Conclusions

Abstract

The sixteenth century witnessed not one, but a plurality of reformations; although Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Melanchthon had certain doctrinaire divergences, they shared a number of major theological principles. In his writings, Luther expressed his preference for family life and considered that the love between spouses, and children’s birth and good education are both natural and necessary. Although both parents have to get involved in their children’s education, the father has a predominant role. In his time, Luther was not the only one to sense the beneficial role of education. Many of his ideas are to be found in the work of the other reformers of the period, like Zwingli, Calvin, and Melanchthon, who also showed the close connection between theology and pedagogy. Just like Luther, Zwingli manifested his penchant for the study of philology and classical culture; just like Luther, Zwingli argued that God is the only Teacher of faith by His illuminating work in believers. Calvin, in his turn, highlighted the role of discipline in society and played a major role in developing education in Geneva. The same extremely important role was played by Melanchthon in Germany.