Chapter 20 Nineteen, Arminius

"Organic society" puts the safety of the "whole" above all considerations, while individuals with extraordinary intelligence or energy believe that the development of the world so far depends on individual efforts, not on the collective (to put it bluntly, they do not believe in all changes), so The power of the individual is much more important than the power of the collective, and the generational conflict between them is part of the struggle for tolerance. If we hold this premise to be true, then the degree of tolerance in a country is directly proportional to the degree of personal freedom of the majority of its inhabitants.

In the past, there have sometimes been very enlightened rulers who said to their children: "I am a firm believer in the principle 'Be kind to others, so be kind to yourself. .” Impatient subjects, therefore, hastened to hoard the official badge, engraved with the magnificent words: "Tolerance comes first." But this sudden shift, out of fear of the king's hangman, was short-lived.The king could only have achieved results by browbeating and at the same time establishing a wise system of progressive education as a daily political activity. This fortunate circumstance arose in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the sixteenth century.

First, the country has thousands of semi-subsistence towns and villages, mostly populated by fishermen, sailors, and merchants.These three types of people are accustomed to a certain degree of independent action, and the nature of their occupation forces them to make decisions quickly and decisively, judging the opportunities in the work according to their own advantages and disadvantages. I'm not saying they're smarter or more open-minded than the rest of the world.But hard work and an unstoppable drive have made them porters of grain and fish throughout northern and western Europe.They understood that Catholic money worked just as well as Protestant money, and they liked Turks who paid in cash and hated Presbyterians who had to pay six months on credit.They are thus an ideal country for experimenting with a little tolerance and, importantly, a place where everyone is at the right time and place.

The taciturn William is a shining example of the old adage that he who would rule the world must know the world.He started out as a well-dressed young man with a lot of money and an enviable social position, serving as the confidential secretary to the biggest king at the time.He spent extravagantly at dinners and dances, married several heiresses of considerable renown, lived a life of debauchery, and was always drunk.He doesn't work very hard, and to him a race chart is far more interesting than a religious pamphlet. The upheavals of life caused by the Reformation seemed to him at first just another quarrel between employers, which could be settled with a little flick of the wrist and a few rough cops.

But by the time he understood the nature of the dispute between king and subjects, the amiable nobleman had suddenly become a capable leader.In fact, what he wanted to do was a career that had completely lost its momentum at that time.He sold palaces, horses, gold plates, and country estates in short order (or gave them up immediately).The Brussels dandy became the staunchest and most successful enemy of Habsburg. However, the change of property did not change his personality.William was a philosopher when he was stocking up, and he was a philosopher when he lived in two or three rented houses and didn't know how to pay his laundry on Saturdays.Just as a bishop tried to thwart his attempt to build enough gallows to hang all the Protestants, so he now tries to check the enthusiasm of the ardent Calvinists to hang all the Catholics.

His efforts were almost hopeless. Twenty to thirty thousand men had been slaughtered, the prisons of the Inquisition were filled with fresh victims, and far away Spain was raising an army to crush the rebellion before it spread to the rest of Europe. There are those who say one should love the man who has just hanged his father, brother, uncle, and grandfather, and those who vehemently disagree, and there is no need to tell the reader who is against it.But he had shown his followers, by his own example and by his conciliatory attitude towards his opponents, that a man of character should rise above the Mosaic law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

In the polemics for the realization of public morality he had the support of an eminent man.In the sumptuous classroom, you will find a very curious brief inscription on the virtues of Dirk Kunhet, whose body is buried there.This Konghet is quite interesting.The son of a wealthy family, he spent years traveling abroad in his youth, gaining first-hand knowledge of Germany, Spain, and France.As soon as he returned to China, he fell in love with a penniless girl.His Dutch father was discreet and forbade their marriage.The son married anyway, and the father did what elders must do under such circumstances: accused the son of ingratitude and disinherited him.

Young Konghet had to work to earn a living, which was indeed difficult.But he was a versatile young man who learned a trade and became a copper carver. Why, to be Dutch is to preach forever.At night, he hastily put down the carving knife, picked up a quill pen, and wrote down the major events of the day.His writing style is not quite as "fascinating" as people say now.But there are many easy-to-accept principles in his books similar to Erasmus's, which made him make many friends, and also brought him into contact with the taciturn William, who highly appreciated his ability and hired him as an engineer. Ask for a consultant.

