Translation of Voetius, De Organis

Gijsbert Voet (1589 - 1676), better known by the Latin version of his name, Gisbertus Voetius, was a Dutch Reformed theologian of the seventeenth century. He was a major figure of the 'Nadere Reformatie,' the Further Reformation or Puritan movement of the Netherlands. "Gisbertus Voetius [was] the theologian par excellence of the 'Nadere Reformatie'" (Bartel Elshout).

"Voetius was to the 'Nadere Reformatie' (usually translated as the Dutch Second Reformation) what John Owen, often called the prince of the Puritans, was to English Puritanism. Though largely unknown and ignored by English-speaking scholarship, Voetius is nearly as much an in-house name to students of Dutch Post-Reformation orthodoxy as Owen is to students of English Puritanism. Nonetheless, little of Voetius' Latin corpus has been translated into Dutch, and even less into English" (Joel R. Beeke).

I have been interested for some time in a translation into English of a portion of Voetius' magnum opus, 'Politicae Ecclesiasticae.' The selection in question is found in Pars I, Liber II, Tractatus II, Sectio I, Caput III: 'De Organis et cantu Organico in Sacris.' This chapter addresses the question of instrumental music in the public worship of God, and defends the historic Reformed doctrine and practice of unaccompanied praise.

Several factors make this selection noteworthy. The author was a careful scholastic theologian, and uses a scholastic method in presenting his argument. He wrote against the use of instrumental music in churches, decades after the majority of Dutch Reformed churches had reintroduced instrumental music in their worship. So far as I have been able to determine, he presents the most extended and comprehensive argument for that position, until the debates of the nineteenth century concerning instrumental music within British and American Presbyterian churches. He also references numerous Reformed ministers and theologians who had also written against instrumental music before him.

I have a good friend who is capable of translating Latin of this period, and who has developed an interest in this selection of Voetius. His interest, however, does not pay the bills. The going rate for a translation of this kind is about $0.10 per English word. Given the length of the selection, and his estimation of the average number of translated words per page, the cost of translation will be about $3,000.00. This amount may or may not be adjusted in the future, as the work progresses. The project is in the very beginning stages: we have not yet sought out a publisher or a printer.

If you would like this work eventually to see the light, please contribute as you are able.

Update (12/24/2018): After a long time of this project not moving forward, we are attempting to re-invigorate it. Problem: The better estimation that my friend has now is that it would be closer to $4,500.00. We are therefore changing the target amount to $4,500.00. We are still a long ways off from the target amount; so please share this project, and contribute as you are able.

As soon as a coin in the coffer rings,
Another organ is ripped out of a Dutch Reformed church.

[Okay, maybe not actually, but we can hope and pray, right?]