ST. CATHARINES CONCORDIA - Brock University

Thornas M. W~nge~. AUGSUUKC CONFESSION TV M V
Christ for the benefit of our salvation. '
Faith is inner, yet it comes orily from outside by the woi-k of the Holy Spirit through
external means. This twofold discussion of the acquisilion of justification and its
applicalion foreshadows the relationship of articlcs IV and V in the Augsburg
Confcssion.
THE SCHWABACH ARTICLES (1529)
Thc most direct precursor ol' LIE doctrinal articles in the AC is the Schwnbach
~rticles," so called because thcy wcrc submitted as a basis of union by the Saxoris at
a conference with southern Germans at Schwabach, 16-19 October 1529. Though
rejected at this confcrcnce, they were picked up in he earliest negotiations at Augsburm
in May 1530.'' The Schwabach Articles prefigure the AC in their subdued polemics. 28
Maurer dwells at length on the differences between these articles and Luthcr's
Confession (1528), and lancnts the loss of the Trinitarian outline. 'lhis he attributes
to Melanchthon's "abstract approach".21 Though "abstract" is less than accurate, the
articlcs certainly show Melanchthon's systematic thinking, presenting for the first time
a distinct article on justification.
The older of articles surrounding that on justification suggests thc logic of this
docurncnt. At least the first ten articles are co~mected by an introductory phrase which
picks up on something in the preccding article. Justification (art. V) is connected to
the previous article on original sin by the phrase: "Since now all mcn are sinncrs . . .
it is impossible that a man worlc out by his own powers or good works that he again
become righteous and godly."22 Justification is continually described as beyond Lhe
powers within inan to aLPain. In fact, the harder man tries, the worse it goes for him.
. . . but that the only way [weg] to righteousness and to deliverance
from sin and death is as one without all mcrit or work believes in
the Son of God, whv suffered fos us, etc., as we have said. Such
faith [solcher glnwh] is our righteousness, for Gocl is pleased to
AE 37:3hh=WA 2h:~~lh'~'~. The nature of these "other spiritual gifts" is not explained. Luther is conce~ned only
with faith. The "internal-exrcmaI' [bst~r~caon is explained further below, inconnection virh the hkans urGrace.
CC'A 3011':81-91; some articles are in I1KS; trans. in Reu "40-"44.
On the baais of the dale of the Schwaback meeting, scholarv plw~ously assumed that these were a reworking of
the Marburg Articles; ~esemcll has denio~lst~ated, however. that they had been In production already during the
summer of 1529, and thus were llle fo~e~u~lne~ of the Ma~burg Articles. See the ~ntl.odnction in WA 30"':81;
also Granc 15; and Wilhelm Maurer, Histor-ircrl Cornrtw~1ii1-v o~i the Aiq~Dur-R Con$ession, rrans. 11. Cieorge
Andersnn (Philadelphia: Fomess. 1986) 4, 9 10.
blmrer 21: "'l'hc scvcntccn Schwabach Articles depend on Luther's private confession [l5281 but lhcy are less
cumprel~ensive. That stems frnln Ihc grcatcr rcstraint they maintain toward both the enthusiasts and the
L~aditionalists.'
Maurer 24. Maurer's predilection for Luther over Melanchtlron is evident ultimately from the fact that at the
end of his commentary on Lhe AC he appends his personal suhzcription not to the A(:, hut only to Luther's 1528
Confession (419).
All rcfcrcnces to the Schwabach Articles are translaled by the presenl author fiom WA 30'":87-88.