Lambertus Jacobus van Holk
About the Author
Lambertus Jacobus van Holk (1893–1982) was a Remonstrant minister and a professor of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Leiden University. On 26 November 1940, the same day as the famous protest speech by his colleague Rudolph Cleveringa against the dismissal of Jewish staff, van Holk also addressed his students. While Cleveringa focused on the legal injustice, van Holk broadened the protest to condemn the suffering of all Jewish fellow citizens, urging his students to offer practical aid and maintain friendships with their Jewish peers. He then defiantly continued his lecture on the Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza. This act of opposition led to his resignation in 1942 and subsequent imprisonment as a hostage by the German occupiers until 1944. Long overshadowed by Cleveringa's speech, van Holk's courageous moral stand has since been formally recognized as a significant act of wartime resistance.
Resources by Lambertus Jacobus van Holk
De Boodschap van het Vrijzinnig Christendom
Published in 1939, 'De Boodschap van het Vrijzinnig Christendom' (The Message of Liberal Christianity) is a key theological work by Dutch professor Lambertus Jacobus van Holk. The book outlines the core tenets and message of liberal Christianity, exploring themes of freedom, enlightenment, and the imitation of Christ. It reflects the author's deep engagement with the religious and philosophical currents of his time, presenting a vision for a modern, intellectually honest, and ethically engaged faith.
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