Philip Melanchthon was a colleague of Martin Luther and the key architect of the Augsburg Confession. Among his numerous works is his German Catechism which includes an explanation of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. This first post of three will contain his explanation of the Ten Commandments, first published in 1549 in German. The remaining two posts will include the remaining two parts and will be released over the next two months. I will also be releasing all three parts combined in a Kindle book on April 22, 2025.
My family moved to Germany from the US when I was eight. We lived there for seven years. Without that experience, I would have never learned German or had any interest in linguistics or translation work. As a result of speaking German fluently, I have done various German-to-English translation projects since 2000. During graduate school in the U.S., I pursued a degree that included theology classes. This translation project is a nice Venn diagram that brings together my interests in German, church history, theology, and translation work.
A couple of words of thanks:
- Thank you to my parents who embarked on a cross-cultural excursion that shaped all of us irrevocably.
- Thank you also to my homeroom teachers in Germany as well as my German-language teachers. While I cannot remember all of your names at this point, your educational efforts were not in vain. This book would have been impossible without your shaping influence.
- Thank you to those in church history who have gone before us; who spent time wrestling with their faith and with the Bible; who wrote down their thoughts for not only the church of their day and age but also ours.
- Thank you to Amy Mantravadi who first suggested this project to me.
- Thank you to the Hennepin County Library and the Columbia University Libraries for facilitating the interlibrary loan that allowed me access to the 1915 text.
- Thank you to those of you who spend time reading what I write, whether that be on my blog, my substack, or my books. Your engagement with what I have written encourages me to keep on writing.
- Thank you to my husband, Nate, for encouraging me to take the space and time to translate and write.
May Philip Melanchthon’s words penned centuries ago continue to point us to God. To God all praise and glory.
An Explanation of The Ten Commandments
by Philip Melanchthon
translated by Laura Glassel from the German edition (Supplementa Melanchthoniana, Werke Philipp Melanchthons Die Im Corpus Reformatorum Vermisst Werden) published by Verlag von Rudolf Haupt in 1915
The First Commandment. You shall believe in one God. The first commandment demands a right acknowledgment of God, a fear of God, and faith. It is also well to note that we should learn to recognize the true God as he has revealed himself and separate him from all idolatry.
The Second Commandment. You shall not misuse God’s name. The correct way to use God’s name is to call on him correctly, to preach and confess correct teaching, to thank him, to praise him, and to keep one’s oath faithfully. To swear an oath is to call God to bear witness so that he would punish the one who breaks his oath, as it also truly happens.
The Third Commandment. You shall keep the Sabbath holy. To keep the Sabbath holy means to teach and hear God’s word on that day, to receive the sacraments according to the correct practices, and to support the office of preaching.
The Fourth Commandment. You shall honor your father and mother. The fourth commandant arranges authority on earth. One is to be subject to and obey father and mother and all proper authorities with sincere reverence for God’s sake. Everyone is to serve faithfully in his vocation and not fall into a foreign vocation as the rebellious do.
The Fifth Commandment. You shall not kill. The fifth commandment does not only forbid killing but also envy and hate, as it is written in Matthew 5. It is also certain that killing will be punished per the proverb: whoever takes up the sword will die by the sword.
The Sixth Commandment. You shall not commit adultery. The sixth commandment forbids all commingling outside of marriage. The examples and the particular rules in Hebrews 13 show that immorality will be punished severely. God will punish whores and adulterers.
The Seventh Commandment. You shall not steal. The seventh commandment forbids thievery, robbery, and all manner of fraud in buying, selling, and loaning. God will seriously punish such injustices (see Isaiah 33). Woe to the thief.
The Eighth Commandment. You shall not give false witness. With this commandment, all harmful lies are forbidden, as also the noble proverb in Proverbs 12 teaches: Lying is a horror before God, but the truth is God’s desire.
The Ninth Commandment. You shall not covet anyone’s property. God does not only forbid outward, unrighteous deeds but also evil desires and vices of the heart, as in Matthew 5 God’s commandments are explained.
The Tenth Commandment. You shall not covet anyone’s wife. God forbids not only outward sexual immorality but also commands that the heart is to be pure and chaste. God honors and rewards pure chastity with highly exalted gifts as the story of Joseph demonstrates.
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