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Title: Human Freedom, Christian Righteousness: Philip Melanchthon's Exegetical Dispute With Erasmus of Rotterdam (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology) by Timothy J. Wengert ISBN: 0-19-511529-5 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1997 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $50.00

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)

Rating: 5
Summary: A must-read for anyone interested in Reformation Studies.
Comment: The Preceptor Germanae, Philip Melanchthon, has been neglected and abused by scholars, often using the Wittenberg grammarian as a political poster-boy, during the last century-plus. One of the most common accusations against Melanchthon is that he was a synergist. It is worth noting, however, that it wasn't until the last five years of Melanchthon's life that his views were attacked as "synergistic." Scholars in the last century have tried to make the claim that some of Melanchthon's supposed "synergistic" comments made in his later editions of the Loci Communes might have grown out of Melanchthon's humanistic disposition. Melanchthon is often placed between Luther and Erasmus as if he is admidst a crisis of conscience needing to adhere to one or the other. Wengert effectively shows that Melanchthon sided decisively with Luther and, while his language evolved through time, never departed from Luther so radically as has often been claimed. A key ingredient to Wengert's argument is that humanism does not demand a theology but is only an approach and methodology to education and, consequentially, to theology. It is quite possible to be a monergist and a humanist! Renaissance and Reformation, while not necessarily complementary, are not mutually exclusive positions. To place Melanchthon amdist some sort of crisis of conscience between Renaissance Humanism (Erasmus) and Reformation theology (Luther) is inappropriate. By understanding certain dialectical distinctions one is able to understand how, by 1543, Melanchthon can make statements that SOUND very synergistic while making others that are very monergistic. Melanchthon clearly maintains in his commentary on Ecclesiasticus (1550) that God is ultimately in control of all things. Wengert effectively demonstrates, via. an evaluation of a number of Melanchthon's writings, that Melanchthon's views were not contradictory but were placed within certain tensions that Melanchthon (and even Luther) maintained.

Evaluation by: Ryan Fouts (Concordia Seminary - St. Louis)