# Johann Heinrich Alsted



## VirginiaHuguenot (Sep 10, 2006)

Johann Heinrich Alsted, German Reformed theologian (1588 -- November 8, 1638), was the author of a famous series of compendiums of general knowledge, including the first complete modern Bible dictionary, and a highly-regarded _Encyclopedia_. He also represented the Church of Nassau at the Synod of Dordt, and served as Professor of Philosophy and Divinity at Herborn.



> The first successful attempt to compile a dictionary of the Bible was made by the polyhistor and Protestant theologian Johann Heinrich Alsted (1588-1638), who wrote a universal encyclopedia and a "Triumphus Bibliorum Sacrorum seu EncyclopÃ¦dia Biblica," Frankfort, 1625. -- Source



More biographical information can be found here.


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## R. Scott Clark (Sep 10, 2006)

Howard Hotson has written a brilliant book on Alsted.

rsc




> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> Johann Heinrich Alsted, German Reformed theologian (1588 -- November 8, 1638), was the author of a famous series of compendiums of general knowledge, including the first complete modern Bible dictionary, and a highly-regarded _Encyclopedia_. He also represented the Church of Nassau at the Synod of Dordt, and served as Professor of Philosophy and Divinity at Herborn.
> 
> 
> ...


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## Ivan (Sep 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> He also represented the Church of Nassau at the Synod of Dordt, and served as Professor of Philosophy and Divinity at Herborn.



Nassau? Please excuse my ignorance.


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## crhoades (Sep 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by R. Scott Clark_
> Howard Hotson has written a brilliant book on Alsted.
> 
> rsc



Great...yet ANOTHER expensive book that I want now!  Don't suppose this was a dissertation at one point and can be found as such to save a few bucks? I checked UMI Express and didn't come up with anything.


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## NaphtaliPress (Sep 10, 2006)

George Gillespie quotes Alsted several times in his _Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies, as follows:_
Alsted, Johann, German Reformed divine (1588-1638)
_Thesaurus ChronologiÃ¦_ (Herborn, 1624) -- 49, 65, 76
_Theologia casuum_ (Hanover, Germany, 1621) -- 12, 15, 16, 25, 69, 375-376, 450
Page references are to the 1993 Naphtali Press edition of EPC. The full Bibliograpy to EPC is here:
http://www.naphtali.com/GGBooks.htm


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Sep 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Ivan_
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> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
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Nassau is a German city in the ancient region (during the Holy Roman Empire) of Nassau. For other meanings of and connections to Nassau see here. Nassau, Germany is the origin of the name Nassau which is also the capital of the Bahamas and a county in New York state among other places. For more information on the ruling dynasty known as the House of Nassau see here. For a list of other foreign representative at the Synod of Dordt see here.


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## Ivan (Sep 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
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> 
> > _Originally posted by Ivan_
> ...



Thank you, Andrew. Awesome! 

I found this last sentence interesting in the list of foreign representatives of the Synod of Dort : "From France: None because the French government prohibited their attendance. A set of empty chairs was set up in the assembly in honor of the absent French Huguenots".


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Sep 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Ivan_
> Thank you, Andrew. Awesome!



You're welcome, Ivan!



> I found this last sentence interesting in the list of foreign representatives of the Synod of Dort : "From France: None because the French government prohibited their attendance. A set of empty chairs was set up in the assembly in honor of the absent French Huguenots".



Yes, it was a powerfully symbolic and much appreciated gesture which showed the solidarity this ecumenical synod had with the persecuted Huguenots.

Schaff says:



> The national Synod of France elected four delegates"”among them the celebrated theologians Chamier and Du Moulin"”but the King forbade them to leave the country.



and



> The canons of Dort were fully [e]ndorsed by the Reformed Church in France, and made binding upon the ministers at the Twenty-third National Synod at Alais, Oct. 1, 1620, and again at the Twenty-fourth Synod at Charenton, Sept., 1623.


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