Perfect will theology : divine agency in reformed scholasticism as against Suárez, Episcopius, Descartes, and Spinoza / / by J. Martin Bac.

• Superior document: Brill's series in church history ; v. 42
• Author: Bac, J. Martin.
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Brill's series in church history ; v. 42.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (579 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

This book revisits four early-modern debates of Reformed theology concerning the will of God. Reformed scholasticism advocated a particular relationship between divine knowledge, will, and power, which was altered by Jesuits, Remonstrants, Descartes, and Spinoza. In all these debates modal categories like contingency and necessity play a prominent part. Therefore, these positions are evaluated with the help of modern modal logic including possible world semantics. The final part of this study presents a systematic defense of the Reformed position, which has been charged of theological determinism and of making God the author of sin. In modern terms, therefore, the relation of divine and human freedom and the problem of evil are discussed.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material / J.M. Bac -- Chapter One. Introduction / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Two. Perfect Will Theology: A Basic Outline / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Three. The Jesuit Counter-Reformation: Conditionalizing Divine Knowledge / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Four. The Remonstrant Debate: Conditionalizing Divine Will / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Five. The Cartesian Controversy: Magnifying Divine Will / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Six. The Spinozist Shift: Magnifying Divine Intellect / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Seven. Modal Logic And Possible Worlds / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Eight. Consistency Of Seventeenth-Century Thought Modal Analysis And Evaluation / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Nine. Perfect Will Theology: A Modal Argument / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Ten. Perfect Will Theology And Human Freedom / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Eleven. Perfect Will Theology And The Problem Of Evil / J.M. Bac -- Chapter Twelve. Epilogue / J.M. Bac -- Appendix: List Of Logical Symbols / J.M. Bac -- Bibliography / J.M. Bac -- Index / J.M. Bac.