Orations on Philosophy and Education

by Philipp Melanchthon, Christine F. Salazar (Translator), Sachiko Kusukawa (Editor)

Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560), humanist and colleague of Martin Luther, is best known for his educational reforms, for which he earned the title Praeceptor Germaniae (the Teacher of Germany). His most influential form of philosophical writing was the academic oration, and this volume presents a large and wide-ranging selection of his orations and textbook prefaces, many of which are here translated into English for the first time. They set out his views on the distinction between faith and reason, the role of philosophy in education, moral philosophy, natural philosophy, astronomy and astrology, and the importance of philosophy to a true Christian, as well as his views on Classical philosophical authorities such as Plato and Aristotle, and on contemporaries such as Erasmus and Luther. Powerfully influential in their time, inspiring many Protestant students to study philosophy, mathematics and natural philosophy, they illuminate the relationship between Renaissance and Reformation thought.

Genres: Education, Philosophy, Theology

314 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1989

About the author

Philipp Melanchthon (16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560), born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems. He stands next to Luther and Calvin as a reformer, theologian, and molder of Protestantism. Along with Luther, he is the primary founder of Lutheranism.[1] They both denounced what they believed was the exaggerated cult of the saints, asserted justification by faith, and denounced the coercion of the conscience in the sacrament of penance by the Catholic Church, that they believed could not offer certainty of salvation. Melanchthon made the distinction between law and gospel the central formula for Lutheran evangelical insight. By the "law", he meant God's requirements both in Old and New Testament; the "gospel" meant the free gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Reviews

[Davis Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melanchthon is one of the most underrated figures in educational history. This collection is simply a treasure trove and contains some of the greatest theological defenses of the classical liberal arts in existence. It also goes a long way toward proving the conservative, catholic roots of the Lutheran Reformation—both scholasticism and humanism are fully embraced, and tradition remains an authority to be afforded great and solemn reverence.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of academic orations by Philp Melanchthon and other Lutheran divines, most of whom I had never heard of before, on issues relating to philosophy and education. They are very strong on the duty of the state to maintain the schools for the good of the church. Perhaps surprisingly for Lutherans, they were quite positive towards the pagan philosophers, while recognising that they fell short of the saving knowledge of God that is only found in the gospel.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful collection of primary sources. Acceptable translation. On the whole, a bit under-edited. The introduction was a bit narrowly focused, and the individual orations get very little historical context.

[Tim]

Melanchthon’s 1522 Enchiridion sought to teach theology in the family home as a replacement for the state-run religious institutions. Named after Augustine's Enchiridion, which in turn was named after Epictetus' Enchiridion, Melanchthon sought to provide an ethical foundation for Protestantism, which was in disarray. The rampant Antinomianism which rejected all “legalism” and stated there is no moral code to which Christians should adhere to caused a related problem for the reformation. Knowledge of the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament was key to fixing this problem to Melanchthon, so together with Luther they published extensive educational reforms and school material.

Because of Luther's idea of the "priesthood of all believers" and that the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning of scripture directly to the individual, formal education and theological training seemed unnecessary in the Protestant areas of Germany, and attendance sharply declined. The requirement that a Pastor be educated theologically and philosophically likewise seemed absurd in light of this teaching, so Seminary and Theology students fled the universities. Early reformers Karlstadt and Muntzer promoted the idea that secular knowledge was of the devil and theology was useless apart from reading the Bible directly.

Luther and Melanchthon attempted to fix this problem and the sharp decline in attendance to the universities their own teachings had caused .Luther wrote the 1524 The Councilmen of All Cities in German, in which he used a Humanistic view from the Renaissance which taught that the liberal arts, history and literature were useful for all to know. While he argued that the Catholic authorities had no right to teach theology, he conveniently taught that only his ideas should be taught in addition to the reading of the bible. Reading the scripture was enough, but also Protestant theology needed to be taught in addition. Melanchthon and Luther spilled a good deal of ink trying to explain away this contradiction. The Elector of Saxony saw this sorry state of affairs in Protestant Germany in terms of education, and asked Luther to fix it. Melanchthon took lead, and issued this 1527 Instructions for the Visitors of Parish Pastors in Electoral Saxony, and visited the local churches. A great deal of Melanchthon’s work was in the field of education, leading to his title of "Germany's teacher".

The Complete Works of Philipp Melanchthon
Loci Communes: https://bit.ly/3hCsUb2
Commentary on Romans and other Minor works: https://bit.ly/3X7Po42
Enchidirion and Instructions to the Visitors: https://bit.ly/3tvfdgx
The Augsburg Confession & Apology: https://bit.ly/3hAS89Q
The History and Life Stories of the Venerable Dr. Martin Luther: https://bit.ly/3G7icn6

[Thomas Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023: Technically still a few orations I haven’t read yet, but read most of them for a class. Very good stuff. If you’re in the Christian/Classical education world, really valuable stuff for making sure we’re staying on target.

2025: Read the whole thing now. Truly foundational — much better than most modern “classical Christian ed” introductions.