Key events like the discovery of America, the collapse of denominational unity, the increasing significance of new trade relations, and the centralization of state power stand for the complex constellation of problems challenging Spanish scholasticism to impose a theoretical order on things. The response was multi-faceted. Central to the enterprise was the concern to reconcile the communication of Christian tradition with the innovations of the early modern age. The volume assembles the papers delivered at an international, interdisciplinary conference held in Basel in 1998.