The Use of Classical Greek Philosophy in Early Lutheranism

I just published an article in Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary titled, “The Use of Classical Greek Philosophy in Early Lutheranism.” Here is the abstract:

This article is an examination of the use of classical philosophy in the Lutheran tradition from Martin Luther through Johann Gerhard. It focuses particularly on the essentialist philosophies of both Plato and Aristotle as used and modified in these Lutheran writers. The claim made in this article is that though critical of Aristotelian thought on certain points, the first generations of Lutheran theologians also incorporated certain aspects of these philosophies in a positive manner within their theological systems. The goal of this article is to demonstrate that such positive evaluations of certain aspects of both Aristotle and Plato’s philosophies can be found throughout these thinkers, as well as to demonstrate the usefulness of these categories in the contemporary church.

The article can be read for free here.