Isaäc Da Costa (1798-1860), a prominent poet and Calvinist theologian, was born and raised in Amsterdam. His Sephardic Jewish ancestors had been expelled from Spain and Portugal during the inquisitional purge of 1492. The Venice of the North became known as “Little Jerusalem.”
Da Costa’s intellectual genius and historical acumen have always been widely acknowledged. Earning doctorates in Law and Philosophy at the University of Leiden, he was a member of the Orthodox Reformed party and considered the most influential leader in the Dutch Réveil. Dr. Da Costa was appointed as a professor and the director at the seminary of the Independent Scottish Church.
This annotated compilation includes an intriguing Foreword by Dr. John Bolt and an historical Appendix by the Editor. Whether you are an aca-demic in the Ivory Tower or philosemitics in the pews, here is church history that longs to be learned and demands universal transmission.
Israel’s culture is advanced beyond any people on earth. The heroes of Israel have not been world conquerors, artists or philosophers but were emissaries of God, carriers of his Word: prophets and psalmists, apostles and evangelists … from them is Christ in the flesh.
– Herman Bavinck