The Augsburg Confession: The Concordia Reader's Edition

by Martin Luther

The Augsburg The Concordia Reader's Edition offers you the chance to read and study the Augsburg Confession in an edition designed with the lay reader in mind. You will find a comprehensive introduction and explanation of why and how the Augsburg Confession was written. Before each of the articles in the Confession, you will find a summary and explanation of technical terms and phrases that may appear in the article. This edition also features pictures of the key Lutheran laymen who were responsible for the Augsburg Confession, from Philip Melanchthon, the author, to John the Steadfast and George of Brandenburg, two brave Lutheran leaders who refused to compromise their trust in Christ, and insisted on boldly confessing it before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

The goal of this edition is to aid understanding and give you a fuller picture of the Augsburg Confession and why it remains, to this day, the most basic and fundamental of the Lutheran Confessions, as they are found in the Book of Concord. The Concordia Reader's Edition of the Augsburg Confession is taken from the popular Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord, the best selling edition of the Book of Concord in English.

56 pages, Paperback

Published June 2, 2004

About the author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.

Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.

Reviews

[Shea Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An auto mechanic at work gave this to me saying this is what the scriptures teach clearly laid out. He is a part of the LCMS. Obviously I have my differences at points with the Lutheran Confession but overall outlines the Christian Gospel well and tackles some interesting points of error during it's time. The mention of binding of consciences is a common feature which seems to make sense being down stream from Luther. Of all people Martin Luther was a man with a burdened conscience and praise God the gospel sets us free.

[Steven Grandinetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read that took me a long time. I love reading about the nominations and now that me and Kaitlyn are attending a Lutheran church kind of wanted to read what it’s about. Love this book for the fact that each chapter has its own notes and kind of explained the history and the reasoning behind what’s written.

[Jordan Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This confession is so theologically rich. I also love reading it for daily devotionals sometimes.

[Michael T Moos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shining piece of literature from the Reformation.