Johannes Acronius

Johannes Acronius (1565, Grimersum, East Frisia – 29 September 1627, Haarlem) was a German Reformed theologian. He is less known by scientific works, than by his part in the quarrel between Arminians (Remonstrants) and Contra-Remonstrants (see History of Calvinist–Arminian debate).

Life

He was the son of a preacher, Dominicus Acronius, in a village north of Emden, now in the municipality of Krummhörn. He was taught by Zacharias Ursinus and Franciscus Junius in Neustadt an der Hardt, today Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. In 1584 he became a preacher in Eilsum, East Frisia, later in Groningen and Wesel. He declined a call to Deventer. In 1617 he became professor for theology at the University of Franeker.

In the following year he was called to work as preacher in Kampen, mainly to counter some of his colleagues in this area who were deemed too favourable towards Arminius' teachings. Being the delegate of the church assembly of Dordrecht in 1618-1619, he indeed accused them of Arminianism, resulting in the unseating of several.

In 1619 he went to work as a preacher in Haarlem where he stayed until his death. The Calvinists of the time saw in him an educated man of oratory skills, with the fervour to stand for their truth. His opponents described him as an unsettled man with a tendency to polemise.

Publications

• Syntagma Theologiae, Groningen, 1605
• Elenchus orthodoxus pseudo-relig. Romano-Cathol., Deventer, 1615
• Uytmonsteringe van verscheydene dolingen ... der genoemde Lutherschen, Arnheim, 1625

See also

• Acronius (people with this surname).

Sources

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie - online version
• Acronius, Johannes in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.

External links

• Works of Johannes Acronius in the Post-Reformation Digital Library