‘The Staffe of the Christian Faith’ and the Making of the Belgic Confession

A Commemoration Conference on Guy de Brès.

The year 2022 marks the fifth centenary of the birth of the reformer of the Netherlands, Guy de Bres. In this two-day conference we look back at his life and work on ‘The Staffe of the Christian Faith’ and the Making of the Belgic Confession.

Guy de Brès

Was born c.1522 in Mons (Bergen) in the southern Low Countries, sought refuge in England during the reign of Edward VI and came back to serve the Reformed Church of Lille (Rijssel). Having composed ‘The Staffe of the Christian Faith’ (1555) he travelled to Lausanne and Geneva for further studies. In 1559 he returned to serve the underground Churches until his martyrdom (1567).

Le Baston

The second reason for this conference is the forthcoming edition of his first work, Le baston de la foy chrestienne, prepared by Dr. Wim Moehn. In this patristic anthology – a bestseller with some twenty editions in ten years – we see the author developing his knowledge of the Church Fathers and honing his systematic theological skills. The text of the first (1555) and last edition (1565) is presented with full annotation of all the quotations.

The lecturers have chosen a topic from Le baston and could work on proof prints of the relevant chapter. Their lectures will present groundbreaking research.

Speakers

• Dr. Tony Lane (London School of Theology, London, Great Britain)
• Dr. In-Sub Ahn (Chongshin Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea))
• Dr. Lyle Bierma (Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan USA)
• Dr. Herman Selderhuis (Theological University Apeldoorn, the Netherlands)
• Dr. Gianmarco Braghi (Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose, Bologna, Italy)
• Dr. W.H.Th. (Wim) Moehn (Protestant Theological University Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
• Dr. Erik A. de Boer (Theological University Kampen-Utrecht, the Netherlands)
• Byunghoon Kang (Ph.D. Candidate, Theological University Kampen-Utrecht)

Program

Thursday, 3 November

• 13:30-13:40    Opening
  13:40-14:10    Wim Moehn: De Brès research 2022 – evaluation of what has been done and invitation with a view to the future
  14:10-14:40    Herman Selderhuis: The Chapter on the Church (de l’Èglise) in Le Baston
  14:40-14:45    Discussion
  14:45-15:05    Coffee / Tea Break
  15:05-15:35    Lyle Bierma: Baptism in Le Baston
  15:35-16:05    In-Sub Ahn: A Comparison of Le Baston and Confessio Belgica on Church and State
  16:05-16:20    Discussion

Friday, 4 November

• 13:30-13:40    Second Opening
  13:40-14:10    Tony Lane: Merit and Justification in Le Baston
  14:10-14:40    Gianmarco Braghi: Le catalogue des Docteurs et Conciles and/or The Catalogue of the Church Fathers and Councils in Le Baston
  14:40-14:45    Discussion
  14:45-15:05    Coffee / Tea Break
  15:05-15:35    Byunghoon Kang: The Chapter on the Confession (De la confession à Dieu, et de la reconciliation avec le prochain) in Le Baston
  15:35-16:05    Erik de Boer: De Bres’ Last and Unfinished Work ‘De la Messe’ (On the Mass), Embedded in the Procedures Tenues
  16:05-16:20    Discussion
  16:20-17:00    Reception / Closing

Image: Universiteit Utrecht

 

 

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