This dissertation is an analysis of the development of natural theology in early modern Spain. It examines the definitions and uses of natural theology that occurred within Spanish Catholicism, 1436-1825. This dissertation makes three main arguments: firstly, that the modern parameters of natural theology are ahistorical and insufficient to understanding the term’s history; secondly, that the development of natural theology in early modern Spain was contextually determined and distinct from other forms; and thirdly, that understanding these historical contexts and the formation of natural theology reveals new ways of understanding the relationship between theology, philosophy, and the natural sciences.
The parameters of natural theology in early modern Spain were constantly redefined, influenced by ideas about human nature, the intelligibility of the natural world, the noetic effects of sin and the capabilities of human reason, the credibility of experimentalism and observation in the natural sciences, and the authority granted to the Church and to Scripture. As these notions were reshaped in Spain, new and alternative ideas about the scope and legitimacy of natural theology arose. As a result, natural theologies varied in purpose; for example, natural theology was used alternatively throughout the period for evangelization, apologetics, catechesis, and devotion or worship.
This dissertation explores the historical causes for these variations. It challenges scholars of historical theology to recognize a wider definition and use of natural theology. It reconceptualizes the historiography of early modern intellectual history by showing how natural theology was directly related to philosophical and scientific endeavors in the Spanish mentality. Finally, it suggests new ways of developing the “new natural theology” in contemporary discussions. The dissertation incorporates original and archival research of dozens of works from the early modern Iberian world, and consists of an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion.</p