William was engaged in a strange dispute at the time.King Philip, backed by the Pope, wanted to kill the great enemy of mankind (that is, his enemy William), and at the price of 25,000 gold coins, the title of nobility, and the pardon of all crimes, he sent someone to Holland to kill the number one heretic. .William had been in danger five times, but he felt it his duty to refute King Philip with a set of pamphlets, and Concht assisted him. The argument was directed at the Habsburg Ministry, but it would be delusional to expect that it would become tolerant.Yet the whole world was watching the duel between William and Philip, and the pamphlet was translated into different languages, and widely read, and many of the subjects, which were previously only dared to be whispered about, were now hotly discussed.

Unfortunately, the controversy didn't take long to end.On July 9, 1584, a French Catholic was paid 25,000 ducats. Six years later, Concht died before he had finished translating Erasmus into Dutch. . For the next twenty years, the smoke and the roar of the guns drowned out the diatribes among theologians of different views.At last the enemy was driven from the frontiers of the New Republic.But at this time there is no one like William to take charge of internal affairs.The different sects, temporarily and unnaturally reconciled under the pressure of a large number of Spanish mercenaries, now cut each other's throats.

Surely there must be an excuse for their warfare, but what theologian has nothing to complain about? At Leiden University, there are two professors who hold different views.This is neither new nor outstanding.But it is a serious matter that they do not agree that man has freedom of will.Excited people immediately joined the discussion, and within two months, the entire country was divided into two hostile camps. On one side is a friend of Arminius. On the other side was Gomarus following. The latter, though born into a Dutch family, spent his life in Germany and was an excellent product of the Teutonic education system.His knowledge is very extensive, but he lacks basic common sense.His brain is well versed in the mysteries of Hebrew rhythm, while his heart beats according to the syntactic rules of Aramaic. His opponent, Aminis, was very different.He was born in Aldwater, a small town not far from the Stern Abbey where Erasmus spent his unhappy youth.As a child he won the friendship of a neighbor, a famous mathematician and professor of astronomy at the University of Marburg.This man was Rudolf Sneris, and he brought Aminis back to Germany and gave him a good education.But when the child returned home on his first vacation, he found that his hometown had been looted by the Spaniards and his relatives were killed. This seemed to end his studies, but fortunately some well-meaning wealthy people who heard what had happened to the young orphan generously sent him to study theology at the University of Leiden.He worked hard, and after six years he finished all the courses and went to find new sources of knowledge. At the time, top students could always find sponsors to spend a few bucks on their future.Aminis soon received letters of introduction from several guilds in Amsterdam, and happily went to the south to seek opportunities for education. As a respected theological successor, he first came to Geneva.Calvin was dead, but his servant Theodore Beza succeeded Calvin like a shepherd of angels.The old heresy catcher had a keen nose for the Ramism in the teachings of the young Dutchman, and the visit to him was cut short. The term Ramism means nothing to modern readers.However, those who are familiar with Milton's anthology know that three hundred years ago it was regarded as a very dangerous new religious theory.It was invented or started (whatever you want to use the word) by a man named Pierre de la Ram.When he was a student, he was very disgusted with the teacher's outdated teaching methods, so he chose a rather surprising topic as his doctoral thesis: "Everything Aristotle Taught Is Wrong". Needless to say, the subject was not well received by the teacher.Years later, he added his thoughts to several brilliant volumes, which made his death a foregone conclusion.He was one of the first victims of the San Bartholomew massacre. But annoying books don't get killed with the author.Ram's book survives, and his astonishing system of logic gained popularity in Western and Northern Europe.But true pious people think that Ramism is a passport to hell, so it is suggested that Arminius go to Basel, this troubled city since falling into the magic net of Erasmus who explores everything. "Liberals" as good figures.Amnesias, having been warned, set out for the north.But he made another rather unusual decision.He ventured into enemy territory, studied for several semesters at the University of Padua, and made a trip to Rome.This made him dangerous in the eyes of his countrymen when he returned to his native land in 1587.But he seemed to have neither horns nor tail, and gradually he won favor with everyone, and was admitted to the Protestant priesthood of Amsterdam. He not only made himself useful, but also made himself a hero in the time of the plague.The people soon embraced him sincerely, commissioned him to rebuild