Thread: First Official *Contest* at A Puritan's Mind for the PB

Okay ladies and gentleman.....

The First Official A Puritan's Mind Book Contest!

I want to put out a contest for the benefit of posting a new article at A Puritan's Mind. I've researched a bit, but can't seem to find the "official" first usage of the acronym TULIP. We all talk about how we love the doctrines of grace in the theological formulation TULIP - but who came up with it? I want to write an historical article on its beginnings.

Now, we know Dordt came up with the five points. BUT, where was the first usage documented of the acronym T.U.L.I.P.? Who came up with it? Was it a clever preacher? Was it a university theologian? It HAS to be documented somewhere. I can't find it. Can you?

Here is the challange:

The first person to find a cited source, a legitimate source, will win the prize of any books you want from RHB up to $200.

So, whoever finds this source, will get with me, and we'll place an order at Reformation Heritage Books for whatever you choose, up to $200.

Let's have some fun!

{In the voice of John Cleese from the first scene of *Rat Race*} - Okay then everybody....Go..........begin..........off you go!


EDIT:

There are no rules here. If you want to call your theological professor, librarian assistant, the Library of Congress, go for it!

First person to cite the answer wins.

[Edited on 4-14-2006 by C. Matthew McMahon]

What a great idea!

Is there pre 19th century usage? I would guess without checking that it is 19th century (English or American obviously). Do any 18th century authors use it like Toplady? Or earlier like a Puritan? As a mnemonic device it could have originated informally in catechism classes so it may not be something that started in academia.

the Dutch love Tulips...think they came up with it?

Originally posted by crhoades
the Dutch love Tulips...think they came up with it?

I have heard Curt Daniels mention's that the tulip is emblematic of the Netherlands, and probably originated there.

Guess I should keep that to myself. :P

Originally posted by crhoades
the Dutch love Tulips...think they came up with it?

I mentioned in the other thread that the English word tulip has an etymology that dates back to 1578. So it was a relatively new word in English parlance during the time the Counter-Remonstrants prepared their articles in response to the five Arminian articles.

[Edited on 4-14-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

The Synod of Dort closed in May 1619. The Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism were officially adopted and the Canons of Dort were issued. The Canons of Dort appeared under four articles and contained the five points of Calvinism, the third and fourth being combined. We know them by the acronym TULIP.

THE ORIGIN OF TULIP

unfortunately, these people seem to be Arminians...

There is no certainty as to the origin of the acronym 'TULIP...

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF 'TULIP'?

this site appears to be Calvinistic....

From my pastor:

As I understand it, no one knows with certainty the exact person, group, or date first using this acronym. So, unnless someone has concrete doucmentation on the matter, it remains something of a mystery. Obviously, it is of English origin, although appropriate enough, given the Tulip industry in Holland, where Dort was held. We can say with a fair amount of accuracy that the term did not become popular until the late 1800's-early1900's at the earliest, as Dabney and his contemporaries never mentioned TULIP, but instead wrote on the five points of Calvinism in the order they were given by the statement of Dort. TULIP actually rearranges that order, if you will check it with the documents of Dort.

I do know this about TULIP..... There sure are a lot of sites misrepresenting it.... Like that is a surprise. .



It originated by one of the decendants of Adam, I know this much.
Just wanted to be of assistance to all who are searching.



[Edited on 4-14-2006 by MeanieCalvinist]

[Edited on 4-14-2006 by MeanieCalvinist]

Just a note -

I am looking for the first use of TULIP cited. It does not matter to me what century it was first used in so long as we can date it authentically.

Remember - I don't know the answer to this, so the first cited post that seems credible could win.

This isn't what you're looking for but it's hilarious!

http://www.tenth.org/wowdir/wow1999-03-28.html

This doesn't answer your question, but it may help lead us to the answer, as far as a date is concerned . . .


In the Companion Encyclopedia of Archaeology edited by Graeme Barker, I found some interesting (though inconclusive) info:

from pg. 662:

Holland in the seventeenth century was 'the most formidable capitalism the world had yet seen' (Schama 1987: 323). From a region threatened with inundation by the sea, Holland had amassed an Empire and had come to dominate much of world trade (for the archaeology of this trade, see Gawronski 1990). The fruits of this trade produced what Simon Schama has called an 'Embarrassment of Riches': Dutch society in the seventeenth century was phenominally wealthy. At the same time Calvinism was the most pervasive and powerful religious belief. The Dutch therefore faced the dilemma produced by the accumulation of wealth and the damnation which was the promised consequence of the building up of worldly goods.

