Philip Melanchthon Quotes
Philip Melanchthon was a German humanist scholar, Reformer, and Luther's closest collaborator at the University of Wittenberg. A Greek prodigy of extraordinary learning, he combined classical philology with biblical exegesis and produced the first systematic Lutheran textbook of theology, the Loci Communes, as well as the Augsburg Confession of 1530, which remains the founding doctrinal statement of the Lutheran churches. The quotes below are attributed to Philip Melanchthon, organized by topic.
Browse Philip Melanchthon by topic
Philip Melanchthon on God
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Attributed to Philip Melanchthon:
“We are not justified by works, yet we are not justified without works.”
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Attributed to Philip Melanchthon:
“True theology is practical, not merely speculative.”
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Attributed to Philip Melanchthon:
“The Gospel does not abolish reason, but corrects and elevates it.”
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Attributed to Philip Melanchthon:
“To know Christ is to know his benefits, not merely to study his nature.”
Philip Melanchthon on Justice
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“Does the painter imitate the body correctly if he guides his brush without any method, and if his hand is moved at random and the lines are not drawn with art? In the same way you will not put the sentiment of your mind in front of the others’ eyes unless you use appropriate and distinct words, a fitting arrangement of words and the right order of sentences. For, just as we represent bodies by colours, we represent the sentiment of our mind by speech.”
p. 63
Philip Melanchthon on Knowledge
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Attributed to Philip Melanchthon:
“Languages are the sheath in which the sword of the Spirit is contained.”
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“Opto autem, ut sapientum Principum consilio, et autoritate aliquando, et ex aliarum gentium Ecclesiis, et nostris, pii et eruditi viri convocentur, ut de omnibus controversiis deliberetur, et una consentiens forma doctrinae vera et perspicua, sine ulla ambiguitate posteritati tradatur .”
But I hope that by the decision and authority of wise princes that sometime devout and learned men from the churches of other nations and of ours may be summoned together to deliberate about all the controversies and that there be handed down to posterity one harmonious, true, and clear form of doctrine, without any ambiguity. Meanwhile, as far as possible, let us encourage the union of our church -
“Ab ipso colaphos acceperim or Ab ipso colaphos accepi .”
I have received blows from him. | Letter to Vito Theodoro (Veit Dietrich (1506-1549)), February 23, 1544 wherein Melanchthon complains of having been stuck (colaphos) by Luther. In Corpus Reformatorum , 1838, volume 5, p. 322. | See also The Mystery of Iniquity Revealed, Or, A Contrast Between the Lives of Some Anti-Christian Popes and the Godly Reformers: with the Essence of Protestantism , Londo -
“I have received blows from him.”
Ab ipso colaphos acceperim or Ab ipso colaphos accepi . -
“It does not make such a difference whether you are simply mute or employ no art for speaking. For it is not feasible that you can express what you think as it should be understood unless you acquire and strengthen the ability to speak by art.”
p. 61 -
“How miserable is the condition of men when the better a thing is, the further it recedes from our sight and the less it is recognized.”
p. 62 -
“No one will be able to speak suitably and clearly about anything unless he has shaped his speech by some art, by imitation of the best.”
p. 62 -
“You can see for what reason I commend the study of eloquence to you—because we can neither explain what we ourselves want, nor understand the surviving writing written by our ancestors, unless we have thoroughly studied a fixed rule for speaking. For my part, I do not see how there could be others who wish neither to explain what they think, nor to understand what is excellently said.”
p. 64
Philip Melanchthon on Mind
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“Sagacity and eloquence are linked together to such an extent that they cannot be torn asunder for any reason.”
Praise of Eloquence(1523) | p. 66 -
“What do you believe was on the mind of the ancient Romans that they called the arts of speaking humanity ? They judged that, indisputably, by the study of these disciplines not only was the tongue refined, but also the wildness and barbarity of people’s minds was amended.”
Praise of Eloquence(1523) | p. 66