Philip Melancthon
Philip Melancthon was born on February 16, 1497, fourteen years after Luther and twelve years before Calvin. His last name was really “Schwarzerd”, meaning “black earth”; “Melancthon” is the hellenized form.
He studied well and widely, being quite precocious. When only 13 years old he entered the University of Heidelberg. Not sufficiently challenged by the standard fare, he doubled his load by adding private studies of language and ancient poets and historians. He finished all required work for a master’s degree in two years, but was too young to graduate. He transferred to Teubingen and branched out into law, mathematics, and medicine. Four years later they granted him the master’s degree, though still only 19 years old. Erasmus praised him publicly for his “eminence of style, rare learning and comprehensive reading, tenderness, and refinement.” Reuchlin, the Hebrew scholar, Philip’s grand uncle on his mother’s side, also foresaw his potential. Reuchlin guided and encouraged him in his studies, and even promised to bequeath him his valuable library. This intimacy was disrupted later, when Reuchlin realized that being associated with the reformers could result in charges of heresy. He even withdrew the promised gift, and gave his books to his hometown instead.
Melancthon taught at Teubingen for a while, and then answered a call to Wittenburg in 1518. His first address at this new post resulted in drastic changes in German methods of education. Luther also was favorably impressed. From this time on Luther and Melancthon worked side-by-side for the Reformation. Though their personalities were nearly opposite, Melancthon being quiet, conciliatory, and willing to compromise or be ambiguous to retain peace, yet their friendship never failed. In 1520 Melancthon wrote, “I would rather die than be separated from Luther.” Luther also spoke and wrote highly of Melancthon, calling him “a divine instrument which has achieved the very best in the department of theology to the great rage of the devil and his scabby tribe.”
Melancthon joined forces with Luther at the Leipzig Disputation in 1519, proving a formidable match for Johann Eck. In 1521 he formalized for the first time the Protestant theological position, in his Loci Communes. In 1530 he prepared the Augsburg Confession, based largely on Luther’s previous articles. He later wrote The Apology of the Augsburg Confession clearly explaining and defending the controversial doctrines, drawing both from experience and from Scripture.
The mayor of Wittenburg had a lovely and worthy daughter, Katherina Krapp. Luther, anxious to keep Melancthon at Wittenburg and to promote his health and comfort, urged Philip to marry her. This they did in 1520, and soon had four children. They built their home next door to Luther’s, even sharing a little garden in the back yard with their neighbors. For family devotions, Philip quoted the Apostles’ Creed with his family three times each day. Martin Luther’s habit was to recite not only the creed, but also the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and a Psalm with his family.
After Luther’s death in 1546, Melancthon took the theological reins of the German Reformation, but not without considerable opposition. The most serious disputes were over the so-called Interim confession and over the Lord’s Supper. Certain phrases in the Interim, which Melancthon supported, were construed as teaching “synergism,” the doctrine that man’s works are necessary for salvation. When he saw the trouble, he dropped these lines from the confession, but his enemies continued to try to humiliate him. The Roman Catholics happily pointed to these conflicts as proof of their own position. The last years of his life were clouded by almost constant argument over the nature of the Lord’s Supper. He held to the personal presence of Christ in the elements, although he would not say how this occurred.
His strivings were interrupted in March, 1560. He caught a severe cold on a trip to Leipzig, which conquered his physical strength. He spent this last month of his life in almost uninterrupted prayer for the church, mingled with listening to passages of Scripture. He finally died in peace on April 19, 1560, just three years after his wife.