Most of us who have an interest in the period of the Protestant Reformation have heard of Philip Melanchthon, but how many are aware that the surname Melanchthon is an ancient Greek translation, and a sort of cryptonym, for the German Schwarzterdt meaning ‘black earth,’ which was the surname with which he was born. [Note: For the reader who only knows modern Greek, the word ‘Melanchthon’ means nothing and looks nothing like ‘μαυρη γη,’ the modern Greek translation of ‘black earth.’] Melanchthon was an exceptional Greek scholar who was recruited by Martin Luther to teach Greek at Wittenberg University when he was only 21 years old. Of course, the Greek that Melanchthon would have been proficient in would be the ancient Greek language. Thus, ‘black’ would be ‘μελα(ς)ν’ + ‘χθων,’ which I was only able to find in an exhaustive lexicon of the Greek language. The practice of taking on a Greek or Latin pseudonym was in vogue in this era of humanism, in which scholars, probably all of whom were capable in Latin and some also in Greek, were in the habit of harking back to the ancient philosophers, with whom they identified.

In my opinion, Manschreck’s biography of Melanchthon is a tour d’ force among Reformation biographical literature. Apart from the in-depth cradle-to-grave account of the life of perhaps the key personality among the German Reformers who rebelled against the institution of the Pope, the author is much more attentive to the spiritual side of Luther, through which I gained a new perspective on his character, than was Eric Metaxas in his eponymous biography (cf. https://thedragonisslain.wordpress.com/2022/08/09/book-review-martin-luther-the-man-who-rediscovered-god-and-changed-the-world-by-eric-metaxas/ ). Manschreck accomplishes this by describing throughout the book the depth of Luther’s respect and admiration for, and tenderness toward, Melanchthon. Of course, these feelings were, to a great extent, reciprocated by Melanchthon for Luther, who was 17 years his senior.

The relationship between the two influential Reformers, however, was not without its tensions. Although both became ardent opponents of papal Rome, holding it guilty of establishing canon law in direct contradiction of Scripture based on a deliberate mistranslation of the same, they came to see the Eucharist differently. Luther maintained that at the Lord’s Supper a physical relationship existed between the bread and Christ’s body and the wine and His blood – not transubstantiation, rather consubstantiation. On the other hand, because of its non-negotiable tenet of transubstantiation, Melanchthon found his struggles for reconciliation with Roman Catholicism to be impossible, as he, along with most, if not all the reformers, identified the Pope as the Antichrist. But he also found impossible accepting Luther’s view and as a result eventually came to the conviction that a spiritual relationship existed between the elements and the actual body and blood.

Nor did Melanchthon and Luther share a common understanding of the human will in its relationship to predestination. Luther rendered his interpretation in his book, The Bondage of the Will; Melanchthon, however, would never see man as an automaton, to which he would have drawn a comparison between the will and the doctrine of predestination.

Melanchthon is called the ‘quiet Reformer’ because of his tendency to work behind the scenes, first as a studious, extremely popular university language professor, who not only influenced his students through his lectures on ancient Greek, but also concerning the Apostle Paul’s Book to the Romans. Secondly, when he was eventually recognized for his profound theological insights, he began to be sought as a complement to the Reformers’ contingents at the various convocations, during which the latter argued their theological positions before the ecclesiastical hierarchy representing the Pope or one of the pro-Rome Electors. In addition to being an excellent debater in defense of Reformed principles, his linguistic expertise proved instrumental in composing the Augsburg Confession and the follow-on Apology of the Augsburg Confession, which remain integral parts of Luthern confessionalism.

On a personal note, according to Manschreck, Melanchthon “avoided a luxurious diet: his meals mainly consisted of soups, fish, vegetables, and eggs. … [H]e ate only two meals, frequently only one a day. ‘We Germans eat ourselves poor, sick, and into hell.’” From a completely physical standpoint, Melanchthon’s dietary habits differed drastically from those of Luther, who, it has been noted, among other things, enjoyed the local brews. On a spiritual plane, Melanchthon’s statement reminds me of Paul’s stern reprimand to the Corinthians regarding certain members of the congregation gorging themselves when they should be anticipating sharing in the Lord’s Supper. (cf. https://thedragonisslain.wordpress.com/2022/06/21/an-examination-of-pauls-teaching-on-the-lords-supper-in-i-corinthians-1117-34/ ).

Manschreck’s volume on Melanchthon contains 318 pages, running to 350 pages with notes and index, and includes a wealth of knowledge about the initiators and contenders of the Reformation movement in Germany. Much of his biography is based on the primary source, Corpus Reformatorum, which can be found digitally at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Reformatorum . Anyone interested in this aspect of the broader Reformation should definitely avail themselves of the opportunity to delve into this tome.