The Smalcald Articles
'The Smalcald Articles' Summary
Luther's patron, Elector John Frederick of Saxony, asked him to prepare these articles for the Schmalkaldic League's meeting in 1537, held again in Schmalkalden. The League had been organized in 1531 as a union of various Lutheran territories and cities, to provide a united military and political front against Roman Catholic politicians and armies, led by Emperor Charles V.
When the Schmalkaldic League met, Luther was taken very ill with a severe case of kidney stones and so was unable to attend the meeting. The league ultimately determined not to adopt the articles Luther had written. They were influenced not to adopt the Smalcald Articles by Philipp Melanchthon, who was concerned that Luther's writing would be regarded as divisive by some. Melanchthon was asked to write a clear statement on the papacy and this he did, a document that was adopted at the meeting as the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope.
In the Smalcald Articles, Luther summarized what he regarded to be the most important teaching in Christianity. The Articles were highly prized by John Frederick who ordered that they be made a part of his last will and testament. And though they were not adopted at the meeting of the Schmalkaldic League in 1537, most of the theologians present at that meeting subscribed to it. Parts of Hesse accepted them as confessional writing in 1544 and in the 1550s, the Smalcald Articles were used authoritatively by many Gnesio-Lutherans as well as being incorporated into “corpora doctrinae” during the following 20 years. In 1580, it was accepted as a confessional document in the Book of Concord.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
GermanPublished In
1537Author
Martin Luther
Holy Roman Empire
Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, Augustinian monk, and a seminal figure in the Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject...
More on Martin LutherDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Flowers from the Garden of Saint Francis for Every Day of the Year by St. Francis of Assisi
This is a collection of 365 moral admonitions of Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) and other notable Franciscans. The compiler of this anthology sug...
Steps to Christ by Ellen White
Steps to Christ is a book written by Ellen G. White, pioneer and prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was first published in 1892 by Fle...
Her Associate Members by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
Step into the exclusive world of "Her Associate Members" by Pansy, a captivating novel that unveils the hidden layers of friendship, self-discovery, a...
Epistle Sermons, Volume 2 by Martin Luther
It is a collection of sermons based on his interpretations of the Epistles of the New Testament. This book is a part of a larger series of works that...
Two Godly and Learned Sermons by John Calvin
Two godly and learned sermons, made by that famous and worthy instrument in God's church, John Calvin. Which sermons were long since translated out of...
The Chief Evils of the Times by Rev. Heinrich Nagelschmitt
It offers a scathing critique of the social and political conditions of America in the late 19th century. He examines issues such as poverty, corrupti...
The Essence of Christianity by Ludwig Feuerbach
This book is the foundation of modern atheism. There is scarcely any argument used today by atheists against the existence of God that Feuerbach had n...
The Love of Jesus to Penitents by Henry Edward Manning
In The Love of Jesus to Penitents, Manning enumerates the many benefits that the Sacrament of Penance affords the penitent: it reveals to the prodigal...
The Way of Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle
What if it were possible to live a life of perfect holiness? In The Way of Holiness, Samuel Logan Brengle answers this question with a resounding yes...
A Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Louis de Montfort
True Devotion to Mary is a treatise of what it means to have devotion to Our Lady. Montfort goes through the various aspects of this devotion explaini...
Reviews for The Smalcald Articles
No reviews posted or approved, yet...