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A young woman is baptised in a river
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Covenant and baptism

Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the oldest and most fundamental practices of the Christian church. In baptism, the life of the person receiving baptism is linked to the triune God. In Reformed Protestantism, baptism is closely linked to the concept of covenant.

  • Course content

    Baptism marks inclusion in the covenant God bestows. The relationship between God and the believer is therefore asymmetrical. From the beginning, the covenant has been very important for the foundations of the practice of infant baptism. Today, the practice of baptising children is questioned because, as autonomous individuals, they do not have the ability to make their own decisions. What does this mean for the perception of baptism and the theology of baptism at a time when subject autonomy is paramount and the notion of being part of a community plays much less of a role? Another question, debated to this day, is what happens when a person is baptised. How is redemption mediated in the ritual? Using central texts, a cross-section of Reformed theology through the centuries will be offered.

  • Size

    The seminar is 7.5 ECTS.

  • Period

    September to November 2025

  • For who?

    For any student interested in baptism and the Lord's Supper.

  • Literature

    • Pierrick Hildebrand, ‘Zwingli’s covenantal turn’, in From Zwingli to Amyraut: Exploring the Growth of European Reformed Traditions [Reformed Historical Theology 43], ed. Jon Balserak, Jim West, Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2017, 23-35.
    • Caspar Olevianus, ‘De getuigenissen van het genadeverbond’, in Geschriften van Caspar Olevianus, 292-397. (ET beschikbaar)
    • Johannes Cocceius, De leer van het Verbond en het Testament van God, vert. W.J. van Asselt, H.G. Renger, Kampen: De Groot -Goudriaan, 1990. (ET available)
    • K. Barth, Kirchliche Dogmatik, final volume. (ET available)
    • J.G. Woelderink, Het doopsformulier. Een verhandeling over zijn leer van den H. Doop, ’s-Gravenhage: uitgeverij Guido de Bres, 1938

  • Lecturers

  • Assessment

    1. At the beginning of the course, the texts to be studied are distributed among the students. Each student is instructed to present their assigned section in class and then facilitate the discussion on this text by providing some discussion questions and/or propositions. Weight: 10%.
    2. The course concludes with a written paper (see further course documentation). Weight: 90%.

    Before the final grade is communicated to the student, an interview of up to 20 minutes will take place via Teams, during which the student will be questioned about their paper. This interview may result in an increase in the final grade by up to 0.5 points.

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