Calvinismus und Recht

Christoph Strohm examines how and in what manner denominational orientations were reflected in the teachings of law professors from the Reformed Church in early modern Germany. In the field of public law, there were no real differences between legal professionals from the Lutheran and the Reformed Church. However, there were significant differences between Protestant and Roman Catholic law professors. Protestant legal professionals for example had no problem with the jurisdiction of the state to solve religious conflicts and thus were able to contribute to the development of public law. Similarly, the development of civil law was influenced by Protestant law professors, whereas in those universities which were dominated by the Jesuits civil law was overshadowed by canon law and moral theology.