Hulsius was born towards the end of 1615 at
Hilden, a midsized manufacturing town in the hill-country east of Düsseldorf, at a time when
Lutheran Protestantism had recently been supplanted by
Calvinist Protestantism as the mainstream religion of the townsfolk, while the local lord was still adhering to the
Catholicism of his forefathers. It was a period of intense religious conflict in the
Rhineland, and the life of Antonius Hulsius would be deeply impacted by the
Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). His father, also called Antonius Hulsius, was the local mayor. His mother, born Catharina von Venne, died in 1628 when the boy was just 13, after which he went to live with his elder brother, the young theologian-paster
Wilhelmus Hülsius (Wilhelm Hüls: 1598–1659) at
Wesel, some distance to the north. He attended the
"Gymnasium" (secondary school) in Wesel where he received a solid academic grounding. Hulsius fled, travelling over the next couple of years to
Paris,
London and
Cambridge. Everywhere he went, he found opportunities for further study. According to at least one source he also spent time in
Oxford where he mastered English. Hulsius remained in
Geneva for approximately two years, during which, there are references to his having delivered his first sermons at the local German language church. A succession of further publications relating to
Theology quickly followed. Hulsius was a participant at
the church's Synods at
Haarlem in April 1660,
Middelburg in May 1666 and
Naarden in September 1668. In his dealings with representatives of other denominations, he became ever more trenchant in his promotion of the
Calvinist orthodoxy associated with what has become known as the
Dutch Reformed Church. His robust championing of the "orthodox" wing of his church was on display, in particular, in his sustained attacks on the heterodox
mysticist pietism of
Jean de Labadie. More than three centuries later, there is widespread respect and appreciation among scholars for his contributions to the study of
Greek and
Hebrew. He also was a professor at
Leyden University, where he took a share in university and faculty administration. He served as Dean of the Theology Faculty in 1680, and as
Rector if the University Senate between 1683 and 1684. Sources differ as to the precise date of his death, but there is agreement that Antonius Hulsius died during February 1685. His funeral oration was delivered by
Friedrich Spanheim. == Personal ==