Johannes Cochlaeus: Philippicae I-VII ed. by Ralph Keen (review)

326BOOK REVIEWS An admirer of Erasmus, Marius tries to imagine an Erasmian reform (without Luther) leading gradually to the tolerant Catholicism of the late twentieth century . In the world of religion's cultured despisers, among whose number Marius counts himself, there is much sympathy for the idea that it is sweet reason itself that ultimately persuades people to be reasonable. But the world actually created by our forebears was rather different. Toleration in the modern sense became possible only after and because of the religious wars fought by rulers and states adhering to rival confessions. In the shaping of a Europe riven by confessional rivalries, Erasmus' sense of the imperfections of all human claims to the possession of ultimate truth was a good deal less important than Luther's dogmatism . The amateur psycho-historian who insists on translating Luther's selfdescriptions into a completely different terminology will not achieve an understanding of his epoch-making beliefs. James D.Tracy University ofMinnesota fohannes Cochlaeus:Philippicae I-VII. Volume I: Text;Volume II; Introduction, Commentary, Bibliography, Appendices. Edited with Introduction and Commentary by Ralph Keen. [Bibliotheca Humanística & Reformatorica, Volume LFV] (Nieuwkoop: De Graaf Publishers. 1995. Pp. xxiii, 375; vii, 297. Hfl. 180,00.) The Philippicae I-VII of Johannes Cochlaeus (1479-1552) is perhaps the most comprehensive contemporary critique of Philip Melanchthon's theology. The third-longest of the Polish-born controversial theologian's works, it was written in stages, and chronicles a long acquaintance with the theology of Melanchthon, which began in 1524 when Cochlaeus joined Friedrich Nausea andJohannes Faber in support of Cardinal Campeggio's efforts to defend Catholic doctrine. The Philippicae Quattuor of 1534 mark Cochlaeus' debut as a published polemicist, and were written "for the sake of the Poles tempted with Wittenberg schemes." Cochlaeus had consulted Eck and Faber at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 in order to prepare a refutation of the Augsburg Confession. It was also at this time that Cochlaeus had his first personal encounter with Melanchthon, whom Cochlaeus initially hoped to win over, but quickly came to regard as "the most dangerous enemy of the Roman Curia." The Philippicae Quattuor was a direct response to the theology of the Augsburg Confession, particularly Melanchthon's Apologia. Besides its obvious reference to Melanchthon, the title also emulates Demosthenes' Philippics, which exhorts the rulers of Athens to protect its citizens from enemies, as well as Cicero's Philippics. Philippica V appeared in 1540, in response to Melanchthon's On the Duty ofPrinces, that the Command of God Teaches them to Abolish Ecclesiastical Abuses. Cochlaeus is much more caustic than in the first four Philippicae, in part due to BOOK REVIEWS327 his belief that Melanchthon was responsible for his exile to Silesia after the death of his patron, George of Saxony, but also in response to a more polemical tone in Melanchthon, who now referred to the Lutheran church as evangelical and the Roman Catholic Church aspapist. Philippica VI, written in 1544, deals with reform issues in Cologne, while Philippica VII appeared in 1549 as a defense of the Augsburg Interim, and was also appended to Cochlaeus'History of the Hussites. Throughout the Philippics, the importance of secular rule in preventing the spread of the Protestant reform is paramount, and the exhortation to take action is clearly directed at Charles V. The importance of ecumenical councils is also stressed, as is the place of tradition. At the same time, Cochlaeus clearly tries to show the deceit of Melanchthon, and labels Luther and his followers anti-church Donatists. Ultimately, the polemical severity of Cochlaeus would lead to marginalization by his own Church, characterized by his difficulty in finding publishers. This two-volume work continues Keen's laudable effort to make available critical editions of the controversial theology of Cochlaeus. The first volume contains the Latin text, while the second volume is entirely given over to a superb critical apparatus, including a sixty-page introduction to the history of the Philippics. In addition, several useful appendices of lesser primary texts are included . It would be a welcome addition to any library even moderately devoted to sixteenth-century studies. Keith Lewis St.John's Seminary Camarillo, California Erneuerung der...