If the process of conversion is gradual, what part of the process is influenced by a particular evangelistic strategy? And if conversion means that the old and the new get mixed, then what is the...Show moreIf the process of conversion is gradual, what part of the process is influenced by a particular evangelistic strategy? And if conversion means that the old and the new get mixed, then what is the role of evangelism in this? For my thesis, I want to use these new perspectives on conversion to analyze the role that evangelism plays in people's conversion stories. My main question will be the following: “What role do evangelistic efforts by growth-oriented churches in Leiden play in people's conversions and how can this influence be explained?”Show less
The Dutch glassmaker’s son and rector of the Latin school in Zutphen, Marcellus Franckheim (Zutphen 1587- Dunkirk 1644), converted from Calvinism to Catholicism in 1614 and became secretary to...Show moreThe Dutch glassmaker’s son and rector of the Latin school in Zutphen, Marcellus Franckheim (Zutphen 1587- Dunkirk 1644), converted from Calvinism to Catholicism in 1614 and became secretary to Cardinal Melchior Khlesl at the court of the Habsburg Emperor Matthias. He ended his life as councillor to the Spanish King Philip IV in the admiralty of the Flanders fleet. By analysing Franckheim’s surviving correspondence and publications, this thesis shows that while Franckheim’s life on first sight seems full of unexpected moves and change, there is a remarkable continuity in his faith, his contacts and his opinions. It also shows that the Dutch Gomarist-Arminian controversy during the Twelve Years Truce directly influenced his decision to convert and that a group of engaged Zutphen Catholic citizens connected him to the Counter-Reformation world of the Habsburg courts in Europe. Using Marcellus Franckheim as an exemplary case, this thesis addresses the broader question of how Dutch Catholics in the early seventeenth century, both in the Low Countries and in exile, participated in local and transnational networks to promote and consolidate their faith. It also provides insight in the interconnectedness of the political and religious conflicts in the Low Countries and the Holy Roman Empire, in particular with regard to the ways in which individuals felt involved and tried to influence these events.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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Het fenomeen bekering in de Joods-Hellenistische wereld wordt besproken aan de hand van de Joods-Hellenistische roman 'Joseph en Aseneth', een verhaal over de aartsvader Jozef en bekering van zijn...Show moreHet fenomeen bekering in de Joods-Hellenistische wereld wordt besproken aan de hand van de Joods-Hellenistische roman 'Joseph en Aseneth', een verhaal over de aartsvader Jozef en bekering van zijn Egyptische vrouw Aseneth naar het Jodendom.Show less
When Sahagún came to New Spain he encountered the indigenous population who were in the process of converting to Christianity. He arrived with a group of fellow Franciscan friars with the mission...Show moreWhen Sahagún came to New Spain he encountered the indigenous population who were in the process of converting to Christianity. He arrived with a group of fellow Franciscan friars with the mission to establish a new Christian utopia where a thousand year peace would reign. Sahagún was ordered to write down all that he could find about Nahua culture which resulted in the Historia general. In this manuscript there are various rituals and deities described in full detail and they are said to be idolatrous. Sahagún would take his students from his college in Tlatelolco and gather pictographic information from Tepepulco in order to copy it into the Primeros Memoriales. In this manuscript it is clear that European elements are incorporated in pre-colonial drawings. The Nahua population proved difficult in adopting the Christian faith and kept holding on to traditional beliefs, often mixing old rituals with Christian rituals. This was something Sahagún became upset about, knowing that the traditional rituals were actually in honour of Satan and his demons that needed to be combated. When Sahagún reached old age he was of strong conviction that the mission to establish the utopia had failed and he suggested that Christianity should move on to other parts of the world where conversion would be more successful.Show less
