The Position of Philip Melanchthon in Protestant Reformation and his Understanding of the Eucharist

Year 2022, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 535 - 564, 20.12.2022

Merve Demirel

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7444144

Abstract

Philip Melanchthon, one of the important leaders of the Reformation movement, went down in history as the person who shaped the Lutheran theology. He also studied on the basic principles of Protestantism. Although he won general approval for his contributions to Reform theology, he was criticized for the transformation of his thoughts during the Reformation struggle. The Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is one of the issues he was criticized for, is one of the obstacles to the doctrinal unification of the Protestant denominations such as Calvinism and Lutheranism. The discussions among the reformist clergy about the existence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist played an important role in determining the ranks of the Protestant leaders. Through intense discussions, Philip Melanchthon shared the same ideas with his companion Martin Luther about the physical existence of Jesus Christ. However, in the upcoming years of the Reformation, he was harshly criticized by the Lutheran clergy with the accusations that he betrayed Luther because of his new interpretations on the matter. It is understood that social events, religious radicalism and political developments in Germany influenced his thoughts. In this study, it is mentioned that Philip Melanchthon's studies in the Reformation movement, his contributions to Reformation theology, and his importance in the history of the Reformation. The primary concern of this study is the Sacrament of the Eucharist and Melanchthon's thoughts about the nature of the existence of Jesus Christ. In addition, Melanchthon and Reformed clergy’s thoughts about the Eucharist were compared, and it was aimed to reveal his original position in Protestantism by considering his approaches on this matter.

Keywords

Philip Melanchthon, History of Religions, Protestantism, Eucharist, transubstantiation, Philip Melanchthon

Protestan Reformunda Philip Melanchthon’un Yeri ve Evharistiya Anlayışı

Abstract

Reform hareketinin önemli liderlerinden biri olan Philip Melanchthon, Protestanlığın temel ilkelerine dair yaptığı çalışmaların yanı sıra Lutherci teolojiyi şekillendiren kişi olarak tarihte yer almaktadır. Reform teolojisine yaptığı katkılarla takdir toplamakla birlikte Reform mücadelesi içerisinde düşünce dünyasında geçirdiği dönüşüm sebebiyle eleştirilere maruz kalmıştır. Eleştirildiği meselelerden biri olan Evharistiya sakramenti, Kalvinizm ve Lutheranizm gibi Protestan mezheplerin kendi içerisinde doktrinel olarak birleşmelerinin önündeki engellerden biridir. Reformcu din adamları arasında Evharistiyada İsa Mesih’in varlığının mahiyeti ile ilgili hususta meydana gelen tartışmalar Protestan liderlerin saflarının belirlenmesinde önem arz etmiştir. Yaşanan yoğun tartışmalarda Philip Melanchthon, İsa Mesih’in fiziki olarak mevcut olduğuna dair söylemiyle dava arkadaşı Martin Luther’in görüşlerini paylaşmıştır. Ancak Reformun ilerleyen yıllarında konuya ilişkin getirdiği yeni yorumlarla Lutherci din adamları tarafından Luther’e ihanet ettiğine dair ithamlarla sert bir şekilde eleştirilmiştir. Almanya’da yaşanan toplumsal olayların, dinsel radikalizmin ve siyasi gelişmelerin etkisinin söylemlerine yansıdığı anlaşılmaktadır. Bu kapsamda araştırmada Philip Melanchthon’un Reform hareketi içerisindeki çalışmaları ele alınarak Reform teolojisine yaptığı katkılar ortaya konmakla birlikte Reform tarihindeki önemine değinilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın esas konusunu teşkil eden Evharistiya sakramenti ve İsa Mesih’in varlığının mahiyetine ilişkin görüşlerine de yer verilmiştir. Ayrıca Melanchthon’un Evharistiya konusunda diğer Reformcu din adamları ile görüşleri mukayese edilmiş ve onun bu konudaki yaklaşımları ele alınarak Protestanlık içerisinde yer aldığı özgün konumunun ortaya konması amaçlanmıştır.

Keywords

Dinler Tarihi, Protestanlık, Evharistiya, töz dönüşümü., Philip Melanchthon

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