Produced by Kurt A. T. Bodling, Concordia Seminary, St.

Louis, Class of 1980

Historical Introductionsto theSymbolical Booksof the Evangelical Lutheran Churchby F. Bente

I. The Book of Concord, or The Concordia.

1. General and Particular Symbols.

Book of Concord, or Concordia, is the title of the Lutheran corpusdoctrinae, i.e., of the symbols recognized and published under thatname by the Lutheran Church. The word symbol, sumbolon, is derivedfrom the verb sumballein, to compare two things for the purpose ofperceiving their relation and association. Sumbolon thus developed themeaning of tessara, or sign, token, badge, banner, watchword, parole,countersign, confession, creed. A Christian symbol, therefore, is a markby which Christians are known. And since Christianity is essentially thebelief in the truths of the Gospel, its symbol is of necessity aconfession of Christian doctrine. The Church, accordingly, has from thebeginning defined and regarded its symbols as a rule of faith or a ruleof truth. Says Augustine: "Symbolum est regula fidei brevis et grandis:brevis numero verborum, grandis pondere sententiarum. A symbol is a ruleof faith, both brief and grand: brief, as to the number of words, grand,as to the weight of its thoughts."

Cyprian was the first who applied the term symbol to the baptismalconfession, because, he said, it distinguished the Christians fromnon-Christians. Already at the beginning of the fourth century theApostles' Creed was universally called symbol, and in the Middle Agesthis name was applied also to the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds. Inthe Introduction to the Book of Concord the Lutheran confessorsdesignate the Augsburg Confession as the "symbol of our faith," and inthe Epitome of the Formula of Concord, as "our symbol of this time."

Symbols may be divided into the following classes: 1. Ecumenicalsymbols, which, at least in the past, have been accepted by allChristendom, and are still formally acknowledged by most of theevangelical Churches; 2. particular symbols, adopted by the variousdenominations of divided Christendom; 3. private symbols, such as havebeen formulated and published by individuals, for example, Luther'sConfession of the Lord's Supper of 1528. The publication of privateconfessions does not necessarily involve an impropriety; for accordingto Matt. 10, 32 33 and 1 Pet. 3, 15 not only the Church as a whole, butindividual Christians as well are privileged and in duty bound toconfess the Christian truth over against its public assailants.Self-evidently, only such are symbols of particular churches as havebeen approved and adopted by them. The symbols of the Church, says theFormula of Concord, "should not be based on private writings, but onsuch books as have been composed, approved, and received in the name ofthe churches which pledge themselves to one doctrine and religion."(CONC. TRIGL., 851, 2.)

Not being formally and explicitly adopted by all Christians, thespecifically Lutheran confessions also are generally regarded asparticular symbols. Inasmuch, however, as they are in complete agreementwith Holy Scripture, and in this respect differ from all otherparticular symbols, the Lutheran confessions are truly ecumenical andcatholic in character. They contain the truths believed universally bytrue Christians everywhere, explicitly by all consistent Christians,implicitly even by inconsistent and erring Christians. Christian truth,being one and the same the world over is none other than that which isfound in the Lutheran confessions.

2. The German Book of Concord.

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