In the sixteenth century, the organizing effort of many Reformation leaders coalesced in a newly imagined pan-Protestant community. While differences emerged from early in the Reformation, the consistent effort to resolve disagreements attested to the desire to establish the Reformation throughout Europe. In 1540, John Calvin asserted that religious reforms for Germany could be applied to France, Spain, Italy, and elsewhere in the world, as Protestants sought “to restore those things that Christ handed down, the apostles commended, and the ancient and purer church observed,” rather than to initiate something new.1 But as the vision of a pan-Protestant church faded in the 1550s, a growing criticism of Calvin’s views emerged among later Lutherans. In the aftermath of the Augsburg Interim in 1548, which resulted in a series of intra-Lutheran debates, and the widely publicized 1549 Zürich Consensus, the organizing efforts of German Reformers shifted toward preserving the genuine Lutheran legacy of the Reformation. Such confession building had major consequences for shaping the various forms of reformation and the aspiration to come up with a unifying vision “whether historical or supernatural or both, in compensation for the constant, ad hoc negotiation of relationships.”2 The disagreement over the management of the Wittenberg legacy led to the formation of multiple legacies within Protestantism.3

Philip Melanchthon is undoubtedly one of the most significant figures to emerge from the Reformation. However, his legacy is frequently overshadowed by Martin Luther and John Calvin – in large part because of his close relationship with both. Because of this, Melanchthon has infrequently been the focus of historical research, functioning much more frequently as a footnote to Luther or a sounding board for Calvin. Yet Melanchthon’s work and writings shaped the religious landscape of Europe and he left an indelible influence on both Lutheranism and the Reformed tradition – particularly through his biblical scholarship and Loci Communes. The overlooking of Melanchthon is, to some extent, explained by the final years of his life, during which he was almost universally disdained for his perceived betrayal of Lutheran principles at the Leipzig Interim. Because of this, Melanchthon has frequently been disregarded or maligned in confessional histories of Lutheranism and the Reformed faith. In more recent years, however, the significance of Melanchthon’s Loci Communes, his contributions to early modern biblical scholarship, his role in the political developments of the German Reformation, and his relationship with Calvin have come to be recognized as formative influences on the history of the early modern world.