Philipp Melanchthon, like
Desiderius Erasmus, was a reformer and humanist and the most important colleague of Martin Luther. In 1518 he was appointed professor of Greek at Wittenberg and in 1520 wrote the “Loci communes,” or principal points of Luther’s doctrine of justification. In 1530 he composed the
Augsberg Confession and its
Apology. He not only took part in several theological disputations but also enacted far-reaching educational reforms of the German school and university system. For these efforts Melanchthon is honored to this day as “Praeceptor Germaniae” (“Germany’s Principal Teacher”).