Religious Confession and Philosophy at Central European Academic Institutions during the Late Sixteenth and the Early Seventeenth Centuries

This paper will focus on the following question: To what extent was there a correlation between religious confession and philosophy in Central Europe during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries? In this context, philosophy will be understood to comprise the broad range of philosophical and arts disciplines taught at Central European schools and universities at that time, including metaphysics, physics, mathematics, ethics, family life (oeconomica), politics, logic, rhetoric, grammar, poetics, and history. Here “religious confession” will be focus on philosophy instruction offered by Lutherans, by Reformed Protestants / Calvinists, and by Roman Catholics (Jesuits as well as non-Jesuits). The volume of extant (and largely neglected) primary source material -- authored by Lutherans, Reformed Protestants, and Roman Catholics -- pertaining to philosophy instruction during this period is so large that the results of any study pertaining thereto should be formulated cautiously. Discussed here will be (1) philosophy / arts curricula at selected Lutheran, Reformed Protestant, and (Jesuit as well as non-Jesuit) Roman Catholic academic institutions in Central Europe, (2) philosophical writings on physics, soul (anima), ethics, family life (oeconomica), and logic, and (3) evidence concerning the inter-confessional utilization of philosophical writings in academic curricula as well as by authors active during this period. One can identify some curricular variations that appear to have been confessional in origin, and there were some points of philosophical doctrine that divided Lutheran, Reformed Protestant, and Reformed Catholic authors. But the following question will be addressed here: Were those variations and differences significant enough so that one can -- or should -- speak of distinctly Lutheran, Reformed Protestant, and Roman Catholic philosophies during this period?