Philip Melanchthon and the Cappadocians
Subtitle: A Reception of Greek Patristic Sources in the Sixteenth Century
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Company KG
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9783525550670
Subjects: Theology, 16th century; Christian literature, early, history and criticism
Description: This work offers a comprehensive examination of how Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) used Greek patristic sources throught his extensive career. It is organized around Melanchthon's use of Cappadocian works against his opponents: Roman Catholic, the Radical Reformers, the Reformed, and in Intra-Lutheran controversies. The author places Melanchthon within the context of the patristic reception of his time. Moreover, an appendix offers a sketch of the "Cappadocian canon" of the sixteenth century, with notation of the particular sources for Melanchthon's knowledge and the references to these works in modern scholarly sources. While often accused by his critics of being arbitrary in his selection of patristic authorities, too free with his quotations, and too anxious for theological harmony, this work shows Melanchthon "at work" to reveal the consistent manner and Evangelical-Lutheran method by which he used patristic material to proclaim "Christ and his benefits" throughout his multifaceted career--Back cover.