Philipp Melanchthon and the Cappadocians: The reception of Greek patristic sources in the sixteenth century
Abstract
This dissertation explores the role of the Cappadocian Fathers (defined as St. Gregory Thuamaturgus, St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. Gregory of Nyssa) in the works of the sixteenth-century Christian Humanist and Lutheran Reformer Philipp Melanchthon. This study contributes to the scholarly discourse in three ways. First, and more generally, it demonstrates the interest in and authority of early Christian (i.e., patristic) sources during the Reformation. This conclusion then urges hesitation in too easily reducing the theological debates of this period to “Scripture versus tradition.” Second, this dissertation demonstrates the various and repeated ways that Melanchthon turned to the Cappadocian Fathers as authorities and exemplars in Melanchthon's work as a theologian, a philologist, and pedagogue. In addition to using Cappadocian sources (in both Greek and Latin), Melanchthon even translated some of their work himself. Finally, this work contributes to patristic studies by offering a sketch of the Cappadocian canon of the sixteenth century with reference to modern scholarly apparatuses.
Subject Area
Religious history|Theology|Modern history
Recommended Citation
Hall, H. Ashley, "Philipp Melanchthon and the Cappadocians: The reception of Greek patristic sources in the sixteenth century" (2009). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3377045.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3377045
