Three Scottish students arrived at Groningen's academy in 1683. The three members of a strict conservative movement were persecuted in their homeland. They shared a dream: to become ministers so they could preach and baptise in Scotland.

That dream became a reality for one of the three: Scotland's James Renwick was confirmed, despite loud protests from his opponents.

You can still visit the spot in Groningen's Martini church, where Renwick was confirmed. Check the Martini church website for guided tours.

This episode was written and researched by Klaas van Berkel and Christien Boomsma. Sound by Rob van der Wal. Voice by Tom Wilcox.

Shownotes

Did the confirmation of James Renwick really take place in the consistory room? Historian Klaas van Berkel thinks so, but Jan Visser, connoisseur of the Martinikerk, has doubts. After all, the consistory room is not very large and there were easily twenty people present at the ceremony. The space next to the consistory room, the old library, seems more suitable. It is much larger and since all books were removed after the Reformation, there was also plenty of room.

More information on guided tours of Groningen's Martinikerk, can be found here.

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In Groningen's UB, you can find ebook versions of many of James Renwick's sermons. Several biographies have been written about him. Those works mostly date from the nineteenth century and were written by admirers and followers. Not neutral, but interesting.

See, for example:

Thomas Houston, The Life of James Renwick, A Historical Sketch Of His Life, Labours And Martyrdom And A Vindication Of His Character And Testimony (1865).

Life and Letters of James Renwick. Including the biography of Renwick by John Howie (Middelburg, 2007)