Melanchthon (1497-1560)
 Born
Feb. 15, 1497, Bretten, Palatinate [Germany]
Died April 19, 1560, probably Wittenberg, Saxony [Germany]
Original name Philipp Schwartzerd (German: “Black Earth”;
in Greek, Melanchthon) German author of the Confession of
Augsburg of the Lutheran Church (1530), humanist, Reformer,
theologian, and educator. He was a friend of Martin Luther
and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the
Loci communes, the first systematic treatment of evangelical
doctrine. Because of his academic expertise he was asked to
help in founding schools, and he virtually reorganized the
whole educational system of Germany, founding and reforming
several of its universities.
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