— Ch. 1 · Noble Birth And Jesuit Vow —
Luis de Molina.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Luis de Molina entered the world on the 29th of September 1535 within a noble and wealthy family in Castile. His parents held clear aspirations for their son to become a jurist rather than a priest. He learned Latin and literature at the Cathedral School of Cuenca before enrolling at the University of Salamanca. During his legal studies he discovered the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. This discovery led him to join the Society of Jesus and abandon his law degree entirely. In 1553 he became a novice in Alcalá de Henares where he showed a distinct talent for Christian philosophy. Superiors sent him to study philosophy at the university of Coimbra in 1554. Pedro da Fonseca advised him to continue his studies after obtaining his master's degree in 1558. He aimed to become a priest and obtain a doctorate in theology between 1563 and 1567. He served as a professor of philosophy and theology in Coimbra during those years.
The Middle Knowledge Formula
Molina developed a distinctive theory known as Molinism to reconcile Augustinian doctrines with Renaissance ideals of free will. He maintained that God possesses scientia media or middle knowledge which is a phrase Molina himself invented. This power allows God to know future contingent events before they happen. God foresees how humans shall employ their own free-will and treat proffered grace. Upon this foreknowledge God can found his predestinating decrees. The omniscient God never fails to bestow grace upon those who ask it with sincerity. Grace remains neither unnecessary nor impossible according to Molina's view. His doctrine suggests that human autonomy exists even in the face of divine omniscience. These ideas opposed traditional understandings of both Augustinism and Thomism regarding free will. They also challenged the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin on salvation.