Tra pietà e potere: disciplina di genere e disuguaglianze nella chiesa riformata olandese del ‘600

Abstract

This essay examines the role of ecclesiastical discipline within the Dutch Reformed Church of the seventeenth century as a tool of religious, moral, and social control, highlighting the gender and class inequalities embedded in its application. Through the analysis of the consistory records of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, it explores cases of censorship that reveal a harsher attitude toward women, particularly in matters of sexual misconduct or religious nonconformity. The study shows how the consistory’s authority extended beyond the spiritual sphere, shaping social relationships and deeply affecting the reputation and honor of community members. In this perspective, ecclesiastical discipline emerges as a pervasive form of power –both religious and sociopolitical– through which acceptable behavior was defined and patriarchal order reinforced within Dutch Reformed society.