Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 6

PEEFACE

viii

The author does not

hesitate to say frankly that in the

writing of this work he occupies the Calvinistic view-j)oint, though this is not to be taken in an exclusively dogmatical

There are primordial principles which are fundasense. mental to Calvinism, and these only he defends. He is no Calvinist

by

birth.

Having received

servative-supernaturalistic

spirit,

his training in a con-

he broke with faith in

when a student at Leyden, and then cast himself arms of the barest radicalism. At a later period, perceiving the poverty of this radicalism, and shivering with the chilling atmosphere which it created in his heart, he felt attracted first to the Determinism of Professor Scholten, and then to the warmth of the Vermittelungs-theologie, as But if this presented by Martensen and his followers. warmed his heart, it provided no rest for his thought. In this Vermittelungs-theologie there is no stability of startingpoint, no unity of principle, and no harmonious life-interpretation on which a world-view, based on coherent principles, can be erected. In this state of mind and of heart he came in contact with those descendants of the ancient Calvinists, who in the Netherlands still honor the traditions of the fathers and it astonished him to find among these simple people a stability of thought, a unity of comprehensive insight, in fact a world-view based on principles which needed but a scientific treatment and interpretation to give them a place of equal significance over against the dominant views To put forth an effort in this direction has of the age. from that moment on been his determined purpose, and toward this end he has devoted a series of studies in Theology, in Politics, and in ^Esthetics, part of which have already been published, and part of which are embodied in To the acts of the Second Chamber of the States-General. all this, however, there was still wanting that unity which every form into the

;

alone can give a concentric exposition of the nature of theology, and to supply this want he set himself the task of writ-

ing this extensive Theological Encyclopedia.

Thus only

was he able to reach the heart of the question. That the treatment of the principium of Theology,

i.e.

of

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