One of the strangest, and at the same time most illuminating, episodes of Dutch history in this 'Golden Age' occurred between 1636 and 1637 and has been called 'the great tulip mania' (Schama 1987: 350). Tulips originated in Turkey, and in the early decades of the seventeenth century their production and trade were in the hands of specialists. By the 1630s the market had expanded, and by 1634 the desirability of the tulip, especially rare varieties, had grown so rapidly that what we would call 'futures trading' had begun to take place. By 1637 the inevitable collapse took place. . .

Less than 20 years after Dordt, the Dutch people had an odd economic boom of "tulip mania".

I wonder . . .





[Edited on 4-14-2006 by biblelighthouse]

Interesting reading anyway: The Gospel in A Tulip

Here's the link:

http://www.geocentricity.com/publications/tulip.html

[Edited on 4-14-2006 by MeanieCalvinist]

[Edited on 4-14-2006 by C. Matthew McMahon]

MAN!!! A simple google wont work for this one. I called Dr. Godfrey only to find out I wasnt the first call (he did not know). Spoke to a number of people...no one knows. Its out there...some where

My guess so far is that it's probably a recent innovation, maybe early 1900's? I don't recall the Hodges, Spurgeon, Warfeild, Machen, etal ever referring to it.

Does anyone know the Dutch word for Tulip?

Originally posted by puritansailor
Does anyone know the Dutch word for Tulip?

Tulp -- although c. 1578 the English word derived from the Dutch or German tulpe (see more on the etymology here).

I would also add, that it may be impossible to find it in a scholarly source too, since it is used for laymen and lay writing. Berkhof doesn't mention it either. The earliest reference I've found so far was 1976. But the author speaks as if it's been around for a while.

I've got a small book/booklet (30 to 40 pgs.) at home that specifically covers the origins of the acronym T.U.L.I.P ....

When I get home I'll look it up ...


































Just Kidding ....
I Wanted to make everybody sweat :-)

Originally posted by puritansailor
I would also add, that it may be impossible to find it in a scholarly source too, since it is used for laymen and lay writing. Berkhof doesn't mention it either. The earliest reference I've found so far was 1976. But the author speaks as if it's been around for a while.

More recent writers mention it as if it's been around for a while. But apparently became popular sometime in the 20th century. I also checked Berkhof and found no mention of it in a couple of his works. But it's likely that some writers don't mention TULIP specifically because they are looking to make their points directly from the Bible and not get into historic theology, and also perhaps the acrostic doesn't fit the way they organized their argument.

I'm thinking it was probably a clever preacher or teacher since TULIP is a memory device.

[Edited on 4-15-2006 by Pilgrim]

Maybe????

Lorraine Boetner:
"The Five Points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P; T, Total Inability; U- Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible Grace; and P, Perserverance of the Saints." pg. 60, The Reformed Doctrine of Predistination, @ 1932.

He doesn't cite or quote anyone regarding this acronym. So maybe he's the culprit? This book has been pretty popular over the years.

Originally posted by puritansailor
Maybe????

Lorraine Boetner:
"The Five Points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P; T, Total Inability; U- Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible Grace; and P, Perserverance of the Saints." pg. 60, The Reformed Doctrine of Predistination, @ 1932.

He doesn't cite or quote anyone regarding this acronym. So maybe he's the culprit? This book has been pretty popular over the years.

If anything, Boettner's book has certainly served to popularize TULIP over the years. He had come to my mind as well, but I don't have that particular book.

Says here that "Dabney wrote before the familar TULIP formula was made popular": http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/dabney/5points.htm

I saw an article where Spurgeon is quoted referencing the five points, but I don't know that it's the TULIP formula.

[Edited on 4-15-2006 by Pilgrim]

Does it have to be in the form "tulip" or can all the parts be there? For example (assuming my edition uses the terms which Shedd orginally used), Shedd uses all the terms (spread throughout his systematic) except for perseverance of the saints. His systematic was first published in 1888, so that tells me (if the words were unchanged by the editor) either he invented them or he knew of their use from somewhere earlier.

