Book of Concord

The Book of Concord
Title page from the 1580 German Edition of the Book of Concord
Author	Compiled by Jakob Andreae and Martin Chemnitz
Country	Germany
Language	German
Subject(s)	Lutheranism, Doctrine of the Lutheran Church
Publication date	1580

Lutheranism
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Book of Concord Apostles' Creed Nicene Creed Athanasian Creed Augsburg Confession Apology of the Augsburg Confession Luther's Small Catechism Luther's Large Catechism Smalcald Articles Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope Formula of Concord
Theology Justification Law and Gospel Sola gratia Sola scriptura Christology Sanctification Two Kingdoms Priesthood of all believers Divine Providence Theology of the Cross Sacramental Union
Sacraments & Rites The Sacrament of Holy Baptism The Sacrament of the Eucharist Confession and Absolution Confirmation Holy Matrimony Holy Orders Anointing of the Sick
Hymnody & Music A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands God's Word Is Our Great Heritage How Great Thou Art How Lovely Shines the Morning Star Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming In Thee alone, O Christ, my Lord O Lord, Look Down from Heaven Now Thank We All Our God O Sacred Head, Now Wounded Passion Hymns Passion music Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying Johann Sebastian Bach Dieterich Buxtehude Johann Crüger Paul Gerhardt Johann Heermann Felix Mendelssohn Johann Pachelbel Hallgrímur Pétursson Michael Praetorius Johann von Rist Johann Walter Catherine Winkworth Cantata Chorale Chorale prelude
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History Protestant Reformation The start of the Reformation Reformation in Denmark Reformation in Finland Reformation in Germany Reformation in Iceland Reformation in Norway Reformation in Sweden Lutheran Orthodoxy Gnesio-Lutherans Pietism Laestadianism Old Lutherans Neo-Lutheranism High Church Lutheranism Confessional Lutherans
Missionaries John Campanius Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Hans Egede Paul Henkel John Christian Frederick Heyer Wilhelm Sihler F. C. D. Wyneken Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder Lars Olsen Skrefsrud Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Onesimos Nesib Paul Olaf Bodding Johann Flierl Walter A. Maier Christian Keyser Theologians Martin Luther Wife: Katharina Luther Philipp Melanchthon Johannes Bugenhagen Johannes Brenz Justus Jonas Lucas Cranach the Elder Hans Tausen Laurentius Petri Olaus Petri Matthias Flacius Johann Gerhard Abraham Calovius Johannes Andreas Quenstedt Johann Wilhelm Baier David Hollaz Henry Muhlenberg Lars Levi Læstadius Charles Porterfield Krauth C. F. W. Walther
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The Book of Concord or Concordia (1580) is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century. They are also known as the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.^[1]

The Book of Concord was published in German on June 25, 1580 in Dresden, the fiftieth anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg. The authoritative Latin edition was published in 1584 in Leipzig.

Those who accept it as their doctrinal standard recognize it to be a faithful exposition of the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures are set forth in the Book of Concord to be the sole, divine source and norm of all Christian doctrine.^[2]

Origin and Contents

The Book of Concord was compiled by Jakob Andreae and Martin Chemnitz at the behest of their rulers, who desired an end to the religious controversies in their territories that arose among Lutherans after the death of Martin Luther in 1546.^[3] It was intended to replace German territorial collections of doctrinal statements, known as corpora doctrinæ (bodies of doctrine) like the Corpus doctrinæ Philippicum or Misnicum.^[4] The list of writings predating the Formula of Concord that would be included in the Book of Concord are listed and described in the "Rule and Norm" section of the Formula.^[5]

Following the preface written by Andreae and Chemnitz (1578-80)^[6] the "Three Ecumenical Creeds" were placed at the beginning in order to show the identity of Lutheran teaching with that of the ancient Christian church.^[7] These creeds were the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed, which were formulated before the East-West Schism of 1054, but the Nicene Creed is the western version containing the filioque.

The other documents come from the earliest years of the Lutheran Reformation (1529–77). They are the Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, both by Philipp Melanchthon, the Small and Large Catechisms of Martin Luther, his Smalcald Articles, Melanchthon's Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, and the Formula of Concord, which was composed shortly before the publishing of the Book of Concord and intended for the same purpose: the pacification and unification of the growing Lutheran movement. The preface of The Book of Concord was considered to be the preface of the Formula of Concord as well.^[8]

The Augsburg Confession has singular importance

as the unanimous consensus and exposition of our Christian faith, particularly against the false worship, idolatry, and superstition of the papacy and against other sects, and as the symbol of our time, the first and unaltered Augsburg Confession, which was delivered to Emperor Charles V at Augsburg during the great Diet in the year 1530 ...^[9]

A recent book on Lutheranism asserts, "To this day ... the Augsburg Confession ... remains the basic definition of what it means to be a 'Lutheran.'"^[10]The Apology, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise, and the Formula of Concord explain, defend, or serve as addenda to The Augsburg Confession.^[11]

Contents

• Preface (1579)
• The Three Ecumenical Creeds
  • The Apostles' Creed
  • The Nicene Creed
  • The Athanasian Creed
• The Augsburg Confession of 1530
• The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531)
• The Smalcald Articles of Martin Luther (1537)
• Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537)
• The Small Catechism of Martin Luther (1529)
  • Luther's Marriage Booklet (1529) and Baptism Booklet (1526) were included as part of the Small Catechism in some 1580 editions of the German Book of Concord^[12]
• The Large Catechism of Martin Luther (1529)
• Epitome of the Formula of Concord (1577)
• The Solid or Thorough Declaration of the Formula of Concord (1577).
  • The Catalog of Testimonies was added as an appendix in some 1580 editions.

