On Faith and Laws
Alexander of Hales composed this theological treatise during his tenure at the University of Paris in the early thirteenth century, addressing fundamental questions about the relationship between faith and law that emerged as scholastic theology grappled with newly available Aristotelian philosophy and Islamic commentaries. Writing during the formative period of medieval university theology, Alexander confronted the challenge of systematically relating divine law, natural law, and human law within a coherent Christian framework.
The treatise examines how faith serves as both the foundation and interpretive key for understanding all forms of law. Alexander argues that divine law, revealed through Scripture and tradition, provides the ultimate standard by which both natural law and human positive law must be measured. He develops a careful analysis of how reason, illuminated by faith, can discern the principles of natural law written into creation, while also establishing criteria for evaluating the legitimacy of human legislation. The work demonstrates Alexander's characteristic method of posing questions, marshaling authorities from Scripture and the church fathers, and resolving apparent contradictions through precise theological distinctions.
De Fide et Legibus established conceptual groundwork that influenced later medieval discussions of law and political authority, particularly in the works of Thomas Aquinas and other scholastics who refined Alexander's integration of Aristotelian natural law theory with Christian theology. The treatise represents an early systematic attempt to address questions that would become central to medieval and later Christian political thought.
Who should read this: Scholars of medieval theology and political thought will find essential background for understanding scholastic approaches to law and authority. This work is not suitable for general readers seeking practical spiritual guidance, as it engages technical theological and philosophical questions requiring familiarity with scholastic method.