LIMBORCH

limborch, philipp van (1633-1712), dutch remonstrant theologian, was born on the 19th of june 1633, at amsterdam, where his father was a lawyer. he received his education at utrecht, at leiden, in his native city, and finally at utrecht university, which he entered in 1652. in 1657 he became a remonstrant pastor at gouda, and in 1667 he was transferred to amsterdam, where, in the following year, the office of professor of theology in the remonstrant seminary was added to his pastoral charge. he was a friend of john locke. he died at amsterdam on the 30th of april 1712. his most important work, _institutiones theologiae christianae, ad praxin pietatis et promotionem pacis christianae unice directae_ (amsterdam, 1686, 5th ed., 1735), is a full and clear exposition of the system of simon episcopius and stephan curcellaeus. the fourth edition (1715) included a posthumous "relatio historica de origine et progressu controversiarum in foederato belgio de praedestinatione." limborch also wrote _de veritate religionis christianae amica collatio cum erudito judaeo_ (gouda, 1687); _historia inquisitionis_ (1692), in four books prefixed to the "liber sententiarum inquisitionis tolosanae" (1307-1323); and _commentarius in acta apostolorum et in epistolas ad romanos et ad hebraeos_ (rotterdam, 1711). his editorial labours included the publication of various works of his predecessors, and of _epistolae ecclesiasticae praestantium ac eruditorum virorum_ (amsterdam, 1684), chiefly by jakobus arminius, joannes uytenbogardus, konrad vorstius (1569-1622), gerhard vossius (1577-1649), hugo grotius, simon episcopius (his grand-uncle) and gaspar barlaeus; they are of great value for the history of arminianism. an english translation of the theologia was published in 1702 by william jones (_a complete system or body of divinity, both speculative and practical, founded on scripture and reason_, london, 1702); and a translation of the _historia inquisitionis_, by samuel chandler, with "a large introduction concerning the rise and progress of persecution and the real and pretended causes of it" prefixed, appeared in 1731. see herzog-hauck, _realencyklopadie_.