Project | Global Thucydides
Catalogue | Digital catalogue
Entry | Orationes ex Historia Thucydidis et insigniores aliquot Demosthenis et aliorum …

Orationes ex Historia Thucydidis et insigniores aliquot Demosthenis et aliorum oratorum Graecorum conversae in Latinum sermonem a Philippo Melanchtone. Editae a Casparo Peucero

Typology: Translation | Language: Latin | Place of publication: Wittenberg | Publisher: apud heredesGeorgii Rhau | Year: 1562

Greek Text: no

Content: Anthologies | Pericles’ Funeral Oration | The Debate on Mytilene

Philipp Melanchthon, born Schwarzerdt (1497-1560), humanist, theologian, and reformer, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the Protestant Reformation after Martin Luther. Melanchthon studied Latin, Greek, and philosophy at the universities of Heidelberg and Tübingen, earning his M.A. at the age of 17. In 1518, he was appointed Professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg, where he quickly became a central figure in the intellectual and theological life of the Reformation. He collaborated closely with Martin Luther, drafting key doctrinal statements such as the Augsburg Confession (1530). Melanchthon was also a leading figure in Renaissance humanism. He promoted the study of classical languages and literature and played a pivotal role in reforming educational curricula throughout German-speaking Europe. His textbooks on logic, rhetoric, ethics, and theology became widely used. While loyal to the core principles of the Reformation, Melanchthon often sought compromise with Catholic interlocutors and other Protestant factions, a stance that earned him both admiration and criticism. His irenic temperament and emphasis on moral philosophy and civic responsibility shaped what became known as the "Philippist" strand of Lutheranism. DB

The volume comprises Latin translations of selected Greek passages, largely from Thucydides (Thuc. 1.32-43, 53, 68-71, 73-78, 80-86, 120-124, 140-144; 2.11, 35-46, 60-64, 87, 89-90; 3.9-14, 37-40, 42-48, 53-59, 61-67, 82.2-85; 4.17-20, 59-64, 85-87; 6.9-14, 16-18, 20-23, 33-34, 36-40, 76-80, 82-87, 89-92; 7.61-64, 66-68, 77), along with notable excerpts from Demosthenes and other Greek orators.

The translations, carried out by Philipp Melanchthon, were published posthumously by Caspar Peucer (1525-1602), physician, mathematician, astronomer, and humanist. Peucer received his early education in Bautzen and later studied in Goldberg and in Wittenberg, where he matriculated in 1543. Among his teachers were Philipp Melanchthon, who welcomed him into his household. Peucer was appointed to the Wittenberg faculty of arts in 1548 and became Professor of Lower Mathematics in 1550, then Higher Mathematics in 1554. He also lectured on anthropology and medicine, receiving his doctorate in medicine in 1560, after which he became Professor of Medicine. Following Melanchthon's death, Peucer became his intellectual executor: he completed Melanchthon's Chronicon Carionis (1562, 1565), edited his works (4 vols., 1562-1564), and published several collections of his letters (1565, 1570, 1574). He became personal physician to Elector Augustus of Saxony in 1570 and was also valued as a political advisor. His career was abruptly halted in 1574, when the so-called "Philippists"– followers of Melanchthon – were denounced as covert Calvinists. DB

Text

Global Thucydides

Orationes ex Historia Thucydidis et insigniores aliquot Demosthenis et aliorum oratorum Graecorum conversae in Latinum sermonem a Philippo Melanchtone. Editae a Casparo Peucero

+ Philipp Melanchthon (Translator)

+ Share