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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.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: The Epietolce of Formosus are in Bouquet,

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-

s42

tion 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, riach

welcher 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