Dear EOA Family, together with the Dutch van den Broek brothers, we are pleased to present the full feature about their fantastic research project into the 1732 book Olympia by Theodorus Antonides — the oldest printed book in the world dedicated exclusively to the Olympic Games. Enjoy reading!
OLYMPIA: The Quest for the Olympic Spirit
Almost two centuries before Pierre de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Games, a Dutch village pastor became fascinated by the Olympic spirit. In the remote village of Westerwijtwerd in Groningen, the Netherlands, Theodorus Antonides wrote the world’s first printed book dedicated exclusively to the classical Olympic Games. What compelled a rural eighteenth-century theologian to immerse himself in the primal world of ancient athletics?
Prologue: A Scholar in the Groningen Clay
In the early eighteenth century, the landscape of the Ommelanden, the rural districts surrounding Groningen, was ruled by the elements. The horizon was broken only by medieval church towers, while the biting wind and water had free rein over the Groningen clay. In this lowland lay Westerwijtwerd — described by historian G.A. Wumkes [1948] as a humble village along a winding country road, with a few scattered houses and a mere handful of farmsteads.
Far removed from the sun-drenched Greek Olympia and the intellectual salons of Paris and London, a remarkable intellectual achievement took place here. While his surroundings were dominated by theological issues, agricultural prices, and the constant threat of flooding, the local pastor Theodorus Antonides pored over classical Greek and Roman texts by candlelight.
Antonides was not an athlete, but a minister of the Reformed Church. Yet it was he who managed to rekindle the sacred fire of Olympia. His life’s work, the book OLYMPIA, was published posthumously in 1732 — seventeen years after his death. Although earlier initiatives sought not only to interpret but actively revive the ancient games, this was the world’s first printed book dedicated exclusively to theclassical Olympic Games. This establishes Antonides as a true pioneer in Olympic history.
A Theologian in the Countryside
To understand the significance of his work, we must go back to the Groningen of the late seventeenth century. It was a region of sharp contrasts: on the one hand, the intellectual flourishing around the University of Groningen; on the other, the harsh reality of farming life.
It was precisely at the intersection of these two worlds that Theodorus Antonides was shaped. As a young man from a modest background, he enrolled at the University of Groningen in 1684 as a penniless scholarship student. After his subsequent theology studies in Franeker, he was called to the ministry in Westerwijtwerd in 1689, and later also in Menkeweer. He would continue to work in both places until his death in 1715.
His arrival coincided with a time of deep crisis. Only three years before his appointment, the region had been struck by the devastating St. Martin’s flood (1686), in which more than fifteen hundred people drowned and entire villages were wiped out. The church of Westerwijtwerd, built on an elevated mound, functioned during the disaster as a last refuge for inhabitants in mortal fear.
What a contrast: while Antonides comforted his stricken congregation on Sundays with biblical promises, on weekdays, in the silence of his study, he travelled in his mind to the heroic, sunny ideals of the ancient Olympic Games. This intellectual journey, undertaken in solitary dedication, resulted in a manuscript that brought classical antiquity to life in an unprecedented way. What he put on paper was not merely a description, but an intellectual reconstruction that would brilliantly stand the test of time.
OLYMPIA: A Building of Words
When the work was printed in 1732 on highly durable rag paper, a compact yet imposing book emerged: A5 size, resembling a sturdy brick. Antonides constructed his book like a building with 3 layers.
In the first layer — the first book — he analyses how physical exercise served as a means of self-control and education. The technical heart of the work is located in the second layer, where Antonides describes the biomechanics of running, discus throwing, and the raw pankration (a mix of boxing and wrestling), and mirrors the ruthless discipline of the athlete to the Christian soul. The third and top layer forms the culmination and the roof of the structure. Here, Antonides explores the dark side of fame and describes how Emperor Nero corrupted the Games for his own ego. It serves as a strong message: as soon as physical exercise degenerates into a thirst for spectacle, moral integrity and true virtue collapse.
The Four Motives: Mind, Faith, Community, and Health
What moved a Reformed minister to invest thousands of hours, alongside his pastoral duties, in the meticulous study of this ancient world? Historical research (including that of Van der Woude, Brouwer de Koning, Professor Roland Renson, and De Witte) indicates that Antonides was driven by four fundamental motives: Mind, Faith, Community, and Health.
Mind: the study functioned as an intellectual escape route. The transition from academic debates to a remote hamlet was hard on him, especially due to conflicts with church orthodoxy over his innovative ideas. The manuscript offered him a much-needed escape, described by his son Meinardus as a ‘genuine refreshment of his weary mind’.
Faith: he used biblical sports metaphors. As an adherent of Cocceianism, he saw the Bible as a historical process for which historical knowledge was indispensable. He analysed the letters of Paul, full of athletic metaphors, to bring the biblical message to life through the raw reality of the Greek stadium.
Community: he strove for community through public education in the vernacular. In a time when science was published in Latin, he translated over 1,200 quotes from more than 200 classical authors directly into Dutch, giving schoolmasters and citizens alike access to classical antiquity.
Health: he saw the body as an instrument. A fit body was not vanity to him, but a pious duty to be able to endure the ‘spiritual race’ of life. By weaving the medicine of Renaissance physicians with theology, he turned physical exercise into a means for a healthy mind.
The Protective Shield Against Censorship
Writing about pagan Greeks training the body was highly sensitive within the strict Calvinist morality of the eighteenth century. To protect OLYMPIA against church censorship, the work was equipped with three well-thought-out protective layers.
First of all, in the original manuscript, Theodorus created a medical-moral framework by quoting the Italian physician Hieronymus Mercurialis no less than 46 times. Physical exercise was, after all, closely scrutinized in Reformed circles. By bringing in Mercurialis — a Catholic, respected authority in the field of classical medicine — Antonides gave physical exercises a medical stamp of approval. In this way, he made a strict distinction between the beneficial gymnastica medica — exercises for health in the service of God and country — and the harmful, spectacle-driven gymnastica vitiosa.
Following Theodorus’s death in 1715, the fate of his extensive manuscript remained uncertain for years. The work, which had demanded years of dedication and profound study, disappeared into anonymity. It was only years later, when his son Meinardus finally brought the work to light, that two crucial subsequent layers of protection were added.
Meinardus first provided a theological alibi via an introductory argument by the Groningen professor Albertus Voget. Voget argued that Christians were allowed to use pagan history to strengthen the faith (the spoliatio principle) and even placed the Olympic Games in the divine timeline by dating the first Olympiad to the year 3208 after the Creation.
Finally, Meinardus ensured political cover by dedicating the work to Joan Lewe, Lord of Middelstum and curator of the University of Groningen. This noble protection was intended to soothe religious criticism and grant the publication the necessary authority.
Finally: A Timeless Foundation
In 1732, seventeen years after the death of Theodorus Antonides, his son Meinardus completed his father’s mission by officially publishing the manuscript. Thanks to this posthumous publication, today we have insight into the unique ideas of the Groningen pastor. Only five copies of this historic first edition from 1732 remain worldwide, underscoring its rarity. But the true significance of this work reaches further than its rarity. Professor Emeritus Roland Renson, an international authority in the field of sports history, therefore rightly characterizes Antonides’ masterpiece as:
“A most valuable ‘missing link’ of the period between the Ancient and Modern Games.”
What makes him this crucial link? Long before modern archaeology, Antonides rediscovered ancient Greek sports culture as a system of values. In a time when the classical games were often seen as a forgotten ‘pagan’ spectacle, he saw a philosophical system in them. He dissected not just the rules, but the essence: the discipline, the fairness of the competition, and the harmony between physical strength and mental development.
With this vision, Antonides formulated a strikingly modern ethic of ancient sports as early as the seventeenth century. By redefining the competition from a lust for fame to a quest for self-conquest and moral awareness, his work shows a strong substantive parallel with later Olympism. Although there is no historical proof that Pierre de Coubertin knew his texts, Antonides already articulated exactly the same values — discipline, self-control, and harmony — that would form the core of modern Olympic philosophy a century and a half later.
The recognition for Antonides’ work is not reserved for Renson alone; The great importance of this masterpiece is underscored by contemporary historians and researchers who have put the book back on the map internationally. This revival began with the academic pioneer study by Tim Brouwer de Koning. It was further cemented by Philippe de Witte’s Master’s essay (2012), which crucially included a meticulous transcription of the entire historical text into a digital file. Most recently, a prominent feature article in the Journal of Olympic History (Issue 2, 2024), published by the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH), has brought Antonides’ vision to a global audience. In addition to this published article, the ISOH has created a dedicated archive section on its website featuring the chapter layouts and English summaries of OLYMPIA.
