The Book of Concord: The Lutheran Confessions of 1529-1580


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Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1921)

The Augsburg Confession (1530):

The Augsburg Confession is the first of the great Protestant Confessions. All orthodox Lutheran church bodies base their teachings upon this treatise because they believe that it is a faithful to Word of God.

In 1530, Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, called together the princes and cities of his german territories in a Diet at Augsburg. He sought unity among them to fend of the attacks of Turkish armies in Eastern Austria. He called upon the Lutheran nobility to explain their religious convictions, with the hope that the controversy swirling around the challange of the Reformation might be resolved. To this end, Philip Melanchthon, a close friend of Martin Luther and a Professor of New Testament at Wittenberg University, was called upon to draft a common confession for the Lutheran Lords and Free Territories. The resulting document, the Augsburg Confession was presented to the emperor on June 25, 1530.

The confession was presented to Charles V in both Latin and German. Minor differences between the two texts exist. Some editions published today print english translations from both. Our texts come from an edition published in 1930s by the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod, under the title: Concordia Triglotta.

The Confutatio Pontificia (1530):

In Reference To The Matters Presented To His Imperial Majesty By The Elector Of Saxony And Some Princes And States Of The Holy Roman Empire, On The Subject And Concerning Causes Pertaining To The Christian Orthodox Faith, The Following Christian Reply Can Be Given. August 3, 1530. Edited by J.M. Reu. Published in The Augsburg Confession, A Collection of Sources . (Fort Wayne, IN: Concordia Theological Seminary Press), pp. 349-383.

Martin Luther's Large Catechism (1530):

The Large Catechism, by Martin Luther. Translated by F. Bente and W.H.T. Dan. Published in: Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church . (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

Martin Luther's Small Catechism (1529)

The Smalcald Articles of Martin Luther (1537):

Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537):

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Reverend Bob Smith
[email protected]
Ft. Wayne, Indiana


This document results from a cooperative effort between Project Wittenberg and ICLnet , Reverend Bob Smith, Project Coordinator. Document revised, 2005:Mar.02