Hugo Grotius: Opera Omnia Theologica

If one only looks at the important role played by the German jurist and diplomat Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) in the history of law, his significance for theology is often overlooked. In the works of Grotius however legal theory and theology are so closely interwoven that one cannot be understood without the other. As an exegete, he applied the historical-critical method of humanist philosophy to biblical interpretation. His independence, his critical attitude and his advocacy of religious tolerance made him an important forerunner of the Enlightenment.