DNK : Documentatieblad voor de Nederlandse kerkgeschiedenis na 1800 - Volume 43, Issue 92, 2020

This article tries to find an answer to the central question whether the Dutch Reformed pastor and professor Petrus Hofstede de Groot (1802-1886) was a dominocrat. Hofstede de Groot was pastor in Ulrum and professor at the university in Groningen. My contribution is an elaboration of the oral book review I held in 2017 at the presentation of Jasper Vree’s book Kerk, huis, school en staat: Leven, werk en vriendenkring van P. Hofstede de Groot (1844-1886). In my article I explain the meaning of ‘dominocrat’ and also ‘Dominocrat’ and explore the synodical acts of the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk) between 1830 (Hofstede de Groot’s first appearance in the general synod as professor) and 1886 (his death), and Hofstede de Groot’s role in synodical meetings. He was indeed a dominocrat. He favored the leadership of the pastors. At the same time, he was a Dominocrat. In his life and in his work, he was focussed on the Dominus, Jesus Christ, for the church (kerk), at home (huis), school and state (staat).

The Dutch Protestant catechists of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century, are a many-coloured party, equally diverse as Dutch Protestantism itself. In this article the many-sided modernist catechist Hendrik Tillema (1829-1908) is introduced. As an orphan he was trained for farmhand. He, however, worked himself up into the position of a member of the ‘lower clergy’. In the beginning was as such active as the catechist of the Leiden Dutch Reformed orphanage. After being accused of modernism by the board of the orphanage, he resigned from his post. At the outset, his liberal religious conviction wasn’t an impediment to be active as a catechist in the Leiden Reformed parish. When, however, the balance of power within the consistory swinged to the orthodox party, Tillema’s position was challenged. Finally, he was discharged. In several writings Tillema manifested his abhorrence of the orthodox believers and his compassion for the orphan-children. He denounced the evil practices in the orphanage and did suggestions for improvement.