BY CONVENTION OR BY NATURE: MELANCHTHON'S CRITICISM OF LATE MEDIEVAL OCKHAMIST POLITICAL THOUGHT IN THE COMMENTARII IN ALIQUOT POLITICOS LIBROS ARISTOTEL
The article argues that existing scholarship has missed Melanchthon's central objective in writing the Commentarii in aliquot politicos libros Aristoteles. Rather than merely criticizing peasants and radical preachers, Melanchthon sought to refute the Ockhamist political thought
of Gabriel Biel and John Mair. Using Aristotle's naturalism within the theological framework of the political order as ordained by God, Melanchthon criticized the conventionalist account of the Ockhamists, specifically the principles underlying the case for popular sovereignty or the
power of the community over the ruler. Instead he put forward a theory of politics and constitutional monarchy grounded in natural law
Keywords: Aristotle; Lutheran reformation; Natural Law; Philipp Melanchthon; constitutionalism; monarchy; popular sovereignty; scholasticism
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 2014
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