Synode van Dordrecht - Acta Nationale Synode Dordrecht - 1621

In a time of religious and political tensions, an international synod gathered in Dordrecht that would prove decisive for the future of the Republic. At its center was the conflict between the Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants, a theological dispute that grew into a broad societal issue. During this synod the teachings of the Remonstrants were rejected and what has since come to be known as the Canons of Dordrecht were established, with great influence on both church and state.

The Acta der Nationale Synode form the official record of this historic gathering. In this work the decisions, disputations and positions of the theologians and delegates present are recorded, not as later interpretation, but as a direct reflection of the events themselves. Thus it is one of the most important primary sources in the religious history of the Dutch Republic.

Printed in Dordrecht in 1621 this is an imposing large folio of about 35 × 23 × 9.5 cm and weighing approximately 4.1 kg. The work counts about 1122 pages, printed on sturdy hand-made paper with wide margins and set in a characteristic early-17th-century Gothic type.

This copy is distinguished by the exceptionally fresh condition of the interior. The paper appears strikingly bright and clean, with minimal signs of use for a work of around 400 years old. The leaves lie tightly in the book block and give the book a particularly well-kept impression, something rarely so well preserved in such monumental folios.

Bound in a later full-leather binding with rich blind-stamping and raised ribs on the spine. The leather shows normal signs of aging and use, but the binding is solid and sturdy. An impressive and historically important exemplar of the official proceedings of the Synod of Dordrecht.