Daniel Tilenus (also Tilenius) (1563 – 1633) was a German-French Protestant theologian. Initially a

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

, he became a prominent and influential

Arminian Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the Christian theology, theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remo ...

teaching at the

Academy of Sedan The Academy of Sedan ( Fr.: ''Académie de Sedan'') was a Huguenot academy in Sedan in the Principality of Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundred ...

. He was an open critic of the

Synod of Dort The Synod of Dort (also known as the Synod of Dordt or the Synod of Dordrecht) was a European transnational Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618–1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy caused by the rise of Arminianism. ...

of 1618-9.

Background

He was born in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. Coming to France around 1590, he was naturalised by Henry IV.

Lord Herbert of Cherbury Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (or Chirbury) KB (3 March 1583 – 5 August 1648) was an English soldier, diplomat, historian, poet and religious philosopher. He studied multiple languages and disciplines at University College, ...

, who gave Tilenus his ''De Veritate'', took his original name to be Tieleners.

Controversies

A divisive controversy with

Pierre Du Moulin Pierre Du Moulin ( Latinized as Petrus Molinaeus; 16 October 1568 – 10 March 1658) was a Huguenot minister in France who also resided in England for some years. Life Born in Buhy in 1568, he was the son of Joachim Du Moulin, a Protestant mini ...

broke out in 1612. They had earlier, in 1601, been allies on the Huguenot side of a public disputation against the Catholic

Jacques-Davy Duperron Jacques Davy Duperron (; 15 November 1556 – 6 December 1618) was a French politician and Roman Catholic cardinal. Family and Education Jacques Davy du Perron was born in Saint-Lô in Normandy, into the Davy family, which belonged to the Norman ...

and others. Du Moulin's view was that the christological attitude of Tilenus endangered the doctrine of justification; the matter became a very public split among Huguenots.

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

exerted himself to restore Protestant unity in France, working through the Huguenot aristocrats

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne (28 September 1555 – 25 March 1623), duc de Bouillon (''jure uxoris''), was a member of the powerful House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the Prince of Sedan and a marshal of France. He was a prominent Huguenot figure. Bio ...

and

Philippe de Mornay Philippe de Mornay (5 November 1549 – 11 November 1623), seigneur du Plessis Marly, usually known as Du-Plessis-Mornay or Mornay Du Plessis, was a French Protestant writer and member of the anti-monarchist '' Monarchomaques''. Biography H ...

, and also his own envoys David Home and

Thomas Edmondes Sir Thomas Edmonds (1563 – 20 September 1639) was an English diplomat and politician who served under three successive monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I, Kings James I and Charles I, and occupied the office of Treasurer of the Royal Household fr ...

. The issue was patched up by 1615. At Sedan

Andrew Melville Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews. He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 154 ...

arrived in about 1612 from Scotland (via the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

) and became a difficult colleague, sharing in the theology teaching.''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Melville or Melvill, Andrew (1545–1622), Scottish presbyterian leader and scholar, by Alexander Gordon. Published 1894. In April 1620 Tilenus set up, at

L'Isle L'Isle is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in Western Switzerland, located in the district of Morges. History L'Isle is first mentioned in 1216 as ''Chablie''. In 1299 it was mentioned as ''Insula de Chablie'' and in 1324 as ''Lylaz''. Geo ...

, near

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and John Cameron, on the conclusions at Dort. Cameron published his version as ''Amica collatio de gratia et voluntatis humanae concursu in vocatione'' (1622).

Later life

Later in 1620, Tilenus was finally forced out from Sedan by general hostility. He was on friendly terms with

Hugo Grotius Hugo Grotius ( ; 10 April 1583 – 28 August 1645), also known as Hugo de Groot () or Huig de Groot (), was a Dutch humanist, diplomat, lawyer, theologian, jurist, statesman, poet and playwright. A teenage prodigy, he was born in Delft an ...

; they shared a house in 1622/3 in the Rue de Condé, Paris. He was also close to the philosopher

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson may refer to: * Walter Donaldson (snooker player), (1907–1973) Scottish snooker player * Walter Donaldson (songwriter), (1893–1947) American songwriter {{human name disambiguation, Donaldson, Walter ...

. Tilenus went to England; there he published against

presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

. in ''Paraenesis ad Scotos Genevensis disciplinae zelotas''. He was pursued by a personal attack by

James Sempill Sir James Sempill (1566–1626) was a Scottish courtier and diplomat. He was known by the name of his family estate, Beltrees or Beltries. Early life James Sempill was the eldest son of John Sempill of Beltrees, and Mary Livingston, one of the "F ...

, a friend of Melville.

David Calderwood David Calderwood (157529 October 1650) was a Scottish minister of religion and historian. Calderwood was banished for his nonconformity. He found a home in the Low Countries, where he wrote his great work, the ''Altare Damascenum'' which was a ...

in his ''Altare Damascenum'' (1623) attacked Tilenus;

Gisbertus Voetius Gisbertus Voetius ( Latinized version of the Dutch name Gijsbert Voet ; 3 March 1589 – 1 November 1676) was a Dutch Calvinist theologian, pastor, and professor. Life He was born at Heusden, in the Dutch Republic, studied at Leiden, and in 16 ...

also attacked Tilenus, and was noted by Grotius.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilenus, Daniel 1563 births 1633 deaths French Protestant theologians 17th-century French theologians 17th-century German Protestant theologians Arminian theologians Huguenots