Theis Schønning Johansen

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My Ph.D. project aims to revisit the debate on the freedom of will between Erasmus of Rotterdam and Martin Luther from a hermeneutic and philosophy of language perspective.

I examine how Erasmus' and Luther's philosophical thinking about language influences their expressed theology through an analysis and comparison with Renaissance humanism's understanding of rhetoric, particularly as it is expressed by Lorenzo Valla and Rudolph Agricola. Additionally, I deal with the role of skepticism in the debate, which Erasmus emphasizes and Luther distances himself from.

The study is based on De libero arbitrio (1524) and De servo arbitrio (1525) and the authors' reflections in these texts on anthropology, pneumatology, and Christology with the aim of presenting their scriptural hermeneutics anew, which also touches on significant themes such as faith and experience.