Call for Papers: Grotius and Toleration
You are kindly invited to participate in a
two-day conference on Hugo Grotius and religious toleration, organized by the University
of Zürich and the Grotiana Foundation.
Conference dates: 17-18 June 2027
Location: University of Zürich
Conference theme:
The Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
is widely regarded as a pioneer of religious toleration. Many readers have recognized
in his writings a principled defense of the freedom of conscience and the rights
of religious minorities. Moreover, as a policy-maker, he personally contributed
to shaping the relatively tolerant policies of the Dutch Republic with regard
to Christian and non-Christian minorities such as Jews. In Grotius’s view, all human
beings were endowed with certain natural rights, which had to be respected, regardless
of religious differences. As the Dutch jurist explained, forcing non-Christians
to accept the Christian religion was ‘judged as improper and unlawful by all
people with common sense, as religion should not be enforced.’[1]
However, even for Grotius, there were certain limitations to religious toleration.
For instance, Christians were not allowed to subject themselves to the
authority of non-Christians, as it could lead to apostasy. Moreover, to protect
the unity of the Christian state and religion, members of different Christian
denominations (e.g., Calvinists and Arminians) could be forced to go to the
same churches and accept a number of principal points as necessary for
salvation. As Grotius emphasized, religious toleration had to be legally
regulated: if necessary, it could even be enforced by the state.
The proposed conference will explore
Grotius’s ideas about religious toleration and its limitations. Is the general
image of Grotius as a pioneer of religious toleration justified? What does
toleration mean in Grotius’s work and how did his ideas change over time? How
can the ‘toleration’ that Grotius speaks of be described? How does it relate to
the idea of otherness? Does he have more than ‘Duldungstoleranz’ in mind? Does he
advocate a conception of toleration aimed at mere coexistence, or at genuine respect
for different religious beliefs? And what limitations to religious toleration does
Grotius propose to protect the unity of the Christian state and religion?
Grotius was not the first who proposed the
distinction between fundamentalia and adiaphora, often identified
as his concept of toleration. In the pamflettenstrijd (‘war of
pamhlets’, 1609-1621) ‘peace’ appeared often in the headlines and the idea that
there were common concepts that were sufficient for salvation was repeatedly
rejected. What exactly was Grotius's contribution to these debates? To what
extent were his views on religious toleration informed by a conversionalist
logic, aimed at the voluntary conversion of non-Christians, other-Christians
or other-reformed Christians to the ‘true faith’? Were his views on toleration
indeed ‘principled,’ or were they primarily political, and, for instance,
informed by debates on Reason of State? And what impact did his views have on religious
practices and policies in the Dutch Republic? Is there a connection between the
Republic’s relatively tolerant policies and Dutch imperial expansion in Asia
and the East Indies? For instance, how do Grotius’s proposals with regard to the
natural rights of religious minorities in the Dutch Republic (e.g., Jews) relate
to his ideas about the rights of non-Christian populations in colonial contexts
(e.g., Muslims and ‘pagans’)?
Apart from the questions mentioned above, we
would also welcome proposals on relevant still unexplored materials from the
remonstrant/contra-remonstrant controversy. We also invite papers on the
context which produced Grotius’s ideas on religious toleration, the reception
of his ideas by other writers (e.g., in later Arminian writings and by theorists
such as Barlaeus, Jean Le Clerc, Locke or Bayle), the relation between the
church and the state in Grotius’s work, as well as the connection between his theoretical
ideas on religious toleration and existing practices, both in the Dutch Republic
itself and in colonial contexts.
Invitation to participants
Those interested to present a paper are kindly
invited to send in an abstract of 250-400 words and a short cv of
max. 100 words to the conveners, Silke-Petra Bergjan (bergjan@theol.uzh.ch) and Marc de Wilde
(m.dewilde@uva.nl), by 1 June 2026.
Please also indicate your affiliation.
Proposals will be selected on the basis of
the quality of abstracts and the fit with the program.
The conference will take place in person
without online presentations. Participants are thus expected to present their
papers on location.
The organization will pay for local costs (contingent on funding) and travel expenses (contingent on funding).
[1] Hugo Grotius, Remonstrantie of 1615: Facsimile,
Transliteration, Modern Translations and Analysis, ed. David Kromhout and
Adri Offenberg, fol. 10r, pp. 29-94, trans., p. 204.
