De plaats van Guy de Brès in de Reformatie van zijn tijd

Samenvatting

In this article it is examined what we know about Guy de Brès, the alleged author of the Belgic Confession. As distinct from most of his colleagues, there is hardly any explicit evidence for De Brès’ theological education. His wide reading, however, is well-established, as is the fact that he was a highly respected minister in his environment. As a result of his many contacts with the Calvinistic communities of Rouen and Amiens, De Brès was an important liaison between the French Huguenots and the French-speaking churches in the Netherlands (including the church of Antwerp). He distinguished himself from other protestant preachers, including his former friend Peter Dathenus, by his principle of absolute submission to the magistrate. The flipside of this principle was a profound aversion to the Anabaptists, which De Brès shared with many other Calvinists – although it seems that in his own territory he did not have to deal at all with Anabaptists.