Context in Christendom

The simple Latin title of the Book of Concord, Concordia, (Latin for "an agreeing together"^[13]) is fitting for the character of its contents: Christian statements of faith setting forth what is believed, taught, and confessed by the confessors "with one heart and voice." This follows St. Paul's directive: "that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Cor. 1:10)(NKJV). Lutherans believe that the creeds and confessions that constitute the Book of Concord are not the private writings of their various authors:^[14]

Inasmuch, however, as they are in complete agreement with Holy Scripture, and in this respect differ from all other particular symbols i.e., denominational creeds and credal statements, the Lutheran confessions are truly ecumenical and catholic in character. They contain the truths believed universally by true Christians everywhere, explicitly by all consistent Christians, implicitly even by inconsistent and erring Christians. Christian truth, being one and the same the world over is none other than that which is found in the Lutheran confessions.^[15]

Contemporary subscription

To this day The Book of Concord is doctrinally normative among traditional and conservative Lutheran churches, which require their pastors and other rostered church workers to pledge themselves unconditionally to The Book of Concord.^[16] They often identify themselves as "confessional Lutherans." They consider the Book of Concord the norma normata (Latin, "the normed norm") in relation to the Bible, which they consider the norma normans (Latin, "the norming norm"), i.e. the only source of Christian doctrine (God's authoritative word). In this view the Book of Concord, on the topics that it addresses, is what the church authoritatively understands God's authoritative word to say. This is also called a "quia" (because) subscription to the Lutheran confessions, i.e. one subscribes because the Book of Concord is a faithful exposition of the Scriptures. It implies that the subscriber has examined the Lutheran confessions in the light of the Scriptures in order to arrive at this position, which in the subscriber's view does not require the disclaimer implied in a "quatenus" (insofar as) subscription. One who subscribes the Lutheran confessions quatenus, insofar as they are a faithful exposition of the Scriptures, believes that there might be contradictions of the Scriptures in them. In some cases this is the manner of subscription of some other Lutheran churches, which regard the Book of Concord as an important witness and guide to the historical teachings of the Lutheran Church although not necessarily doctrinally binding. The largest Lutheran church to subscribe unconditionally to the Book of Concord is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland with 4.6 million members.^[17][18]

Current Editions of the Book of Concord

Contemporary printed editions

• Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch=lutherischen Kirche. Herausgegeben in Gedenkjahr der Augsburgischen Konfession 1930. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1976. ISBN 3-525-52101-4.

• The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959. ISBN 0-8006-0825-9.

• The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8006-2740-7.

• Concordia Triglotta. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921.

• Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions — A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, Second edition, 2006. ISBN 0-7586-1343-1.

Online texts

• The Book of Concord, Triglot edition, in PDF and HTML, other useful resources as well.
• Kolb-Wengert Book of Concord 2000 (Google books)
• Tappert Book of Concord 1959 (Google books)
• Henkel Book of Concord 1851 edition
• Henkel Book of Concord 1854 edition
• Jacob's 1911 "People's edition" of the Book of Concord

Versions of the Book of Concord available today.

Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions: A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord  Kolb-Wengert edition of The Book of Concord  Screen shot of the on-line edition of the Book of Concord.

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Bente, Friedrich. Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1921). New reprint edition. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1995. ISBN 0-570-03262-8.
• Fagerberg, Holsten. A New Look at the Lutheran Confessions (1529–1537). Translated by Gene Lund. Paperback Edition. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988. ISBN 0-570-04499-5.
• Forell, George W. The Augsburg Confession: A Contemporary Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1968. LOC 68-25798.
• Formula of Concord, The: Quadricentennial Essays. The Sixteenth Century Journal 8 (1977) no. 4. ISSN 0361-0160.
• Grane, Lief. The Augsburg Confession: A Commentary. Translated by John H. Rasmussen. Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House, 1986. ISBN 0-8066-2252-0.
• Kolb, Robert and Charles P. Arand. The Genius of Luther's Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8010-3180-9.
• Kolb, Robert and James A. Nestingen, eds. Sources and Contexts of The Book of Concord. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8006-3290-7.
• Preus, Jacob A.O. The Second Martin: The Life and Theology of Martin Chemnitz. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
• Preus, Robert D. and Wilbert H. Rosin, eds. A Contemporary Look at the Formula of Concord. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1978. ISBN 0-570-03271-7.
• Preus, Robert D. Getting Into the Theology of Concord. Reprint. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
• Preus, Robert D. Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism: Volume I. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1972. ISBN 0-570-04545-2.
• Reu, Johann Michael. The Augsburg Confession. Reprint. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1995.
• Schlink, Edmund. Theology of the Lutheran Confessions. Translated by P. Koehneke and H. Bouman. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1961. Reprint, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
• Schmauk, Theodore. The Confessional Principle and the Confessions of the Lutheran Church. Translated by C. Theodore Benze. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, Reprint 2005.
• The Sixteenth Century Journal 11 (June 25, 1980) no. 3: 450th Anniversary Augsburg Confession. ISSN 0361-0160.
• Wengert, Timothy J. A Formula for Parish Practice: Using the Formula of Concord in Congregations. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-8028-3026-9.

v • d • e The Lutheran Confessions - Documents of the Book of Concord Apostles' Creed  | Nicene Creed  | Athanasian Creed Augsburg Confession | Apology of the Augsburg Confession  | Smalcald Articles  | Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope Luther's Small Catechism  | Luther's Large Catechism  | Formula of Concord

External links

• Article on Lutheran Confessions in the Christian Cyclopedia
• Lutheran Scholarly and pastoral essays on the Lutheran Confessions from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library
• Why Bible-Believing Lutherans Subscribe to the Book of Concord (classic example of a quia perspective)
• Concordia Triglotta, by Theodore Graebner from the October 1921 Theological Monthly