Portret van Paulus Cordes 1604 - 1720

This print of Paulus Cordes, a Lutheran minister in Amsterdam, was made by an anonymous artist in the 17th century. It offers insight into the world of religious identity in the early modern Netherlands. Cordes is shown with a Hebrew Bible open before him, and the text above him translates from Latin as "Christ is my portion, O man." The presence of Hebrew highlights the Christian interest in the Old Testament and the study of Hebrew and other ancient languages. In the 17th century, interest in Hebrew was closely associated with humanist scholarship. The rise of humanism can be seen as one cause of the Reformation, which had resulted in the growth of Lutheranism. Understanding this image requires knowledge of theology, the history of the book, and the religious and political history of the Netherlands.