Petrus Wittewrongel (1609-1662)

Petrus Wittewrongel was born and raised in Middelburg, near the center of Zeeland’s “Nadere Reformatie” movement (i.e., Second Reformation or Dutch Reformed Pietism). After pursuing studies at Leiden under Antonius Walaeus, he served Reformed parishes at Renesse (1632-1636) and Zierikzee (1636-1638) before accepting a pastoral call to Amsterdam where he labored from 1638 until his death in 1662.

Wittewrongel was active in church and family life. Both of his sons became ministers as well. Twice he served as president of North Holland synods. He often interceded on behalf of the poor and soldiers. He promoted strict Sabbath observance, and opposed the liberal tendencies of Amsterdam citizens on many fronts. Witte-wrongel’s vision was to “puritanize” godliness and morality in family life as the foundational plank from which to commence a further reformation (“nadere reformatie”) in all spheres of life.

Hence, it is not surprising that Wittewrongel is most renowned for his only published work, Oeconomia Christiana ofte Christelicke Huyshoudinghe (1655; later published in two volumes)—a detailed treatise on how to conduct and maintain family life along lines of Reformed orthodoxy, in which he borrows heavily from Of Domestical! Duties (1622) by William Gouge, a renowned Puritan. Other English Puritans Wittewrongel regularly cites include Ames, Bolton, Dod, Downame, Cataker, Hildersam, Perkins, Smith, and Whately. Among Dutch writers, he was mostly indebted in this work to Taffin, Teellinck, and Udemans.

Wittewrongel’s Oeconomia Christiana is the subject of an able Dutch dissertation by Dr. L. F. Croenendijk, De Nadere Reformatie van het Cezin: De visie van Petrus Wittewrongel op de christelijke huishouding (Dordrecht: J. P. van den Tol, 1984), to which I am heavily indebted in the following summary (quotes are taken from pages 182-185):

Wittewrongel taught that “since most evil has its root in the family, it is there that reformation has to be started.” He felt that “the greatest gift which marriage can offer is mutual help and comfort,” which must be implemented through a husband’s loving headship and a wife’s willing subservience. A wife “has been joined to the man as his ‘aid and helper,’ which according to Wittewrongel ought to be expressed especially in the emotional support that she offers. The husband is expected to use the superiority that he has been given for the benefit of his wife by being her spiritual guide.” The husband must especially practice “the virtue of loving tolerance.” In personal intimacy, husbands and wives must be chaste and loving, but due to the sacredness of marriage, Wittewrongel taught that “the authorities ought to punish adultery with death.”

“Running the household is a joint task of husband and wife. They will have to guide the family in such a way that the temporal and spiritual well-being of the members of the family is promoted.” The husband’s “secular profession must never lead him to forget his spiritual vocation.” It is the duty of both husband and wife “to see to it that religious exercises take place at home: family instruction, personal and family prayers, readings of the Bible, devotional discourse, meditation and the singing of psalms. Religious exercises ought to be done at fixed times every day. The joint family exercises are to be done under the guidance of the father of the fam ily—under certain circumstances, the mother. The heads of the family are also expected to stimulate participation in public worship. Wittewrongel specifically stresses that for none of the family members should Sunday be a day of secular labour and vain entertainment.”

“Parental care begins even before the child is born.” The child should be given “a good, preferably biblical, name.” Parents must train their children to be good citizens, to have good morals and manners, and must also be sure to obtain the services of a Reformed schoolteacher. “According to Wittewrongel it is also the task of the parents to choose a suitable profession for their children. The well-being of the children is only taken care of entirely when they are also given an introduction to the knowledge and practice of true piety. An early start has to be made with instruction in piety; it is especially the mother who has an important task in this respect. Wittewrongel provides several ways of giving a godly education, such as participation in religious exercises, the setting of a good example and corporal punishment. These methods enable the educators to curb the child’s sinful nature, but not to change it fundamentally because that requires Cod’s blessing.”

In turn, “children ought to have loving respect for their parents, which is to be shown by deferential, obedient and grateful behaviour. Voluntary obedience is the characteristic of a good child.”

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