the city's public education system, and when he was transferred to Leiden in 1603 as a full-fledged professor of theology, all the inhabitants of the capital were still reluctant to leave. If he had known what awaited him at Leyton, I am sure he would not have gone.He arrived at a time when the fighting between the Lapsarians and the Upper Lapsarians was in full swing. Aminis' family origin and education were of Lapsarian sect.He would have liked to treat his colleague, Gomarus of the Upper Lapsarian sect, without prejudice.But the differences between the two factions cannot be reconciled.Aminis was compelled to declare himself a true Lapsarian. Readers will of course ask me, what are these two factions?I don't know, and I don't seem to be able to understand these things.However, as far as I know, there has been a long-standing dispute between the two schools (such as Arminius) who believe that people have a certain freedom of will and can determine their own destiny; Folks of Gomarus, they say that everything in our lives is predetermined long before we are born, that destiny depends on the roll of the holy dice at the time of creation. In 1600 most of the people in Northern Europe were Upper Lapsarians.They like to hear the sermon that most people except themselves are already doomed to hell.If a few pastors have the audacity to preach the good and merciful gospel, they are immediately suspected of suffering from sinful weakness, like a soft-hearted doctor who cannot prescribe bitter medicine to people, but treats people with their weakness. The heart puts the patient to death. As soon as the many gossiping old ladies of Leiden discovered that Arminius was a Lapsarian, his usefulness ceased.His former friends and supporters lashed out at him, cursed him, and tortured him to death.Both factions then entered politics, which seemed inevitable in the sixteenth century.The Upper Rapsarian faction won the elections, and the Rapsarian faction was declared an enemy of public order and a traitor to the state. Before this grotesque battle was over, Alden Barnevelt, who had been an assistant to the taciturn William and had contributed to the founding of the Republic, died with his head between his feet; Grotius fled to Sweden The Queen's Court lived a dependent life, though his moderation had once made him the first great advocate of an international system of legal justice; the cause to which the taciturn William had devoted himself seemed to have fallen by the wayside. But the Calvinists did not have the expected success. The Dutch Republic was in name only a club of merchants and bankers, ruled by several hundred powerful families.These gentlemen have no interest in equality and fraternity, but believe in law and order.They recognize and support established churches.Every Sunday, they come with enthusiasm to the white-walled reliquary, which used to be a Catholic church and is now a Protestant mission hall.But on Monday, when the priest went to meet with the mayor and councilors, and wanted to say indignantly that this person was bad and that person was bad, the officials held a "meeting" and could not meet these pious people.If the devout perseveres and gathers thousands of loyal parishioners to "demonstrate" in front of the town hall (which often happens), the officials will look down on them politely, and take over the devout man's neatly copied papers. Complaints and proposals.But after the gates closed behind the last black-robed petitioner, the officials would use the manuscripts to light their pipes. They had adopted the practical maxim: "Once is enough, never again." Horrified by the horrors of the great civil wars of the Upper Lapsarian sects, they resolutely suppressed the development of fanaticism. Future generations did not always praise these nobles.They undoubtedly regard the country as private property, and cannot consistently distinguish clearly between the interests of the motherland and their own.They lack a macro perspective from the perspective of the entire empire, so they are often shrewd in small things and confused in big things.But they did one thing that deserves our heartfelt admiration.They have turned the country into an international exchange, where men of every thought have the widest freedom to say, think, write, and publish as they please. I don't want to portray it too emotionally.From time to time, under the threat of a cabinet veto, aldermen were forced to suppress a Catholic secret society, or confiscate a pamphlet issued by an overly assertive heretic.Generally speaking, though, as long as you don't climb onto the soapbox in the middle of the market area and loudly denigrate the tenets of fatalism, don't bring Catholic rosary beads into the public dining room, and don't deny the existence of the Southern Methodist God, you can ensure a certain degree of The world is at peace, and for almost two centuries many people would have been persecuted for their ideas in other parts of the world, and the Dutch Republic has been a veritable paradise for them. Word spread that it had once again become a paradise.For the next two hundred years the printing houses and coffee houses of Holland were filled with enthusiasts of all stripes, the vanguard of a strange new army of spiritual emancipation.