Philipp Melanchthon (February 16, 1497 – April 19, 1560) German author of the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church (1530), humanist, theologian, and educator. Active during the Protestant Reformation, he was a friend of Martin Luther and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the Loci Communes, the first systematic treatment of the new Wittenberg theology developed by Luther.