Gottfried Achenwall, Ius naturae in usum auditorum

Gottfried Achenwall's (1719–1772) "Ius Naturae" was one of the most widely read natural law textbooks from the second half of the 18th century until well after Kant’s time. It represents the universal legal thinking during the era of Enlightenment in Germany, particularly in its coining by Christian Wolff. The terminology elaborated at the time was paradigmatically developed by Achenwall and is still commonly used today both in jurisprudence and in legal practice. The same applies to numerous figures of thought found in the as exemplary regarded Roman law, which Achenwall explains and systematizes. Hence, his textbook offers a comprehensive overview of the foundations of all branches of German law and jurisprudence that was established during his time.