…These stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. Joshua 4:7c

Delegates to the Synod of Dordt numbered 104 men. They fall into four groups: 1) minister and elder delegates from the provincial synods, 2) theological professors, 3) international delegates, and 4) delegates from the national government.

Of the ten Dutch provincial synods that sent del­egates, nine were synods of geographical regions— Gelderland-Zutphen, South Holland, North Hol­land, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel, Gron­ingen, and Drenthe. The tenth, the Walloon synod, was made up of French-speaking refugees from southern Belgium who had organized churches in the Netherlands. These ten synods delegated a total of 37 ministers and 19 elders to the Synod of Dordt. Three minister delegates whose names might be familiar to some readers are Gisbertus Voetius (South Holland), Jacobus Trigland (North Holland), and Godefridus Udemans (Zeeland). Three elder dele­gates died during the time the synod was meeting.

The national government delegated five profes­sors of theology to attend the synod—one each from the universities of Leiden, Franeker, Gronin­gen, Harderwijk, and Middelburg. The professor from Groningen was none other than Franciscus Gomarus, who had earlier been Arminius’s col­league and opponent at Leiden.

Most of the 25 international delegates were pro­fessors of theology or ministers in their homelands. They came from Great Britain; from the German regions of the Palatinate, Hesse, and Nassau-Wettaravia (one delegate from the latter region died during the time synod met); from the Swiss Cantons and Geneva; and from Bremen and East Frisia (re­gions immediately east of the Netherlands, in the northwestern part of Germany). France chose del­egates, but the French king later refused to let them go. Delegates from Brandenburg (another German region) were prevented from coming by other cir­cumstances.

Eighteen delegates represented the national gov­ernment. These were called the States General. In my next article I will explain why they were at the synod, and what role they played.

Finally, four non-delegated men served the Synod in other capacities. One was secretary to the govern­ment’s delegation; another was liaison between the city of Dordrecht and the government delegation; a third was the synodical treasurer; and a fourth was theological advisor to the Synod’s president.