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Thomas BradwardineBradwardine extensively in his long defense of the propositionthat the Church of England historically stood in the line of theCalvinistic reformation.What possible influence Bradwardine's 900-page work mayhave had on the formulations ofthe Synod ofDordrecht cannot beknown. However, the case of Abraham van der Heyden makes itobvious that there was influence on some Reformed men in theNetherlands.Abraham van der Heyden was a preacher in the Netherlandswho took up the defense ofthe doctrines ofgrace after the Synodof Dordt by criticizing the catechism of the Remonstrants (published1640) constructed by Johannes Uytenbogaerd. Van derHeyden was answered by Simon Episcopius, a former professorofvan der Heyden at the University ofLeiden. Van der Heyden thenreplied in greater length. He consciously relied on Bradwardine inhis works. Both Uytenbogaerd and Episcopius ridiculed van derHeyden's use ofBradwardine, a "'popish bishop ofCanterbury wholived 250 years ago." Such scorn did not result in van der Heyden'sdistancing himself from Bradwardine in the defense of the doctrinesof Dordt. On the contrary, van der Heyden unashamedlytitled his second work, De causa Dei.It is plain that Bradwardine's The Cause ofGod enabled vander Heyden to trace the line ofthe truth back to Augustine. "Withthe exception of references to Episcopius, whose work van derHeyden was specifically answering, references to Augustine outnumbereven those to Calvin, the next most frequently citedauthority, by four or five times:'45Any serious evaluation of Bradwardine's significance affirmsthat predestination is a central element in his theology, ifnotthe cornerstone. Not since Gottschalk of the ninth century, andAugustine before him, had any theologian maintained this "harddoctrine" so faithfully or emphatically. Gottschalk died a martyrfor the sake ofthis truth; Bradwardine did not. Several factors (inGod's providence) account for Bradwardine's escape from condemnation.The first is the papal schism that greatly weakened the45. Tanis, Van der Heyden, p. 342.November, 2001 29
power of the papacy in Bradwardine's day. The second factor isthat Bradwardine was in England, where the power ofthe Romishchurch was often mitigated by English nationalism. In addition,Bradwardine was held in high regard among the universities inEurope and in the churches in England. That King Edward wouldchoose Bradwardine to be his personal chaplain and secretarydemonstrates Bradwardine's high standing.These seemingly ineffectual stands for the truth ofsovereigngrace by Gottschalk and Bradwardine lead one to ponder thepurposes of God. Not that anyone may sinfully question God'swisdom or ways in all his dealings with men. Yet there is alegitimate investigation into God's purposes, insofar as they canbe determined by the study ofhistory. It is obvious that God hadsimilar purposes in Gottschalk and in Bradwardine. Both menwere but briefly lit candles for the truth that Augustine developed.Both men had opposition, and ultimately the message ofboth wassquelched.From a negative point ofview, God revealed clearly that thechurch after Augustine did not want the truth ofsovereign, doublepredestination. With Gottschalk, it was declared witha vengeance.If anyone thought that the martyrdom of Gottschalk was notconclusive, that perhaps the schoolmen returned to the essence ofAugustine, the rejection of Bradwardine by the universities andchurchmen indicates otherwise. There was no room for that truthin the context of works-righteousness firmly maintained by thechurch of that day.From a positive point of view, as has been noted, God waspreparing the way for the reformation ofHis church. And yet onlya part ofthe way. In many respects the reformers would have to gomuch farther than Bradwardine.Nonetheless, God upholds His truth. It is a comfort to theReformed man and the church today to know that God maintainedthe truth also ofsovereign predestination even in the darkest timesof the high Middle Ages. The lesson of Bradwardine is clear. Itshould not surprise anyone in the twenty-first century that thechurch world at large spurns the doctrine ofsovereign predestination.Unbelief hates that truth especially, because predestination30 PRTJ
Page 1 and 2: ProtestantReformedTheologicalJourna
Page 3 and 4: EDITOR'S NOTESProf. Russell J. Dyks
Page 5 and 6: For there are many, even l unruly,
Page 7 and 8: happen to hold unwittingly to some
Page 9 and 10: tion oftheir false teachings. II Pe
Page 11 and 12: est, they are very weak, at worst,
Page 13 and 14: truth~' (see I Tim. 4: 1 - 4). Ever
Page 15 and 16: Thomas Bradwardine:Forgotten Mediev
Page 17 and 18: ated grace and uncreated grace. Unc
Page 19 and 20: Bradwardine faces the question ofth
Page 21 and 22: the age, namely, that having set fo
Page 23 and 24: did not identify Thomas Bradwardine
Page 25 and 26: The first is that Bradwardine was a
Page 27 and 28: to Bradwardine as oneof"two pre-emi
Page 29: Gospels, Acts, and Revelation. Sir
Page 33 and 34: The Serious Callof the Gospel -Is t
Page 35 and 36: elieve th~s proclamation with uprig
Page 37 and 38: to bring good news with their "fig
Page 39 and 40: nation, we read of Melchisedek, the
Page 41 and 42: official activity ofa monarch's her
Page 43 and 44: 8): "Calling is ofthose elect and r
Page 45 and 46: ut all his posterity unable to obey
Page 47 and 48: alone, and He saves whom He will. E
Page 49 and 50: have moved away from the notion oft
Page 51 and 52: every member ofthe visible, institu
Page 53 and 54: fulfilling this calling is their pa
Page 55 and 56: contingent. Further, Calvin did not
Page 57 and 58: ofacceptance in terms of merit, ins
Page 59 and 60: covenant ofgrace and works, or it i
Page 61 and 62: Spiritual, Suffers Them to DefileTh
Page 63 and 64: the gospel is preached" (p. 212).In
Page 65 and 66: "They do not hold that JesusChrist
Page 67 and 68: II Corinthians 3:6 that "the letter
Page 69 and 70: is to oppose and to repulsethat sec
Page 71 and 72: Rightly Divided: Readings inBiblica
Page 73 and 74: is necessary speaks volumesabout th
Page 75 and 76: Guilt, Grace and Gratitude,Lectures
Page 77 and 78: 76ted under the new? If it wererigh
Page 79 and 80: er to keep himself holy; forthe Sab
Page 81 and 82:
there is room for both positionsin
Page 83 and 84:
Dr. Gannett's eschatologyalso effec
Page 85 and 86:
that, but man has a corrupt nature(
Page 87 and 88:
the love of God is "universal"(p. 5
Page 89 and 90:
ever, throughout the book thereis n
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