Abstract

This article explores the link between two doctrines of Jesuit theologian Leonard Lessius (1554-1623): His theory of the inspiration of the Scriptures and his theology of salvation, which defend human free will and cooperation in the relationship with the divine, even at the expense of God’s sovereign authority. According to Lessius, human agency is fundamental to the creation of the Scriptures. This article retraces the controversy "de Scriptura" generated by Lessius’ doctrine in the "longue durée" (1580s-1890s), including within the Society of Jesus itself, from the disputes between Lessius and the Leuven theologians, and his clash with Roberto Bellarmino (in the late 1500s), to the nineteenth-century discussion about Lessius’ doctrine during the First Vatican Council (1869-1870) and within the Congregation of the Index (1890s).