The Book of Concord
This resource is not available individually, but is a component of the The Book of Concord .
Overview
Commissioned in 1993, this translation of The Book of Concord brings a new generation of scholarship and sensitivities to bear on the foundational texts of Lutheran identity. The fifth English translation since 1851, this edition succeeds that edited by Theodore Tappert published in 1959 by Fortress Press.
A review of the text in light of a mountain of new scholarship and other factors dictated the new translation and apparatus, including changes in the English language over the past forty years, differences in the training and preparation of seminarians and pastors, limitations in the introductions and annotations to the various parts of the book, new knowledge of the history and theology of these very documents, and the occasional error in Tappert's translation.
Kolb and Wengert's team of leading Reformation historians was augmented by consultation with one hundred other scholars and teachers who use The Book of Concord continually, and two other teams of scholars who have reviewed the translations. In coming years, two volumes of related documents will follow.
- Expanded introductions and annotations offer richer historical context
- New translation aims at accessible but accurate translation
- Format is easier to read and use
- Leading American scholars have been involved or consulted
Top Highlights
“It is also taught that at all times there must be and remain one holy, Christian church. It is the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.” (Page 42)
“Therefore being made holy is nothing else than bringing us to the Lord Christ to receive this blessing, to which we could not have come by ourselves.” (Page 436)
“To be baptized in God’s name is to be baptized not by human beings but by God himself. Although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God’s own act.” (Page 457)
“Therefore, after we have been justified and reborn by faith, we begin to fear and love God, to pray for and expect help from him, to thank and praise him, and to obey him in our afflictions. We also begin to love our neighbor because our hearts have spiritual and holy impulses.” (Page 140)
“Answer: A ‘god’ is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need. Therefore, to have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in that one with your whole heart. As I have often said, it is the trust and faith of the heart alone that make both God and an idol. [3] If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true one. Conversely, where your trust is false and wrong, there you do not have the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God.” (Page 386)
- Title: The Book of Concord
- Authors: Robert Kolb, Timothy J. Wengert
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Print Publication Date: 2000
- Logos Release Date: 2001
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Lutheran Church › Catechisms and creeds
- Resource ID: LLS:16.0.13
- Resource Type: text.monograph.confessional-document
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-11T16:21:46Z
Robert Kolb is Missions Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Timothy J. Wengert is Professor of Church History at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and editor with Robert Kolb of The Book of Concord (Fortress Press, 2000).
