LUEBECK: One of the three city-states of the German Empire, comprising the inner city, with suburbs, and several enclaves in the surrounding country; area 115 square miles; population (1905) 108,857 of whom 101,724 were Evangelical Lutherans, 760 Reformed, 2,457 Roman Catholics, 638

Jews, and 231 sectarians (Baptists, Irvingites, Adventists, Mormons, etc.). The Reformation was established in Lübeck by Bugenhagen in 1531, and since that time the city has been Lutheran. Rigorous measures were taken against the Roman Catholics, and against adherents of the Reformed faith, though the former continued to hold religious services, and in 1693 the latter received permission to build a church and, under certain restrictions, hold their own service. Admission to the council was denied to all non-Lutherans till the beginning of the nineteenth century. The senate issued regulations for the Reformed parish in 1825, and for the Roman Catholics in 1841; and both denominations received full political and civil rights under the constitution of 1848 (revised 1851 and 1875). At present there are fourteen Lutheran parishes and fifteen churches. The present "Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the State of Lubeck" went into effect in 1895. It vests the church government in the senate, which either exercises its authority directly through its Lutheran members, or delegates it to the ecclesiastical council, which is composed of two Lutheran senators, of whom one is chairman, the senior (chairman) of the clerical ministerium, and four other members, viz., a clergyman and three laymen, who are elected by the senate for a period of six years, the clergyman on the recommendation of the clerical ministerium, the laymen on the recommendation of the synod. In matters affecting ecclesiastical law, church taxes, the liturgy, and the boundaries of parishes, the acts of the ecclesiastical council have to be sanctioned by the synod and confirmed by the senate. The clerical ministerium includes all the clergy who have charges. This body has a word in all matters affecting the doctrine and formularies of the Church. Since 1902, in accordance with an agreement with the consistory of Schleawick-Holstein, candidates have been examined by the board of examiners in Kiel, those passing becoming eligible for appointment in Lübecli, as well as in Schleawick-Holstein. The synod consists of forty-seven members, of whom three are appointed by the eccleaiasical council, the remainder being members of the local parochial boards. Such a board is composed of the local clergy and a number of laymen, who are elected for six years. Each pariah is divided into as many pastoral districts as it has clergy. The finances of the Church are regulated by s law of Jan. 18, 1895. The basis of the general church treasury is a fund of 150,000 marks formed by the surplus of the cloister of St. John, the Hospital of the Holy Ghost, and the Burg Cloister. The interest on this sum is supplemented by a yearly income of 16,000 marks from the cloister of St. John, and by a church tax. Church attendance on the part of adults is not good, and the number of communicants, which seems to be on the decrease, is less than sixteen per cent. of the population. Attendance by children is better. There are now services for children in every Lutheran parish of the city and suburbs. The oldest is that in the Church of St. James, which was established in 1875. The total attendance averages about 2,000.

(L. F. Ranke.)

Bibliography: Lfib. Verordnunpea and Bekanrdmaehungen, ii. 291, iii. 25, 308; Statiat. Mitlheilungen aus dens deutsche$

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evanyedischen Landeskirchen. 1880: W. I)eiae, Geschichte der evangelisch-reformierten Gemeinde in Ltibeck, Lübeck, 1880; E. Illigene, Geschichte der dfibecdcischen Ruche 168-1718SB, Paderborn, 1898; 8. Csrlebaob, Geschichte der Juden in LOberk, Lübeck,1899.