All this shows why Theodorus Antonides was much more than an isolated village pastor. He was a scholarly pioneer who, deeply rooted in the Groningen clay, wrote the very first comprehensive monograph on the ancient Olympic Games in the vernacular. Long before the dawn of the modern Olympic era, Antonides was already keeping the memory of classical athletes alive. By rediscovering the Olympic spirit and providing it with his own innovative vision, he articulated a body of thought whose voice still sounds surprisingly current after almost three centuries.
Ultimately, he was exactly that: a forgotten torchbearer who kept the Olympic fire burning, long before the world was ready for it.
Inspired by This Story?
Share this article and help keep the extraordinary story of this Dutch pioneer alive. Do you know someone who would like to know more about the history of the book OLYMPIA? Feel free to forward this article!
As we continue to present our findings, we invite fellow researchers, historians, and institutions to join the dialogue. Do you have insights, historical connections, or a shared passion for the roots of the Olympic spirit? We welcome academic exchange and collaboration.
Do you have any questions or comments for us? We can be reached at: olympia.co.nl@gmail.com
On our website, www.olympia.co.nl — which is proudly preserved in the permanent digital web collection of the Royal Library of the Netherlands — you will find much more information about our quest for Theodorus Antonides and his masterpiece OLYMPIA!
About the Authors
We, the brothers Lennart and Juriën van den Broek, share a lifelong fascination with the Olympic Games. For me, Lennart, it all began in May 1972. Our late father — a physical education teacher who sparked our lifelong passion for sports — had just returned from a school trip. He gifted me a simple blue T-shirt bearing the five intertwined rings of the Munich Games. That day, an Olympic spark ignited within me that has never faded.
Years later, when I first held the 1732 historical book OLYMPIA, I sensed immediately that this was no ordinary work—an exceptional story was hidden within its pages. What started as a solitary quest in the archives quickly grew into a shared mission. My enthusiasm proved contagious, and it wasn’t long before Juriën came on board.
From that moment on, it became our shared quest. It was a journey that took us far beyond dusty archives. We visited historical sites and consulted with leading professors in international sports history. The crowning achievement of our work came in the summer of 2025, when we had the honor of presenting our findings at the Olympic Studies Centre of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne. Through this research, our ultimate goal is to truly bring the remarkable story behind OLYMPIA to life.
Sources and Further Reading
G.A. Wumkes, in: H.P. Coster e.a. (red.), Groningse Volksalmanak (Groningen, 1949).
T. Antonides, ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ, dat is Olymp-Speelen der Grieken, nagebootst van den Romeinen, uit oude Griekse en Romeinse Schryvers opgehaalt (Groningen, 1732).
T. Brouwer de Koning, Olympische Spelen volgens dominee Antonides. Een 17e eeuwse opvatting over de sport in de oudheid (Unpublished thesis, 1985).
P. de Coubertin, Olympism. Selected Writings (Lausanne, 2000).
W.J. Formsma et al. (eds.), Historie van Groningen. Stad en land (Groningen, 1976).
A.J. Harlington, “We Are All Greeks”. Assessing the appropriation of ancient Greece in modern Olympic revivals, dissertation (Bristol, 2020).
Historisch Genootschap Groningen, Album Studiosorum Academiae Groninganae (Groningen, 1915).
F.S. Knipscheer, ‘Antonides (Theodorus)’, in: P.C. Molhuysen & P.J. Blok (eds.), Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek vol.2 (Leiden, 1912) 36-37.
G. Mercuriale, De arte gymnastica libri sex. (Venetië, 1569).
R. Renson et al., The Olympic Games Through the Ages: Greek Antiquity and its Impact on Modern Sport (Olympia, 1991).
H. Visscher en L. van Langeraad, Het Protestansche Vaderland. Biographisch woordenboek van protestantsche godgeleerden in Nederland (Utrecht, 1903) 195-197.
G. West, Odes of Pindar, with several other pieces in prose and verse, to which is prefixed a Dissertation on the Olympick Games (Londen, 1749).
P. de Witte, Essay over: Olympia, dat is Olymp-Speelen der Grieken, nagebootst van den Romeinen, uit oude Griekse en Romeinse Schryvers opgehaalt (Köln, 2010).
R.E. van der Woude, ‘Coccejaanse vroomheid op het Groninger platteland. Het voorbeeld van Theodorus Antonides’, in: Documentatieblad Nadere Reformatie 43 (2019) 175-192.
R.E. van der Woude, De ware practique der Godsaligheid. Leven en werken van Theodorus Antonides (ca. 1662-1715). In preparation.
