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Formula of Concord THE NEW SCHAFF-HERWG
ods, the validity of the consecrations dispensed by Formosus. Nevertheless the infatuation of the anti-German party was such that Sergius III. (904-911) surpassed the decisions of that scandalous synod, compelling the clergy ordained by Formosus to undergo a second consecration.
Recueil, ix. 202-204, and, with the Pravilegia and notes, in MPL, cxxix. 837-854. Sources are: Lindprand, Antapodosis, i. 28 in MGH, Script., iii (1839), 282-283; Chroniea S. Benedicti, ib. p. 204; Attnales Fuldenses, ib. i. (1826) 409 sqq.; Maraani Scotti chronicon, ib. (1844) 553; Flodoard, Hist. Remensis ecclesia, ib. xiii (1881), 559560; the writings of Auxilius and Vulgarius in defense of Formosus, in E. Diimmler, Auxilius uml Vulgarius, Leipsic, 1866. Consult: Jaff6, Regesta, i. 435-439; E. Dummler, Geschichte des oatfrdnkischen Reichs, vols. ii. iii., Leipsie, 1887-88; J. Langen, Geschichte der romischen Kirche . . Us Gregor VIZ., pp. 295 sqq., Bonn, 1892; F. Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, iii. 126-232, London, 1895; Milman, Latin Christianity, iii. 93-114; Bower, Popes, ii. 297-299.
The Formula of Concord is the last of the six con
fessional books of the Lutheran Church, forming
the close of the Book of Concord. The Lutheran
Church, from the beginning, has stood for pure doc
trine; i.e., the doctrine of the three symbols of the
ancient Church, of the Augsburg Con
I. Prelimi- fession (or more precisely of Luther,)
nary His- and of the church and school of
tory. Wittenberg. Melanchthon dogmatized
and thus externalized the authority of
Luther; but he departed from LLther's doctrine.
Thus, after Luther's death dissensions arose, and two
opposite tendencies were developed. Both parties
the Melanchthonians or Crypto-Calvinists (see PHI
LIPPISTS) and the Gnesio-Lutherans such as Flacius
,q.v.)-fell into extremes and exaggerations. Among
the questions in dispute may be mentioned the In
terim and the matter of adiaphora (after 1547);
Osiander's doctrine of justification (after 1550); the
Majoristic controversy (see MAJOR, GEGRG) over the
assertion of Major and Menius that good works are
necessary for salvation and the opinion of Amsdorf
that they are an obstacle to salvation (after 1552), and
in connection with it the antinomistic controversy;
the controversy on the Lord's Supper (after 1552);
the synergistic controversy (after 1555); and the
Christological controversies, which began in the
early sixties. The idea of effecting an agreement
between the two contending parties arose at an
early time. In 1556 Flacius issued " lenient prop
ositions " in that direction, but made them de
pendent upon a public confession of those who had
erred. Melanchthon acknowledged his fault in regard
to the Interim, but excused his attitude. The serious
nessof the situationwas generally felt at the Relig
ious Colloquy of Worms in 1557 (see WORMS), when
the Saxon theologians (i.e., the party of Flacius)
questioned the right. of their Philippist opponents
to appeal to the Augsburg Confession. The Prot
estant princes tried to establish peace by the Frank
fort Recess (q.v.) in 1558, at which the introduc-
s42tion of an official censorship of writings of a religious nature was decreed; but the adherents of Flacius successfully resisted all such attempts. At the Diet of Naumburg (1561), where an open Calvinist like Frederick III. of the Palatinate was the leader, the divergence in doctrine regarding the Lord's Supper became more evident than ever. It was felt that. the Augsburg Confession was not a sufficient confessional basis. A convention at Liineburg, for instance, demanded a corpus doctrincewhich should comprise, besides the Augsburg Confession, the Augsburg Apology, the Schmalkald Articles, and Luther's catechism, as well as his other writings. Such corpora doctrines arose now in different parts of the country. The Melanclr thoniana also produced a Corpus doctrince christiante (Leipsic, 1560), in which they embodied
chiefly works of Melanchthon. In this way fixed norms of doctrine were established. The next task was to establish a common corpus doctrinte for the whole Lutheran Church of Germany. It was solved by the " Book of Concord " [the title of the Formula concordice in the editio princeps, 1580;
this name was afterward reserved for the collec
tion of all the Lutheran symbols], in which the dif
ferent corpora doctrince found their consummation.
The different collections of confessions, however,
did not wipe out the old controversies on the Phil
ippist errors. The need of a new confession as the
only satisfactory solution of the difficulty was felt
more and more. In June, 1567, Landgrave Will
iam IV. of Hesse-Cassel and Duke
a. Media- Christopher of Wiirttemberg com tion missioned Jakob Andrea to draw up of Jakob a formula which could be accepted by Andrea. all theologians of the Augsburg Confes sion. It bore the title, Bekenntnis and kurze Erklarung etlicher zwieeptlltiger Artikel, riachwelcher sine christliche Einigkeit in den Kirchen, der
Augsb. Konfession xugethan getroffen and die arger
liche, larrgwierige SPoltung hingelegt werden mochte.
It related chiefly to the five articles of justification
by faith, good works, free will, adiaphora and the
Lord's Supper. But the time was not yet ripe for
the success of the plan. Duke Christopher, the
originator of the idea, died, and Landgrave William
of Hesse-Cassel conceived the impracticable scheme
of applying the intended agreement not only to all
elements of German Protestantism, but also to the
Reformed Churches outside of Germany. In
Electoral Saxony Philippism still flourished, and
the theologians of Ducal Saxony still clung to their
ultra-Lutheran views. Andrea's journeys to Sax
ony in 1569 and 1570 did not alter the situa
tion. After the death of Duke John William of
Saxony the ultra-Lutheran party was dispersed
under the protectorate of Elector August, and the
eyes of the elector, who had always regarded him
self a good Lutheran, were opened to the Crypto
Calvinism existent in his own country. In 1573, be
fore the overthrow of Crypto-Calvinism in Electoral
Saxony, Andrea had published Sechs christliche
Predigten (Tiibingen, 1573), in which he tried to
settle the controversies not by theological investi
gations, but by the catechism. The sermons
openly showed his Lutheran convictions. He had