Concord Book

Title page of the Book of Concord 1580

The Konkordienbuch was published in Dresden on June 25, 1580 as a complete collection of the so-called symbolic books of the Lutheran Church in German. In this sense it can also be referred to as the canon or corpus doctrinae of the Lutheran Church. The authentic Latin text appeared in Leipzig in 1584 .

The term ecumenical symbols has been used since 1577. It is to be understood here in the original sense and translated as “general confessions”.

Components

The Book of Concord contains:

• the three so-called ecumenical symbols ( creeds )
  • the Apostolic Creed (Apostolicum)
  • the Nicano-Constantinopolitanum (referred to as Nicaenum)
  • the Athanasian Creed (Athanasianum)
• the so-called Lutheran particular symbols
  • the so-called unchanged Augsburg Confession based on the alleged German original
  • the apology of the Augsburg Confession based on the German translation by Justus Jonas the Elder
  • the Schmalkaldic Articles of 1537
    • with the appendix of Philip Melanchthon's "On the power and authority of the Pope"
  • the Small Catechism of Martin Luther
    • with attached wedding and baptism book
  • the great catechism of Luther
  • the concord formula - epitome and solida declaratio (detailed explanation)

Scientific editions of the contents of the Konkordienbuch were organized in 1930 and 2014 under the title “ Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church ”.

On the validity in the regional churches

The confessional documents collected in the Concord Book of 1580 are in Germany as a binding basis of confession, on which the pastors also have to submit a corresponding obligation at their ordination, in some Evangelical Lutheran regional churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony , Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden , the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg or the Lutheran congregations of the Evangelical Churches in Central Germany , recognized in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church ( SELK / Old Lutheran) and the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church ( ELFK ). It should be noted that the two last-named church bodies recognize the Book of Concords because (lat. Quia) the confessions correspond to the Holy Scriptures, while the regional churches only recognize the confessions insofar as (lat. Quatenus) they correspond to Scripture.

In other Protestant regional churches such as the Evangelical Church of Westphalia or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany , the Agreement formula and thus the entire content of the Agreement Book is only valid in the communities where it has remained in effect after tradition.

literature

• Joh. Aug. Henr. Tittmann : Libri symbolici ecclesiae. 2nd Edition. Goedsche, Meißen 1827.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bodemann (Rector zu Münder): Evangelical Concordienbuch or the symbolic books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. With historical introductions and notes. Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Göttingen 1843. Digitized copy Also as a reprint: Nabu Press 2011, ISBN 978-1-246-20797-2
• Carl Friedrich Göschel : The Concordien formula according to its history, teaching and ecclesiastical significance: Old and new from the treasure of the church. Leipzig 1858 ( digitized version )
• JT Müller: The symbolic books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, German and Latin , Gütersloh 1890, 7th edition,
• JT Müller: The symbolic books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, German and Latin , Gütersloh 1890, 7th edition, so-called Konkordienbuch - online in the Internet Archive; accessed on June 30, 2013 (PDF; 105 MB)
• Francke: The symbolic books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 3 parts, Meißen 1846, 1847. New edition by Johann T. Müller. 11th edition. Bertelsmann, Gütersloh 1912.
• Jörg Baur : Truth of the Fathers - Help for tomorrow. 400 years of the concord formula. Lecture given on May 13, 1977 in the Hospitalhof Stuttgart . Calwer Verlag, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-7668-0553-3 .
• Bernhard Lohse : The Konkordienwerk from 1580 , in: Association for Schleswig-Holstein Church History (Hrsg.): The state superintendent of Lauenburg as a north Elbian church district. Lectures and speeches on the 400th anniversary of the “Lauenburg Church Order” from 1585 , Neumünster: Wachholtz 1986 ( content ), pp. 21–39.
• Jörg Baur: Luther and the Confessions. In: Jörg Baur: Insight and Faith. Volume 2: Articles. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1994, pp. 44-56.
• Robert Kolb : The Concord Formula. An introduction to their history and theology , Oberursler Hefte supplementary volume 8, Edition Ruprecht, Göttingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-7675-7145-7

See also

• Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
• List of signatories of the Book of Concords

Web links

Commons : Book of Concords  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• CONCORDIA. Christian repetitions / unanimous confessions of subsequent electors / princes and Stende Augspurgischer CONFESSION, and the same at the end of the book of signed theologians and faith. With attached / in God's word / as the some guideline / well-founded declaration of several articles / with which after D. Martin Luther's blessed withered / disputation and disputes occurred. Magdeburg 1581
• Online edition: The German Concord Book

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Super User: Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church | SELK - Lexikon - Q. Retrieved on May 4, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Cf. the official comment on Basic Article II of the Church Regulations of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia in the version of the announcement of January 14, 1999 (online resource, accessed on April 17, 2012).