Abstract

The paper is devoted to the theological and philosophical activity of Philip Melanchthon, the closest associate of Martin Luther. The article gives a brief biography of Melanchthon. It shows his significant contribution to the creation of key doctrinal texts of the Reformation era, namely the Augsburg Confession, the Apologia Augsburgische Confession, the Schmalkalden Articulae, the Catechisms, and the so-called Formula of Concord. Further, in the modern Western history of philosophy it is believed that all philosophy of the New Age up to the Enlightenment was prepared to a large extent by Melanchthon’s writings. “Dilthey’s thesis” that Melanchthon’s “theologia naturalis” prepared and laid the foundations of “all the human sciences of the seventeenth century” is well known. The paper shows that Melanchthon is not only the founder of the modern Geisteswissenschaften – “sciences of spirit”, but can also be considered as one of the founders of the modern natural science philosophy. In his book “Initia doctrinae physicae” he came very close to formulating the principle of inertia, and also insisted on the possibility of a mathematical description of the Universe. It is no accident that in Germany Melanchthon is called “Praeceptor Germaniae” - the Teacher or Mentor of Germany.

Keywords: Melanchthon, evangelical theology, Geisteswissenschaften, anthropology, natural philosophy.