ST. CATHARINES CONCORDIA - Brock University

38 LU I HEKAN 7 HEOLOGICAL REVIEW
connections which the Schwabach Ar.ticles made between each article. Na 1V removes
the rel'erence to the Prcdigtamt which was present in the Schwabnch Articles. Pcrhaps
that is because of thc Trinitarian structure noted above: the article speaks of the Spirit
working directly through the means. Never~heless, the theologians must have found
this unsatisfactory, for the Pvcdigtumt is retumcd in AC V. Thcy cannot say Means
of Grace without Office. Na V removes the connection with original sin, and seems
out of place when co~mecled with Pneumatology. The AC rectifies this by placing
justification after Christology. Na V also lacks Schwabach's strong statement that
"such faith is our righteousness", which returns in AC IV. The order 01 Na lacks the
aclive role 01' the Holy Spirit in giving faith; instead, the Holy Spirit is Himsclf the
gift. Thus faith and the Means of Grace are not cleanly presented. Na takes a positive
step, though, in moving good works akr justification, which leads into AC V1 with
little change. These great changes, not surprisingly, have left Na a little rough. 3 1
THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION (25 JUNE 1530)
The preceding investigation has equipped us to identify what is significant in the
structure of the final form of the AC, presented to the enlperor on 25 June 1530. 32
First, a negative conclusion: the re.jection of the Anabaptists probably docs not apply
to both AC IV and V, since in its first appearance (Na) it comes before the justification
article. The lack of a condenmation paragraph in AC 1V would suggest that the
contrasy error is Roman. The other three clues discussed in the introduction, howcver,
have gained strength.
The sources demonstrate that the distribution of introductory phrases like "it is
further taught" is not accidcntal. Absent in all sources up to Na (31 May 1530), they
appear in the first original Gernlan formulation of the new confession, sent to Niirnberg
on 15 June ( NI).~~ 'I'his document lacks this phrase in the same three placcs as the
final AC. The only altcsnate reading for the start of AC V appears in Spalatin's copy
of a working version (Sp), which reads: "Weiter wird in unscrcn Kir-chcn gclchl-t lrnd
gcpr-edigt . . . [It is further taught and preachcd in our churches . ..
Maurer dates
Sp bcfore 15 June, since it appears less complete than ~ 1 The fact . that ~ Sp ~ includes
the introductory phsase befure every doctrinal article suggests that the authors had a
puipose in removing it where thcy did--or perhaps that Spalatin himself added it.
3 1 Maurel- (33) notes: "All of these observers lead to the conclusion that whenever Na goes beyond its prcdcccssors
the formulations are not yet completely polished. Thc author has clca~.ly concentratctl lnorc on the composltlon
as a whole than on rndlvitlual ideas." PyIaurcr 288-89 has a mqor disclrssion ot Na's rearrangement of the
Schwahach Articlcs.
32 No original maooscnpt exists from th~s presentatioi~. BKS follows ~11z 1580 Gern~anBook u/Cuilcur.ci in placing
[he greatest weight on the rnanuscnpt Mz for the Gel.~nan Lest; he Lati~~ tzxl iri BKS I'ulluws the manuscript
group I