This week in Christian history: Protestant reformer dies, Augustine converts to Christianity, Pope Gregory VII

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, April 19, 2020

Philipp Melanchthon dies - April 19, 1560

Protestant Reformer Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560). | (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

This week marks the anniversary of when Philipp Melanchthon, a friend of Martin Luther and champion of the Protestant Reformation, passed away.

Melanchthon was an educator, theologian, debater, and the main author of the Augsburg Confession, an important statement of faith for the nascent Lutheran Church.

“At Luther’s urging, Melanchthon lectured on Paul’s Letter to the Romans and in 1521 published the Loci communes rerum theologicarum (‘Theological Commonplaces’), the first systematic treatment of Reformation thought,” explained Britannica.

“Luther declared that the Loci communes deserved a place in the canon of scriptures; the University of Cambridge in England later made it required reading, and Queen Elizabeth I virtually memorized it so she could converse about theology.”