Willibrords wijnfles. Autorisatie en memorisatie van de contrareformatorische boodschap in Richard Verstegens Nederlantsche antiquiteyten (1613)

Abstract

In the Nederlantsche antiquiteyten (1613) by Richard Verstegen, the national past, and especially the conversion of the Low Countries by St. Willibrord, is used as ammunition for a Counter-Reformation argument. Precisely this shift of the theological discussion to the historical domain provided Verstegen with the means for an effective authorization of his arguments (including citations, truth claims and self-presentation as a critical investigator). In addition, Verstegen made smart use of the iconography of St. Willibrord on the title page of the work. He thus created a vivid image that would facilitate the recollection of the text's main arguments.