I checked for references to TULIP in Alfred Nevin's Encylcopedia of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (1884) and N.S. McFetridge's Calvinism in History (1882) -- nada.

[Edited on 4-15-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by puritansailor
Maybe????

Lorraine Boetner:
"The Five Points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P; T, Total Inability; U- Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible Grace; and P, Perserverance of the Saints." pg. 60, The Reformed Doctrine of Predistination, @ 1932.

He doesn't cite or quote anyone regarding this acronym. So maybe he's the culprit? This book has been pretty popular over the years.

It has been recently noted on the PB that Boettner didn't cite his sources properly in his book on Romanism, so unless we can find something predating his book, it's hard to say whether TULIP originated with him or not, although there's no doubt that his book served to popularize it since it has been used to introduce Calvinism to many.

[Edited on 4-15-2006 by Pilgrim]

http://www.prca.org/standard_bearer/...1997oct15.html

From the article "The Poisonous Petals of the Arminian LILAC"
Rev. Charles J. Terpstra

It was, I believe, the late Dr. John Gerstner who invented the acronym LILAC to summarize the five points of the Arminians. He did this because the tulip flower has been the symbol of the five points of Calvinism. The two "flowers" look like this:


T - Total Depravity
U - Unconditional Election
L - Limited Atonement
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of Saints

L - Limited Depravity
I - I Choose Christ
L - Limitless Atonement
A - Arrestible Grace
C - Carnal Security

On page 363 of Warfield's "Calvin and Calvinism," he mentions absolute predestination, particular redemption, total depravity, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. In parentheses, he writes, "Canons of the Synod of Dort." Warfield's acronym is APTIP. This is interesting if nothing else.

[Edited on 16-4-06 by Joshua J. Forrest]

I've looked through at least 50 articles .... Nada, zip, zero!

My guess...some 20th Century seminary professor used it in class and it took off. That's why we can't find it, it's in someone's lesson plan somewhere. Post-Warfield, pre-Gerstner.

I've found several instances of Spurgeon expositions of the Five Points in familiar order, including here but he generally uses Human Depravity for Total Depravity, etc.

Other writers of this era, including A.A. Hodge generally seem to use the WCF term effectual calling instead of TULIP's irresistible grace.

Wow, lots of god stuff thus far!

The prize yet awaits!

This may not be the answer but I found them interesting.

Now if we take all those first capital letters and make an acrostic to help us remember the five points we come up with A G J A T. "Agjat." Several hundred years ago some English speaking Calvinists tried to come up with an acrostic for these five points; and they hit upon T U L I P, which is a lot easier to remember. TULIP is also appropriate because these five points were first outlined in 1618 at the Synod of Dordt, in Holland (home of the tulip flower).

From Calvinism Made Simple

They are only known as that because some students of Calvin came up with the acrostic T.U.L.I.P. which roughly defines the "doctrines of grace."

From Sermon Audio

Originally posted by turmeric

It was, I believe, the late Dr. John Gerstner who invented the acronym LILAC to summarize the five points of the Arminians. He did this because the tulip flower has been the symbol of the five points of Calvinism

We all know that the Calvinist flower is the TULIP. But how many of you knew that the Arminian flower is the DAISY?

"œHe loves me"¦ He loves me not"¦ He loves me"¦ He loves me not"¦"�

I've got another lead, but it will have to wait until I get to the library.

So far Boettner in 1932 is the earliest?

Originally posted by puritansailor
I've got another lead, but it will have to wait until I get to the library.

So far Boettner in 1932 is the earliest?

No one has posted anything here suggesting they have found an explicit use of TULIP earlier. Someone said that Shedd uses 4 of the 5 terms, which suggests that he may have been familiar with the acrostic.

aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

Anyone check SERMONS ON THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by WILLIAM PARKS? Originally preached 1856 and often reprinted and still in print. I don't have the work.

Originally posted by NaphtaliPress
Anyone check SERMONS ON THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by WILLIAM PARKS? Originally preached 1856 and often reprinted and still in print. I don't have the work.

I seem to recall Spurgeon referencing the Five Points but not mentioning TULIP explicitly. The substance was there, but particular redemption is used instead of limited atonement, etc.