Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) was a Dutch Reformed theologian, ordained in 1588, whose study of the book of Romans authored by the Apostle Paul (c. 4 BCE—c. 62–64) led him to doubt the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination taught by Dutch theologian John Calvin (1509–1564).

Arminius studied at Utrecht, Leiden, Basle, and Geneva before being ordained in 1588. The last six years of his life were spent as a professor of theology at Leiden University.

Arminius upheld predestination insofar as he believed God sent the Son to earth as the Savior, to accept into favor sinners who are “in Christ” by faith and who continue in faith, and to bestow grace—sufficient and effective for repentance and faith— upon anyone who is helpless in sin (not just the “elect”).

The movement became known as Arminianism. Formerly set out at the Remonstrance of 1610, during which a theological statement signed by 45 ministers and submitted to the Dutch States Genera, Arminian doctrines continued to affirm anti-Calvinist predestinarianism. The five points of the Remonstrance stipulated that:

• (1) Election (and condemnation on the Day of Judgment) was conditioned by the rational faith (or nonfaith) of each person.
  
• (2) The Atonement, while qualitatively adequate for all humans, was efficacious only for the person of faith;
  
• (3) Unaided by the Holy Spirit, no person is able to respond to God’s will;
  
• (4) Grace is not irresistible, and Christians can fall from grace;
  
• (5) Believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace.

 The Dutch Remonstrants were condemned by the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) and suffered political persecution for a time, but by 1630 they were legally tolerated. Arminianism exerted an influence over John Wesley (1703–1791), the founder of Methodism. 

References

Cannon, John., and Crowcroft, Robert. 2015. A Dictionary of British History (3 ed.). Oxford University Press.

Livingstone, E. A. 2013. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press.

Kerr, Anne., and Wright, Edmund. 2015. A Dictionary of World History. Oxford University Press.