Second scholasticism

The Scotists, mostly belonging to the various branches of the Franciscan order, include the Italians Antonio Trombetta, Bartolomeo Mastri, Bonaventura Belluto; the Frenchman Claude Frassen, the Irish emigrants Luke Wadding, John Punch, and Hugh Caughwell; and the Germans Bernhard Sannig and Crescentius Krisper.

Scholasticism played a significant role during the Counter-Reformation, a movement within the Catholic Church that emerged in response to the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.

During this period, spanning roughly from the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, scholastic thinkers made several important contributions in the theological and philosophical realms to bolster the Catholic Church's position.

For example, it focused on debates regarding justification, grace, and sacraments, presenting arguments supporting Catholic positions and refuting Protestant objections.

The intellectual influence of second scholasticism was augmented by the establishment of the Society of Jesus (1540), by Ignatius Loyola, per approval of Pope Paul III.

Scholasticism, as a predominant philosophical and theological tradition in the Middle Ages, influenced the context of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in various ways.

Reformers employed scholastic methods of argumentation and debate to defend their theological views and refute positions held by the Catholic Church.

Reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther, while critical of certain aspects of Scholasticism, systematically organized their teachings, creating theological systems that addressed various doctrinal issues.

Despite the reformers' emphasis on returning to the Scriptures as the primary source of authority, they used terms and philosophical categories developed in the scholastic tradition.

They used methods and tools from Scholasticism to articulate and defend their own interpretations of the faith, contributing to the development of theological thought in the context of the Protestant Reformation.

"Reformed Orthodoxy" was characterized by a rigorous focus on dogmatic theology, aiming to systematize key doctrines of the Christian faith.

Theological debates and controversies arose during this period, especially in areas such as predestination and the relationship between divine grace and human responsibility.

These documents were instrumental in clarifying and unifying Lutheran teachings, particularly on contested issues such as the Lord's Supper, predestination, and free will.

This emphasis on academic rigor sought to provide a logical and structured framework for Lutheran doctrines, enhancing clarity in theological expression.

Theologians utilized philosophical concepts to explain and defend Lutheran doctrines, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of theological principles.

Influenced by Emmanuel Maignan, philosophers like Jaime Servera and Tomás Vicente Tosca y Mascó attempted to provide a new innovative impulse to modern scholasticism.