Research Unit of History of Church and Theology - Modern Period
In the study of the Modern Period, the research unit focuses on two major areas. The first area involves the great deal of attention spent on the Augustinian grace theory which controlled the thinking of the Louvain theologians since the beginning of the sixteenth century and increased later on, eventually sparking conflict with the Jesuits. An extention of that initial purview, is the continued investigation into the positions of the Louvain theologians during the Jansenist controversy in the last decades of the seventeenth and the first years of the eighteenth century (Mathijs Lamberigts and Wim François).
The second area of study is concerned with the place that the Bible took in the sixteenth century within Louvain theological instruction and in the belief of the laity in the Low Countries. Correspondingly, an investigation is performed into the attitude of the theologians' understanding of the relationship between the Word and Tradition, as well as the aspects of Bible editions in Latin and in the common tongues, and also Bible commentaries, written by theologians, which is important evidence of the Louvain-style of Augustinianism biblical exegesis (W. François).
Both areas are closely coordinated with activities of the Centre for the Study of Augustine, Augustinism, and Jansenism.
Connected research centres:
