Herewith a new series (we’ll see how long it lasts) on Melanchthon’s exegesis of Romans 13—the key (though not the only) biblical text for Christian reflection on political order—from his various published commentaries on Romans.

We begin with the first exegesis of Romans that was published with Melanchthon’s permission (an earlier one had come out that lacked his imprimatur), the Dispositio orationis in Epistolam Pauli ad Romanos of 1529 (The Rhetorical Organization of Paul’s Letter to the Romans). The text that is translated here is taken from Corpus Reformatorum 15,485-89.

Translation

Chapter 13

Proposition: “Let everyone be subject to his own magistracy.” [Paul] adds reasons taken from the dignity of magistracy, and from the punishment that avenges the scorn of magistracy. Here, it is again apparent that Paul teaches the commandments about morals in a different way from how philosophers teach them. For he teaches us about the will of God, because πολιτεία [politeia, “polity,” “constitution,” “government”] is a divine ordinance, just as the changes of time—winter, summer, day, night, and the continual courses and movements of the stars—have been created by God and are preserved by him. In the same way, God has ordained and preserves πολιτειίαν [politeian], magistracies, and laws in the world.

There have been many fanatical men, even in our time, who have contended that a Christian is not permitted to hold a magistracy, because the gospel frequently prohibits vengeance. They have therefore thought that magistracy is robbery and unjust violence. Paul fortifies us against this impious and seditious opinion, and teaches that magistracy is a divine ordinance or a good work of God. The result of this is that those who hold magistracies are engaged in a lawful and honorable office.