Chronicon Carionis: Part One: Universal History from Creation to the Advent of Christ (Chronicon Carionis of Philip Melanchthon)

Chronicon Carionis: Part One presents Philip Melanchthon’s sweeping universal history from the creation of the world to the advent of Christ and the establishment of Roman power under Augustus.Originally rooted in Johann Carion’s chronicle and later translated into Latin by Hermann Bonnus, this work was reworked and expanded by Melanchthon into one of the great historical compendia of the Lutheran Reformation. It is not merely a catalogue of kings, battles, and empires. It is a theological reading of world history: the rise and fall of kingdoms, the preservation of the Church, the judgment of God against tyranny and idolatry, and the promise of Christ unfolding through the ages.In this first part, Melanchthon leads the reader from Genesis through the patriarchs, the Flood, the Table of Nations, Israel, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Maccabees, Herod, Julius Caesar, and Augustus. Along the way he reads classical history, sacred chronology, and biblical prophecy together, especially through Daniel’s vision of the four monarchies.For Melanchthon, empires are not random accumulations of force. They are established and removed under God’s providence. At their best, they serve as “shelters of the Church”; at their worst, they become instruments of pride, cruelty, and destruction. Throughout the ruins of kingdoms, God preserves His Church through His Word, His promises, and His faithful remnants.This volume offers the first English translation of this major Reformation-era historical work, with section-end translator’s notes to guide the reader through Melanchthon’s theology, chronology, classical sources, and historical judgments.A vital text for students of Reformation history, Lutheran theology, sacred chronology, and early modern interpretations of world history, Chronicon Carionis: Part One opens a window into how one of the chief teachers of the Lutheran Church taught Christians to read the whole course of history under the providence of God. Read more