The just war in Francisco de Vitoria and Martin Luther

Abstract

In the 16th century, Francisco de Vitoria, one of the founders of the School of Salamanca, sought to revive Thomist concepts about the human condition, domination and war in the context of the Spanish conquest of the new world. In another scenario, Martin Luther, an Augustinian friar known for his religious reform, faced questions of conscience regarding secular power in the military response against Turks and peasants. Both discussed the legitimacy of war in Christian ethics, the former known as a proponent of the right to war, the latter as a pacifist - accused by Vitoria himself. Thus, this article discusses and compares the concept of just war in the two theologians, who despite their different approaches, the hypothesis points out, based on primary texts, that there is no substantial difference, contrary to what the founder of the School of Salamanca thought.