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The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

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elaboration, but a reproduction. To Luther belong the doctrinal power of<br />

the Confession, its inmost life <strong>and</strong> spirit, <strong>and</strong> to Melanchthon its matchless<br />

form. Both are in some sense its authors, but the most essential elements<br />

of it are clue to Luther, who is by pre-eminence its author, as Melanchthon<br />

is its composer.<br />

<strong>Its</strong> Authorship: Luther’s relations to. 146<br />

If the authorship of the Confession should be claimed for<br />

Melanchthon to the exclusion of Luther, it would open the second great<br />

Reformer to the charge of the most unscrupulous plagiarism. Even had<br />

Luther, however, had no direct share in the Augsburg Confession, the<br />

assertion would be too sweeping that he was in no sense its author. Not<br />

only as great leading minds are in some sense the authors of all works that<br />

have germinated directly from their thoughts, but in a peculiar sense<br />

Luther was the author of Melanchthon's theological life; he was,as<br />

Melanchthon loved to call him, "his most dear father." All the earliest<br />

<strong>and</strong> purest theology of Melanchthon is largely but a repetition, in his own<br />

graceful way, of Luther's thoughts; <strong>and</strong> the Augsburg<br />

146 Collected works, having an importance in the Interpretation <strong>and</strong> History of the Augsburg Confession.<br />

LUTHER. Opera Omnia (Latin) (1556-58.) Jena 1579-83. 4 Tom. Folio.-In primum Librum Mose<br />

Enarrationes. 1555. Fol. - Schriften und Werke (Boerner u. Pfeiffer.) Leipz. 1729-34. 22 vols. