Individual Details

Occupation

Feito Ruardi
Only a few protestants felt they had to leave the church. Some left the city, others went for highdays to Emden, just across the Ems estuary. In 1557 a congregation was founded in Groningen by Feito Ruardi from Emden. Meetings were held at night, but the enthousiasme was feeble. Feito returned to Emden.
In 1565 the reformed church-counsil of Emden even admitted that the Groningen pastor Steven Sylvius 'taught the truth', even though he was an idolator (for consecrating the host).

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Feito Ruardi

From about 1557 the city of Groningen had a core group of Calvinists. It concerned a House Church led by pastor Ruardi Feito do Helpman. 1 he was by the reformed churches Council of Emden broadcast to Groningen. He held secret meetings, sometimes in the night. It was not yet proved possible to achieve instituering of a reformed church.
From 1564 there are reports that in the city of Groningen books of John Calvin are sold in public. Other cities complained that this allowed the Groninger City Council. As a result, the city fell into disgrace at Danvers Philip II. This fact is seen as the first proof that ' Calvin ' in Groningen was invaded.

Helper hagepreken (open air services)

In the ' wonder years ' 1566 also began to act like Ruardi Menso Alting Feito as hageprediker. Menso Alting was born in 1541 to Eelde. He was after a training to be a Roman Catholic clergyman to Cologne in the reformed Heidelberg admitted to the operation of the Gospel. Menso Alting acted under the protection of the Coenders2 and preached in the open air jonker Derk on the grounds of the Coendersborg. On 8 september 1566 passed hundreds of Herepoort to Stadjers the hagepreek of this young preacher in Helpman to attend a. These services were held by the reformed churches Council of Groningen. This counted 21 members (14 7 elders and deacons). Derk Camara was the President as an elder.

Church building wanted

These churches Council took the decision on Sunday 8 september 1566 to through a ' petition ' (application) to keep it in one of the urban church buildings. This so-called petition was signed by ten leading citizens of the city. This moment is striking, after all, had been gingerly and Calvinists who until now as a kind of ' underground Church ' had acted, performed into the open now! And what emerges when we reviewed the names of the ten signatories? Among them was the administrator of the city, Hessel Aysma, three members of the City Council, two members of the ' municipality ' sworn and four other persons belonging to the ' self-employed ' belonged. They were all known as dear citizens of Groningen.

Church building found

The effect of this was that on the Sunday it, 15 september 1566, thousands of Calvinists to Helpman pulled to the proclamation of ds. Menso Alting to do with it. According to the Roman Catholic ruler were certainly the Johan Mepsche 6000, perhaps 8000. Then took on Tuesday 17 september 1566 Groningen City Council the decision to allow the requested predicating. And if location was the Church of the Friars Minor designated. Popularly called this church the brother Church, near the monastery where the University Library now stands. For a truly reformed worship served the Church to be purified from bijgelovigheden ' Roman '. So was made-under any noise, but with no significant violence-the site that the name ' beeldenstorm ' actually does not deserve. Evert and Frederick Campbell did cheer, under the proclamation of anti Roman cries. Now could the free preaching to reformed view ahead. However, it has but only months. Because then came personally to the North and Alva made heavy handed a end to the reformed church services.

Liberation after 28 years

Only in 1594 the city of Groningen was again freed from Spanish rule by the military operations of the stadtholders Maurits and William Louis. On 17 July of that year, a thank service held in the Martini Church where ds. Menso Alting (when preacher to Emden) preached on Psalm 118: 22-24, where the words of the Lord: that is done, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
The new public order, also in religious area, it was found in the Tractaar of reduction. It was determined that in City and country of Groningen no other religion would be geëxerceerd (exercised) than the reformed religion. The authorities were in the first decades strictly against the influences of both the Roman Catholic Church as of Baptist and spiritualist movements. 3

Calvinist Church order

The reformed churches were given-under supervision of stadtholder Willem Lodewijk that turned on Amsweer4-Hyun of two different church orders. One for the city, drawn up by the Calvinist theologians Menso Alting, Lenin and Martinus Sibrandus Lydius Lapis and one for the Ommelanden. Those of the city showed more Calvinist than those of the Ommelanden. 5

University of Groningen

The Foundation of the University of Groningen (1614) one can consider as a top in the process of ' calvinisering ' of North Netherlands. To this Academy were students from Groningen and Drenthe and the German border areas-in reformed sense education in theology, law and medicine. The first rector was Ubbo Emmius, who as a student had been studying in Geneva. The first theologian of this University was Herman Ravensberg (1586-1625). 6 he was a young theologian, coming from the German Siegen. Ravensberg was a protege of Ubbo Emmius. He started his academic lectures for a treatment of the words of Jesus: I am the way, the truth and the life. Still during his Professorship became the theological faculty in 1618 reinforced with attracting Franciscus Gomarus (1563-1641). 7 Gomarus was coming from Bruges. He already had a hoogleraarfunctie lined in Leiden and in the French Saumur. One of his teachers was Zacharias Ursinus. He was a powerful opponent of Arminius and the remonstrants in 1618 and was also the official representative of the Groningen Academy on the Synod of Dordrecht.

Conclusion

We oversee the entire process of the ' calvinisering ' of Groningen, then we can frankly state that this region in his choice of the reformation has been admissible for what had been taught by Calvin in broad terms.
What was achieved in 1594, was a region, which to a large extent by Government action would show the (outer) characteristics of the Calvinist Reformation. Especially in the aspects of municipal formation, confession and Church order. This meant being in the inner process that gives to man the biblical doctrine of the Reformation was completed. It applies in any case also the word of the Heidelberg Catechism that speaks of the daily conversion in the death of the old man and the standing up of the new man. Especially in view of the preaching of this message was the shortage of pastors in 1600 a substantial factor.

H. Veldman, Zuidhorn