography of the classis. The second part of the Introduction focuses on the geographical, administrative and religious environment in which the Brielle classis emerged and in which it operated. The next part of the Introduction deals with the operating procedures of the classis, the ministers, the training and examination of the future ministers and the enforcement of church discipline on serving ministers. The relationships between classis and government co ncentrated upon the calling of new ministers, ministers’ pay, and poor relief. The controversy between Remonstrants and Counter-remonstrants during the Twelve Years’ Truce (1609-1621) had drastic consequences for the operations of the Brielle classis. In 1619 ten Remonstrant ministers were removed. The Introduction concludes with a description of the material sources and an account of the technical aspects of editing the transcription. Show less
