GIESBERT, an eminent divine, was born at Heusde on the 3rd of March 1593. The earlier part of his education he received at the school of his native place, where he astonished his teachers by his uncommon powers of memory. In 1604 he was sent to the university of Leyden, where he prosecuted his studies for seven years. During his theological course, he gave private lectures on logic, and among his pupils he numbered the celebrated Burgersdyck. Having completed his academical studies in 1611, he became a candidate for the ministry. His professional career was retarded by a long illness; but on his recovery, he was appointed to officiate in the church of Vlymen, and he preached occasionally at Engelen, about a league distant. In 1617 he accepted a call to Heusde, where he continued to officiate for seventeen years. In 1619 he assisted for six months at the famous Synod of Dordrecht, and proved himself a most zealous supporter of the doctrines of Calvin. In 1634 he became one of the ministers of Utrecht; and on the foundation of a university in that city, he was appointed professor of divinity. He now took his doctor's degree at Groningen. During the vacation of 1637 he paid a visit to England, where he inspected the public libraries, and formed a personal acquaintance with many learned men. Besides his private lectures, he gave eight public lectures a week, and likewise taught Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic. Before he settled at Utrecht, he was accustomed to preach eight times a week. He rendered himself very conspicuous by the zeal and pertinacity with which he opposed the philosophy of Des Cartes. This philosopher, who had fixed his residence at Utrecht, was exposed to a great variety of attacks, literary and juridical, from the professor of divinity, by whom the tendency of some of his speculations was considered as highly pernicious. His public opposition commenced in 1639, and gave rise to much controversy. Voet was seconded by Rivet, Des Marets, and other divines eminent for their learning. Having continued his labours to a very advanced period of life, he died on the 1st of November 1676, in the eighty-eighth year of his age. Among many other works, he published Selectae Disputationes Theologicae, Ultraj. & Amst. 1648–69, 5 tom. 4to. But his principal work was his Politeia Ecclesiastica, Amst. 1663–76, 4 tom. 4to.