Ad Gloriam Dei Humanism and Theology in David Chytraeus’ Regulae Studiorum

Timios Cook, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Abstract

Cook, Timios E. “Ad Gloriam Dei: Humanism and Theology in David Chytraeus’ Regulae Studiorum.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 296 pp.

Luther theologian David Chytraeus (1530–1600) devoted much of his career to education, serving especially at the University of Rostock. While today is he is often remembered for his contributions to the Formula of Concord, in his own time he was highly regarded as an educator and was sought out beyond Rostock to design and implement curriculum reforms. Chytraeus was a student of Melanchthon and built both upon and beyond his mentor’s insights throughout his pedagogical works. This dissertation explores the nature and content of Chytraeus’ Regulae Studiorum, looking in particular at the confluence of humanism and Lutheran theology in his approach. The Regulae Studiorum is an encyclopedic treatment of the liberal arts curriculum, organizing the trivium, quadrivium, as well as law, medicine and theology into categories based on their purpose, while providing an overall method for navigating the course of studies. The purpose of the dissertation is primarily to present the Regulae Studiorum through an investigation of its theological and pedagogical elements. Such a study helps to show how Lutheran theology influenced the nature, approaches, and goals of liberal arts education in Lutheran parts of the German lands during the latter half of the sixteenth-century.