Book Review: Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions

C. F. W. Walther, the founder and first president of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and founder of the Synodical Conference, felt every Lutheran should read the Lutheran Confessions. He would be pleased with this latest effort by Concordia Publishing. The Lutheran Confessions, contained in The Book of Concord, include the three ecumenical creeds (Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed), the Augsburg Confession, the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Luther's Small Catechism, Luther's Large Catechism, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord.

Concordia Publishing House, a publishing arm of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS), has recently released this new edition of the book of Concord, the collection of Lutheran creeds from the days of the Reformation. This version is touted as "A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord."

When I attended Lutheran seminaries there were two editions used by seminarians. Most used the Concordia Triglotta, so named because the creeds were in Latin, German, and English (hence "Tri-glot" = three languages). For each creed the first of three columns was the original language of the creed (either Latin or German), the second the other language, and the third column in English. The scholar could then compare the English with the original language of the document. This wasn't reader friendly. The German was in a fractur script that was hard to read. And many didn't have time for all that much translation anyway.

The Tappert edition was only in English but with a topography and language that made it a bit difficult for the average reader.

Walther would have loved the translation and layout of this book. This edition is a reader's edition with a font and typography are easier to read and modern language. Historical background information is given to bring the reader up-to-date about the creed and the reason the creed was written. A feature that Walther would enjoy is the inclusion of a Book of Concord reading guide. This guide will take you through the contents of the book in one year.

Woodcuts by the Lutheran artist Albrecht Duerer are interspersed throughout the book, highlighting events and people in the Reformation. A nice touch is the recreation complete with woodcuts of Luther's Small Catechism.

At the end of the book one finds color plates of paintings by Albrecht Duerer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Lucas Cranach the Younger, Hans Holbein the Younger, among others. The detail of theology in these paintings is astounding. I especially enjoyed "Allegory of the Old and New Testaments," with the myriad of symbolism and use of colors and light to illustrate the messages of the Old and New Testaments. I also enjoyed the "Weimar Altarpiece" by Lucas Cranach the Elder which features a scene of the crucifixion with Cranach and Luther at the foot of the cross. A single stream of blood falls on the head of Cranach in the painting. Is this Cranach's personal testimony that he believes Christ died for his sins? I wonder if anyone has endeavored to write a book on the theology of paintings from the Reformation? The amount of detail as well as the use of color and light speak volumes about the theology of the painter.

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