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Philipp Melanchthon (eigentlich Philipp Schwartzerdt; * 16. Februar 1497 in Bretten; † 19. April 1560 in Wittenberg) war neben Martin Luther der wichtigste kirchenpolitische Akteur und theologische Autor der Wittenberger Reformation .
- Overview
- Early life and education
- Luther and the Reformation
Philipp Melanchthon (born February 15, 1497, Bretten, Palatinate [Germany]—died April 19, 1560, probably Wittenberg, Saxony) German author of the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran church (1530), humanist, reformer, theologian, and educator. He was a friend of Martin Luther and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the Loci communes, t...
Melanchthon inherited from his parents, Barbara Reuter and Georg Schwartzerd, a deep sense of piety that never left him. From his Bretten surroundings (where five citizens were burned as witches in 1504), he absorbed a sense of the occult that combined later with biblical references to stars, dreams, and devils to make him a firm believer in astrology and demonology. In 1508, within a period of 11 days, both his grandfather Reuter and his father died, his father after four years of invalidism.
Humanism predominated in Melanchthon’s education, his studies having been directed by a great-uncle, Johannes Reuchlin, who was a famed Hebraist and humanist. Philipp’s first tutor instilled in him a lifelong love of Latin and classical literature, and at the Pforzheim Latin school he received further humanistic training and had his name changed from Schwartzerd to its Greek equivalent, Melanchthon (meaning “black earth”).
While at the Universities of Heidelberg (1509–11; B.A.) and Tübingen (1512–14; M.A.), Melanchthon explored the teachings of Scholasticism, steeped himself in the rhetoric of the Dutch humanist Rodolphus Agricola and the Nominalism of the English philosopher William of Ockham and the ecclesiastical reformer John of Wesel, studied Scripture, and read classical works. On receiving the M.A. degree, he lectured, with conspicuous success, on the classics and soon had six books to his credit, including Rudiments of the Greek Language (1518), a grammar that was to go through many editions. He was praised by the great Dutch humanist Erasmus, and his name became known in England. In the best tradition of the time, Melanchthon was a humanist.
In 1518 Melanchthon accepted an invitation, relayed through Reuchlin, to become the University of Wittenberg’s first professor of Greek. Only four days after his arrival, he addressed the university on “The Improvement of Studies,” boldly setting forth a humanistic program and calling for a return to classical and Christian sources in order to regenerate theology and rejuvenate society.
Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation, and Melanchthon responded to each other enthusiastically, and their deep friendship developed. Melanchthon committed himself wholeheartedly to the new Evangelical cause, initiated the previous year when Luther circulated his Ninety-five Theses. (See Researcher’s Note: The posting of the theses.) By the end of 1519 he had already defended scriptural authority against Luther’s opponent Johann Eck, rejected (before Luther did) transubstantiation—the doctrine that the substance of the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper is changed into the body and blood of Christ—made justification by faith the keystone of his theology, and openly broken with Reuchlin.
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During this time he had also published seven more small books and had earned the bachelor of theology degree at Wittenberg. His energy was phenomenal. He began his day at 2:00 am and gave lectures, often to as many as 600 students, at 6:00. In addition, he found time to court Katherine Krapp, whom he married in 1520 and who bore him four children—Anna, Philipp, Georg, and Magdalen.
At Luther’s urging, Melanchthon lectured on the Letter of Paul to the Romans and in 1521 published the Loci communes rerum theologicarum (“Theological Commonplaces”), the first systematic treatment of Reformation thought. Sin, law, and grace were the principal topics, with free will, vows, hope, confession, and other doctrines subsumed. Drawing on Scripture, Melanchthon argued that sin is more than an external act; it reaches beyond reason into human will and emotions so that the individual cannot simply resolve to do good works and earn merit before God. Original sin is a native propensity, an inordinate self-concern tainting all human actions. But God’s grace consoles humans with forgiveness, and human works, though imperfect, are a response in joy and gratitude for divine benevolence. Three editions of the Loci communes appeared before the end of the year and 18 editions by 1525, in addition to printings of a German translation. The last edition in 1558 was much enlarged and changed. Luther declared that the Loci communes deserved a place in the canon of Scriptures; the University of Cambridge in England later made it required reading, and Queen Elizabeth I virtually memorized it so she could converse about theology.
Despite an imperial decree of death to those who supported Luther, in 1521 Melanchthon sharply answered the Sorbonne’s condemnation of 104 statements of Luther with “Against the Furious Decree of the Parisian Theologasters.” When Melanchthon hesitated to publish his lectures on the Letters of Paul to the Corinthians, Luther took a copy and published them in 1521 with a preface saying, “It is I who publish these annotations of yours, and send you to yourself.” In 1523 Luther did the same with Melanchthon’s notes on the Gospel According to John.
Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and influential designer of educational systems.
- German
- Reformation
- 16th century
- Lutheranism
Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) war Theologe und arbeitete während der Zeit der Reformation eng mit Martin Luther zusammen. Von Christiane Gorse. Zweifellos war Melanchthon zweifellos hochintelligent: Mit nur 21 Jahren wurde er Griechisch-Professor an der Universität Wittenberg – ein Jahr nach Martin Luthers Veröffentlichung der 95 Thesen.
30. Okt. 2015 · Philipp Melanchthon, eigentlich Philipp Schwarzerdt (1497-1560), war Philologe, Philosoph und Theologe. Wegen seiner umfassenden Gelehrtheit und seines bildungspolitischen Engagements hat man...
Philipp Melanchthon war ein außergewöhnlich begabter Gelehrter und ein enger Vertrauter Luthers in der Reformation. Er reformierte die Wittenberger Universität, verfasste die Confessio Augustana und galt als \"Lehrer Deutschlands\".
15. März 2014 · Archiv. Philipp Melanchthon. Der bildungshungrige Reformator. Von Ute-Christine Krupp · 15.03.2014. Kein Glaube ohne Bildung, das war das Credo des Reformators Philipp Melanchthon. Eine...
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