Dordt or Dort? What Still Matters?
Published by Jul Medenblik
President
Is it Dordt or Dort?
If you are featuring a Forum issue to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dordrecht, it helps to know how to spell the Canons of Dordt/Dort that resulted from that gathering.
The Synod of Dordrecht was an international synod held in Dordrecht in 1618 – 1619 by the Dutch Reformed Church to settle a controversy focused on responding to the rise of Arminianism.
1618 – 1619 is a long time ago, but the Canons of Dordt/Dort that resulted from that synod has been a key framing document for many Reformed churches, and one of the three forms of confessional unity for the Christian Reformed Church in North America (The other documents being the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession).
This Forum issue will not only commemorate the past, but also look to how Dordt/Dort still functions in our present day and in the days ahead. The articles are meant to begin a conversation and help frame ongoing consideration of the meaning and value of the Canons of Dordt/Dort. Consider these articles as an appreciation of the Synod of Dordrecht and an invitation to the Church to continue to learn from and be shaped by the deliberations and the results from 400 years ago.
Editorial Note:
As we finalized this issue, we faced the question of using the spelling of Dordt or Dort. Though the answer is complicated by a number of factors – including that Dort is an Anglicization of the word Dordt – the accepted spelling is moving to Dordt. Dordt is the original Dutch abbreviation for Dordrecht. While Dort is the more traditional spelling, it seemed fitting to use Dordt for this Forum issue that seeks to bridge the past to our current context.
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