Thirty Minutes with Philip Melanchthon

 

Our leaders in Scriptural studies, the key Reformation teachers, are:
Luther,
Melanchthon, and
Chemnitz.

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Clyde Manshreck, one of Roland Bainton's students at Yale, wrote an excellent book, Melanchthon, The Quiet Reformer. I first became interested in Melanchthon at Augustana (Augsburg Confession) College.


1. Melanchthon and Luther lived to be 63 years old. Melanchthon (1497-1560). Luther (1483-1546).

2. They had opposite personalities and both were language geniuses. They greatly admired each other and also had their conflicts. Philip gave the sermon at Luther's funeral.

3. The Walther Four - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - like to brag about being Confessionals, and Orthodox. However, they despise the Augsburg Confession, which is the standard across the world. Their so-called Orthodoxy is largely from Pietism and Calvinism.

4. One clear statement of doctrinal agreement on Justification is found in the graphic above.

5. Melanchthon was denied a priceless library from his great-uncle John Reuchlin when he sided with the Reformation. Reuchlin, like Erasmus, supported the Reformation a bit but returned to the Roman Catholics.

6. Melanchthon had far more students than Luther because of their age difference. Philip was greatly admired across Europe and could have accepted an appointment as the greatest scholar in any kingdom.

7. Philip's contributions to the Book of Concord, 1580, were: 

• The Augsburg Confession, 1530 - with notes from Luther at a safe castle.
• The Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession.
• Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope

Martin Chemnitz edited the Book of Concord, widely admired, seldom studied or taught. He learned from Luther and Melanchthon and enjoyed the combination of polemics (Luther), humor (Luther and Melanchthon), and an enormous knowledge of theological literature.

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Encore - Short Verses To Learn New Testament Greek

 

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Stephanus John 3:16 -  ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 28:19-20     πορευθεντες ουν μαθητευσατε παντα τα εθνη βαπτιζοντες αυτους εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος

διδασκοντες αυτους τηρειν παντα οσα ενετειλαμην υμιν και ιδου εγω μεθ υμων ειμι πασας τας ημερας εως της συντελειας του αιωνος αμην

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

1 John 1  ο ην απ αρχης ο ακηκοαμεν ο εωρακαμεν τοις οφθαλμοις ημων ο εθεασαμεθα και αι χειρες ημων εψηλαφησαν περι του λογου της ζωης

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

Parable of the Tares

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KJV Matthew 13:24

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

[a grain of mustard seed...leaven...teaching in parables]

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

1. Creation - weeds are guardians of the soil.

2. Weeds prove the soil is good and they also improve the soil. Dandelion is an herb.

3. Wooden shoes were used to trample down growing fields. Sabotage. 

4. The tares are spread in the field to take advantage of believers. Evil ones are acting with their Father Below.

5. Tearing up the weeds can wreck the crop, so they wait for the harvest.

6. The greatest bishops, popes, and theologians can be tares and increase evil over time.

7. The Son of Man will send angels to gather and burn the tares - evil doers.

8. The righteous will shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father.

Reformation Seminary - Faith versus Fear

 

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KJV Matthew 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

The piggies run off the cliff.

KJV Mark 4:37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

The piggies run off the cliff.

1. We have plenty of reason to be fearful - the so-called Federal Reserve, wild spending sprees, the Baby Boomers are suddenly changing into Silver Sneakers, politics, ignoring and betraying the Bill of Rights, etc.

2. Luther said, "The opposite of fear is not courage, but faith."

3. We know but forget the divine nature of Christ, who can accomplish anything and is always helping us in all our needs.

4. Dwelling on fear only makes us more fearful, because we are very limited by our perspectives, some unnaturally bad predictions, others being good but not great, in the future but not yet soon enough.

5. The disciples in the storm knew too well that they faced drowning and that Jesus did not seem to care, which made them more fearful.

6. The answers are found in the Beatitudes, assurances of how blessed we are, not only in many kinds of abundance, but also in bearing the cross.

Reformation Seminary - John 15:1-10 in Greek.

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Stephanus Greek - John 15

15:1 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

George

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο, και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη 

Polykarp Catherine

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν, καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα; ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν 

poem/do or make

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι, εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα, και εξηρανθη, και συναγουσιν αυτα, και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται 

ball, ballo xerography, synagogue

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι, και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη, ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε, και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

In a verb, the theta θ suggests a passive verb

9 καθως ηγαπησεν με, ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη

agape love, father

10 εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε, μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου, καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα, και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman (george) .

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Theories about Four Gosples - All False

 

1. The Two-Source Theory. This has Mark as the most primitive and earliest of the Four Gospels. The "other source" was made up of sayings parallel to Matthew and Luke.

2. No one can really say all the things that the modern liberals claim to be true. Authority piles up on authority and theological faculties claim this or that perspective - all speculation. The foundation was their unbelief, or rationalism, or bias.

3. Left alone is the text itself. That is what we need to study thoroughly. A Yale PhD was given to someone who translated a German work by Rudolph Bultmann, doubtless to make many more people gush over Bultmann's personal statements. On the resurrection of Christ - "Any schoolboy knows that a dead body cannot raise himself from the dead." So that was not even research, just a fan eager to translate. I saw the book at the Yale Divinity library.

4. We have relatively little knowledge about the individual writers because the New Testament and the Old Testament are about Jesus Christ the Savior, not the Biblical Theory Fanclub.

5. To this day, even at a LCMS church (remember Seminex? I do) - a pastor can say "The Gospel of John was written 300 years after Christ." Some facts:

1. He was denying the truth of the Fourth Gospel
2. He removed the Apostle John from the Gospel. 
3. He was making John a Gnostic - that is - false Gospel.
4. He was against the divinity Christ.
5. He mocked faith in Jesus in the Fourth Gospel.
6. He was mocking the faith of the believers in that group. Someone did oppose him and he backtracked.

6. The Greek New Testament has also been a means to make people question the Gospel.

John 15 - The True Vine

 

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15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman (george) .

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Stephanus Greek - John 15

15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν, καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

9 καθως ηγαπησεν με ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη

10 εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη