Laurent Waelkens

Wim Decock collects contributions by internationally renowned experts in law, history and religion on the impact of the Reformations on law, jurisprudence and moral theology. The overall impression conveyed by the essays is that on the level of substantive doctrine (the legal teachings) there seems to be more continuity between Protestant and Catholic, or, for that matter, between medieval and early modern jurisprudence and theology than usually expected. As it is illustrated with regards to topics ranging from just war doctrine over business ethics to marriage law, at the very least there appears to have been an on-going conversation between jurists and theologians across the confessional divide. This does not prevent some contributions from highlighting that on the institutional level, for instance in university politics, radical tensions between Reformers and Counter-Reformers played a paramount role. This book also offers approaches to the relationship between Church(es) and State(s) in the early modern period and to the practical as well as doctrinal use of natural law in both Protestant and Catholic lands.

Introduction to the history of Roman law and its institutions. Throughout its history, Europe has been influenced by Roman culture, a culture with a strong sense of society and highly legal-minded. Hence, Roman law is of major importance in European thinking. It was the first subject to be taught at university and it remains tightly interwoven with all layers of European civilisation. This book provides an introduction to the history of Roman law and its institutions, as they developed from Antiquity until the nineteenth century. Concepts such as fundamental rights and freedoms, lawsuits, family law, rightsin rem, and obligations have their origins in classical Antiquity and were developed further throughout European history. The historical processing of our Roman legal heritage is treated from the perspective of comparative legal history. The book is written for undergraduate law students, but is also relevant for scholars from other disciplines.