Divine Foreknowledge in Renaissance Philosophy

This entry deals with the notion of God’s foreknowledge. First, Augustine’s position is delineated, after which follows that of Boethius, in order to introduce the theological and philosophical topics which characterized the later discussion on divine foreknowledge. Then, the focus will turn to Aquinas’ view. Augustine, Boethius, and Aquinas furnish the arguments necessary to comprehend the discussion of the early modern era, characterized by both the Catholic–Protestant debate and the inner-Catholic debate between Molinist and Augustinian-minded theologians. Therefore, attention will be paid to Calvin, while the last section will focus on Molina, who followed (and improved) Aquinas’ terminology in order to better rebut Reform-minded theologians, although his theses were harshly criticized by anti-Pelagian Catholics.