New, updated, one volume edition of this definitive study of the history of the doctrine of justification.

This book shows how threads of field research, economic reflection, natural law tradition, casuistry and the quest for justice weave together in Luis de Molina’s De Iustitia et Iure, thus forming a major work of Catholic moral theology.

Luis de Molina (1535-1600) was the first scholastic doctor to legitimize the practice of money lending as a career. His De Iustitia et Iure offers a thorough description of trade practices of the vibrant economies of Portugal and Spain in the Sixteenth Century. This detailed analysis allows him to provide a moral assessment of these practices. His treatise is a capital example of how a deep commitment to received tradition and to contemporary economic issues can advance economic science and perfect moral theology through a better understanding of reality. This book shows how threads of field research, economic reflection, natural law tradition, casuistry and the quest for justice may weave together to form a major work of Catholic moral theology.

The Christian doctrine of justification is of immense interest to historians and theologians, and continues to be of major importance in modern ecumenical discussions. The present work appeared in its first edition in 1986, and rapidly became the leading reference work on the subject. Its many acclaimed features include a detailed assessment of the semantic background of the concept in the ancient Near East, a thorough examination of the doctrine of the medieval period, and especially careful analysis of its development during the critical years of the sixteenth century. The third edition thoroughly updates the work, adding material where necessary, and responding to developments in scholarly literature. It will be an essential resource for all concerned with the development of Christian doctrine, the history of the Reformation debates on the identity of Christianity, and modern discussions between Protestants and Roman Catholics over the nature of salvation.