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Valla-Style Determinism and the Intellectual Background of Luther's De servo arbitrio

2015; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 108; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0017816015000255

1475-4517

Anders Kraal,

Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies

This paper argues that the Renaissance philosopher Lorenzo Valla's De libero arbitrio (1439) appears to anticipate Luther's De servo arbitrio (1525) on several key issues. This thesis was defended in the 1940s by the well-known Renaissance scholar Charles Trinkaus, who expressed regret over the fact that modern interpreters of Valla's dialogue had “failed to see its connection with the Reformation.” As we shall see further on, however, Trinkaus's position does not seem to have had much impact on the subsequent literature.