Date Symposium: Brussels, November 27-28, 2011

The year 2011 marks 450 years since Guido de Brès (1522-1567) drafted the Confessio Belgica at Tournai (Doornik).

The first edition was printed at Rouen in 1561 under the title CONFESSION DE FOY, Faicte d’vn commun accord par les fidèles qui conuersent és Pays-Bas, lesquels desirent viure selon la pureté de l’Euangile de Seigneur Iesus Christ. In the night of November 1, 1561, the Confessio Belgica was offered to King Philip II of Spain by throwing it over the walls of the Citadel of Tournai. In an accompanying letter, De Brès declared to speak in the name of the majority of the population of Tournai and more than 100.000 believers in the Low Countries. He argued that the king should stop to persecute them since they were no troublemakers. The persecution continued, though, and De Brès was hanged in 1567. At the same time, the Confessio Belgica became favorite with the Reformed believers of the Low Countries and was endorsed in slightly varying versions by the Synod of Antwerp (1566), the Convention of Wesel (1568), the Synod of Emden (1572), and the Synod of Dordrecht (1618/19). As such it became one of the most influential confessions of the Reformation with international importance.

This international symposium is organized in cooperation with Refo500 by the Faculteit voor Protestantse Godgeleerdheid of Brussels, the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit Leuven, and the K.U.Leuven. Scholars from four countries discuss the origin, content, reception, and actual relevance of the Confessio Belgica in light of recent research. The proceedings will be published in a special issue of the journal Analecta Bruxellensia.

For the program, see the attached pdf. Registration:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or tel. (0)2/735 67 46.

N.B.: Please note that, due to a technical failure, some registrations for the symposium did not arrive at the correct place. We are sorry about this, and we want to make every effort to give you a warm welcome. In order to (re)confirm your registration for Monday, November 28, please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (or contact the secretariat of the Faculty of Protestant Theology, Brussels: (0)2/735 67 46).

Please get this done by Monday, November 21.
With your participation, we are looking forward to an inspiring symposium.