PHILIPP The associ ate of Luther in the Protestant liefo•nmation, and the foremost teacher of his time, in the words of Hallam, "far above all others the founder of gen eral learning throughout Europe." He sprang from the middle class, as did Luther from the lower. His father was an armorer in favor at Court, his mother the daughter of the burgo master of Britten in Baden, where he was born, February 6. 1497. By the advice of his grand uncle, the learned P,eueldin, he c•hanged his fam ily name, when he the University of Hei delberg at the age of twelve. from Schwarzerd (41:lack earth') into its Greek equivaloil,Melanch thon, a common practice among scholars. Having taken the bachelor's degree when fourteen, lie took the master's degree at Tiibingen when seven teen and at once began to lecture on Terence, Vergik and rhetoric; when nineteen he published an edition of Terence, which ran through seventy three editions in the course of about a century.
Ms Latin and Greek grammars enjoyed still larger use even in Catholic schools.
AliI4 opportunely for Luther. who had posted his theses the vear before. Nelanehthon was now called to the chair of 11reck at Wittenberg, and in I51S delivered his' inaugural upon "Reform in the Studies of Youth." Those who had depre ciated him for his boyish appearance immediately changed to admiration. The next year Nelanch thon took the bachelor's degree in theolo?ry. hut modestly declined the doctorate. Never ordained, never preaching. he remained, like Calvin, a lay theologian to the end of his days. His lectures were thronged, sometimes. as reported, to the number of two thoasa11(1, including even princes and noblemen.
From his classical studies, he was drawn by Luther's urgency and the prevailing ferment into the held of theology. By his Loci Cont mum s, i.e. general outlines of theology. he made in 1521 his first great contribution to the Refor mation. Front Alelanchtlion's architectural and organizing spirit, according to Diller's view, the truth born in Luther's heart received its object ive form and the stamp of validity. Equally hu portant was the aid he gave to Luther's Bible ‘vork, in which the accuracy is his. while its
idiomatic force and beauty are Luther's. In 1526 he became professor of theology in name, as for years he had been in fact.
Among the Reformers, Alelanchtlion was char acteristically the peacemaker. The Augsburg Confession, presented by the Protestants at. the Diet in 1530, surprised even the Catholics by its moderate tone. The tone was lielaneht him's. who drafted it from articles dra WII up by Luther. In 1531 Nbilanchthon published his Apology—a vin dication of the Augsburg Confession, and the most learned of the Lutheran symbols. After this date lie wrote his name 'Alelatithon,' as eas ier to pronounce. His irenie spirit prompted him to issue a modified edition of the Confession, the Fariala generalizing specifie statements of the Lutherans objectionable to the Calvinists, with the design of removing impediments to the union of the two parties. But such efforts only brought bitter trouble upon Alelanelnhon. He had now reached the limit of his successes. and his remaining years were darkened by the failure of hi. efforts for a more ethical theology, and for the union of the Protestant factions.
Ilplanchtlion's treatises on ethics, in which Aristotle was his master, became standard text books. ethical studies revealed to him defects in his theological masterpieee, the Loci tonnes, which lie amended by successive re. vi.ions in 1535 and 1513. They also oeeasioned a serious breach between the and the strict Lutherans, whose extreme. denial of the freedom of the will made Christian elides impossible. Cries of heresy arose, which no eN• plantli ions could still. Another breach was ean.•al by Alelanelithim's slow but sure change front the Lutheran of the mode of ('heist's presence in the Lord's Supper to the Calvinistic. A third ground of odium was Ifi lanchtlain's willIngnes•, for the sake of avoiding civil war, to compromise with the Catholics by securing tolerance Of doetrine:lan taining most of the Roman ceremonies. its 'adia plaint' (things indifferent). In the bitter contro versy which ensued the Philippists were hounded as 'knaves. Samaritans, and Itaalites.' Nelaneh.