In The Law of War and Peace (1625), Hugo Grotius revives two ancient questions: ‘What is war? What is law?’ The Dutch theologian-jurist thereby commences modern European discussions about just war and just peace, both of which were now meant to be conducted according to ‘law’.

Four hundred years later, war is still with us and peace seems just as difficult to make as it ever was. Law remains a contested domain, especially between jurisdictions and nations. It is unclear whether war is being waged or peace is being made according to any law. The questions are still with us. But we also enjoy the benefit of a welldeveloped tradition of natural law.

What can doctrines of natural law tell us about waging war and about peace-making? Are ancient sources that may have been unknown to Grotius’s age helpful in answering the questions? Do the ‘laws of nature’ that science has since uncovered help us? Can the theology, which undergirded both Grotius’s writings and the modern natural rights and human rights doctrines, help in answering these questions?

Join the Centre for Theology, Law, and Culture in Oxford for a two-day international conference, held in partnership with the Chase Center at Ohio State University, the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Canterbury Institute, Oxford.