Medicine, Natural Philosophy, and the Influence of Melanchthon in Reformation Denmark and Norway

Abstract

In the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, all intellectual pursuits in Europe were colored by the religious conditions of the age. Accordingly, investigations into nature were unable to avoid issues dealing with the workings of divine power. The reestablishment of the University of Copenhagen after the Reformation of 1536 in the joint kingdom of Denmark and Norway prompted the formulation of an official Lutheran program for the study of medicine and natural philosophy (including anatomy). This program was wholly based on the ideas of the German reformer Philip Melanchthon, the aim being to apply knowledge of, for example, anatomy in support of the newly reformed Lutheran society. Thus, the crown and the church officially sanctioned Melanchthon's thoughts on natural philosophy as a means to apprehend, first, the majestic glory of divine providence; second, that man was truly created and assigned his place by God; and third, that it was demanded of all men and women that they submit themselves to the will of God and the laws of the public authorities.

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