This dissertation will seek to present the foundations and principles of the philosophy of Philip Melanchthon, the sixteenth century reformer of Church and school, close colleague of Martin Luther, and dedicated humanist. Melanchthon has been most widely recognized as an important figure for the Protestant Reformation, and so it may not be surprising that this dissertation will find that, as others have claimed, Melanchthon's account of philosophy's possibilities and limits, its proper goals, method, and scope, was closely related to his understanding of Christian faith. However, as the title of this dissertation indicates, and contrary to what many have thought they've known about Melanchthon, I will propose that his philosophy was fideistic in that it was founded upon and consistently limited by his theological principles.