New Translation of Hugo Grotius, De jure belli ac pacis libri tres, 1631

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Tilman Repgen
• Subject Area: Principles of Law and Jurisprudence
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 491889173

The subject of the project is the preparation of a new German translation of the main work of Hugo Grotius: De jure belli ac pacis libri tres (1631). This work by Grotius is generally considered to be a key text in European jurisprudential literature of the early modern period. In it, Grotius developed a rational legal system on the basis of the older natural law doctrines, which is unfolded from the core idea of the sociability of man by means of deduction. Grotius considered this rational system of natural law to be decisive for the legal relations of peoples who, as it were, live with each other in a state of nature. The law of nations thus determined in terms of content was then to answer the questions of whether war is justified, what is permitted in war and how to achieve peace. Grotius' work was widely received in the 17th and 18th centuries. Especially at Protestant universities, "De jure belli..." was the basis of lectures on natural law. was the basis of lectures on natural law. In 1950, Walter Schätzel published a German translation of the text. It has been heavily criticised, not only because it is based on an inadequate textual foundation, but also because of numerous translation errors. It is therefore generally regarded as unreliable. The importance of Grotius' text justifies the production of a new German translation in order to open up access to this source.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants