A Critique of the Doctrine of Natural Law from Early Christianity to Late Mediaeval Ages

Due to the fact that there exist no record of discussions about the foundations of natural law in the works of Muslim thinkers and in order to develop a theory and do research about the foundations of natural law in Islam, it is necessary to make a thorough study about the doctrine of natural law in the western world, especially in the Christian era, in which great attention was given to religious criteria.The doctrine of natural law underwent some changes in the west during the history of Christianity, and the course of these changes can be classified into six main periods.The present paper starts with a critical study of the mentioned doctrine in the first two early periods of Christianity i.e. the period of Church Fathers and Mediaeval Ages, where thirteen critical observations are stated and explained under common and special headings.