Dutch remonstrant minister, nicknamed the kings bird preacher.
De Fijne was a son of the Flemish weaver Paschier de Fijne and Maaike Couwerts, who flew from the Catholic southern Netherlands (now Belgium) to Leiden. The immigration of craftsmen from the Southern Netherlands made Leiden grow from 12,000 inhabitants in 1581 to 45,000 in 1622. Economic reasons played a role, as the wages were higher in the rich Northern Netherlands, but also the activity of the Spanish Inquisition during the Dutch War of Independence (1568–1648) against Philip II of Spain was a reason to fly to the North. The war ended with the Peace of Münster (15 May – 24 October 1648), that brought the Dutch Republic formal recognition and independence from the Spanish crown.
But religious and political questions haunted the young state (Staten-Generaal). During the international Synod of Dort or Dordrecht (3 November 1618 – 9 May 1619) the Dutch Reformed Church tried to settle the controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The Synod was instigated by the prominent politician and Land’s Advocate of Holland Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who believed in diversity, and hoped that Protestant theologian’s would resolve their own issue’s. This in accordance with his belief that that matters of church and state should be separated. But the son of Willem of Orange, Prince Maurits would take a position is the theological debate, against the arminian “Remonstrants” and against Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who he accused of treasury. Van Oldenbarnevelt was executed and his idea that church and state should be separated would only be restored in 1795 when the Netherlands became a province of France under Napoleon.
The “Remonstrants” highlighted five aspects of their theology: (1) election was conditional on foreseen faith; (2) Christ’s atonement was unlimited in extent; (3) total depravity; (4) prevenient and resistible grace and (5) the possibility of apostasy. This contrasted with Calvins idea of “double predestination” that, just as G’d predestines a selected few to eternal salvation, so he predestines others to eternal punishment. As all was foreseen by the All knowing G’d or written in the stars, an astrologer might say. In the Armenian view of corporate election or open theism, G’d does not choose which individuals he will save prior to creation, but rather chooses throughout history what type of individuals he will save. The thoughts of Armenius also stimulated John Wesley (28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791) and others, who founded the Methodist church in English speaking countries.
Personal
De Fijne orginally was a weaver, became master weaver in 1604 and but decided after having worked for several years in the cloth and sheet shop of his father, to become a preacher. De Fijne had no academic education in theology, but was formed by ministers like Cornelius Dammannus (1567-1627) and the Protestant theology reformer Jacobus Arminius (10 October 1560, Oudewater – 19 October 1609, Utrecht), who served served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden. This was typical of early Protestantism, that lacked the hierarchy and long standing tradition of the Catholic church.
The thoughts of Armenius also stimulated John Wesley (28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791) and others, who founded the Methodist church in English speaking countries.
In 1611 De Fijne became a minister in Jaarsveld, an Arminian Remonstrant church. On 19 February 1612 De Fijne married in Leiden Machtelt Jans Bouchout. His son Pieter de Fijne (?-1680) became also a remonstrant minister in 1644. They lived for years happy in Jaarsveld untill he was ordered to come te Leiden to sign an anti-Remonstrant declaration. Her refused and was expelled from the church (Aug 1619). Thereupon, De Fijne became part of the Remonstrant Brotherhood founded in September 1619 in Antwerp. But as their were no Remonstrant churches and their religion was forbidden, De Fijne organised “hagepreken” (conventicle) in the early morning or evening outside the cities. He even preached on the ice of the Gouwe, giving him the nicknane “ijsvogelken” (ice bird, kings bird preacher).
De Fijne died October 1667 in Haarlem. He was buried October 27, 1667 in the large St.-Bavo church of Haarlem. The church harbours a famous Christiaan Müller 1735-1738) organ that was played by Mendelssohn, Händel and the 10-year-old Mozart. After completion it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-foot pedal-towers. Herman Melville described the inside of a whale’s mouth in Moby-Dick as: “Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?” This became the place where grave of the Kings bird preacher still can be found.
Link to Dutch Wikipedia