Talk:Formula of Concord

More work on this article would be appreciated. drboisclair 12:52, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Link to German article
Please leave this link on this page. I am preparing a translation of it, and it contains material not in the regular article. Respectfully reverted by drboisclair 21:02, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

I've removed a translation of the German article, given as separate box. That's not the way an encyclopedia should be written. --Pjacobi 12:14, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Heeding your advice on the translation, I have incorporated the material from it into the main article.--Drboisclair 19:59, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Translation of the German Wikipedia entry
Source:

The Formula of Concord (Latin: Formula concordiae, “Harmony Concord,” also “The Bergic Book”), is the last symbolical writing of the Lutheran Church. It came into being in 1577 at the instigation of Elector August of Saxony. It was meant to settle the disagreements, which after Luther’s death had come into being thereby, that Electoral Saxony, in particular, followed the mild Melanchthonian direction (Philippism), while Lower Saxony and Württemberg remained strictly Lutheran. First of all, at a 1576 convention held in Torgau—Saxon seat of government at that time—in which Jacob Andreae from Tübingen, Martin Chemnitz from Braunschweig, David Chytraeus, Andrew Musculus, and Christopher Körner from Frankfurt (Oder) took part—on the basis of the Swabian-Saxon Concord, drafted by Andreae in 1574 and the so called Maulbron Formula of 1576, the so called Torgau Book had been completed. This, then, after the arrival of numerous opinions, in the Bergen Abbey near Magdeburg in 1577, by the mentioned theologians, to whom also Nikolaus Selneccer from Leipzig came, was reworked and now called the Bergic Book or the Formula of Concord. Through this Formula any convergence with the Reformed Church was made impossible. Ecclesiastical acceptance was received alike in Electoral Saxony, Electoral Brandenburg, Electoral Pflaz, 20 duchies, 24 counties, and 35 imperial free cities. It was rejected, however, in Hesse, Zweibrücken, Anhalt, Pommeranian (Land), Holstein, Denmark, Sweden, Nürnberg, Strassburg, and Magdeburg.

The Formula of Concord was originally written in German and later was first translated into Latin by Andrew Osiander. The first part, called [the] “Epitome,” contained in eleven articles the assessment and decision of the then disputed points of doctrine in such a way that the dispute (‘’status controversiae’’) was explained, the orthodox view of the disputed points was summarized concisely in the so called “Affirmativa” [Affirmative statement], finally the doctrine that stood against it [i.e. the orthodox view] was indicated in the “Negativa” or “Antithesis” according to its main points and immediately rejected and condemned. The second part, called [the] “Solid Declaration,” discussed in detail the same articles in context and is actually the Torgau Book after the change, which they had made there in the Bergen cloister. The Formula of Concord was included in the Book of Concord, published in 1580.

Every parson in electoral Saxony had to make a confession with respect to the Formula of Concord. A rhyme was circulated [at the time]: “Write, dear Lord, write, that you might remain at the parish”.

Missing aspect
The concord cemented the split with the Calvinists. This should go into the article. --Pjacobi 12:15, 16 June 2007 (UTC)


 * yes, more historical context, without which neither the motives driving its formulation or the doctrinal statements therein make much sense. the split with calvinism was already more or less complete. it was drafted more to forestall what the hardline Lutheran confessionalists saw as the inroads of calvinism through philippism concerning the doctrine of "real presence," etc. was also drafted at a time when many Lutheran Princes in Germany were beginning the drift towards the Calvinist 'Second Reformation'.

also maybe a section on the later history of the formula of concord: e.g. which lutheran churches regard it as "canonical," and which look more the Augsburg Confession alone. later united (reformed/lutheran) churches stumbled on the issue of concord (i.e. in Prussia), with orthodox Lutherans refusing to abandon it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mwd321 (talk • contribs) 18:17, 25 March 2009 (UTC)