[remonstrantie] - Bekeeringe van den gepredestineerden Dief - 1760

Conversion of the Predestined Thief. Or second conference held between a Remonstrant preacher in the habit of a mason and a thief who was condemned to die - printed in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, not dated but circa 1760 - 82 pages - 15 x 10 cm

A remarkable and rare example of 17th- or early 18th-century religious polemics, cast in the form of a dramatic dialogue between a Remonstrant preacher and a 'predestined' thief who is about to die.

The title alone reveals the context: the fierce controversy between Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants, centered around themes such as free will, predestination, and grace. By framing these ideas within a conversation with a condemned thief, the pamphlet takes on a powerful, almost theatrical tone.

Such dialogues were used to make complex theological ideas understandable to a broad audience. At the same time, they served as propaganda, satire, and moral lessons. The figure of the 'predestined thief' is a classic motif in the struggle over free will: can someone who seems 'destined' for evil still repent?

Subject: loose book block in good condition