The book "Kettersche spinnecoppe" from 1598 is special not only because of its contents, but also because of one of its former owners. That was none other than Abraham Kuyper.
Battle against Heresy
With this work we are in the midst of the religious struggles of the sixteenth century. Jason Petronius, pseudonym of the Jesuit Jean David, describes the life of a spider and compares it with the heresies against which he is fighting. In the process, currents within Catholicism as well as the Protestant newcomers of his day have to pay the price.
Stamp of the Dr. Abraham Kuyperstichting
This booklet has survived for over four centuries. Thanks to the owner's marks in this book, we can partially trace who had this book on their bookshelf. On the reverse of the title page we find, in addition to a handwritten scribble from earlier centuries, two stamps: the current VU stamp and a stamp of the Dr. Abraham Kuyperstichting in The Hague.
In the possession of Abraham Kuyper
The library of the Dr. Abraham Kuyperstichting served as the scientific center of the Anti-Revolutionary Party for some fifty years. This library contained, among other things, a considerable number of the books that had been in the possession of Abraham Kuyper, founder of Vrije Universiteit. In 1975, the library of the foundation came to the VU, increasing the collection by approximately three thousand old prints in the field of church history and church law.
Two tiny letters: A. K.
The yellow parchment spine of the book bears two delicate letters: A. K. It will come as no surprise that these are the initials of Abraham Kuyper, applied to the books from his library. It goes without saying that the books from Kuyper's library occupy a special place in the VU collections, so this Spinnecoppe can justifiably be called a masterpiece.
