Leonardus Lessius: De iustitia et iure caeterisque virtutibus cardinalibus. Über die Gerechtigkeit und das Recht und die übrigen Kardinaltugenden. Teil II

In the second part of the edition of ›De iustitia et iure caeterisque virtutibus cardinalibus‹ from 1605, Leonardus Lessius offers a detailed presentation of the late scholastic doctrine of ›restitution‹: the doctrine of the obligation to pay damages and to compensate for enrichment. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, a sin could only be forgiven if the liable party had paid compensation for the damage or returned someone else’s property (restitution). Restitution thus transformed theological natural law into a genuine legal order, which determined the daily life of the faithful. Lessius casuistically explains a broad outlook on individual violations of law (for example, of life, body, property or honour) and the related offences. Overall, this part of the work offers a varied picture of early modern Catholic everyday morality.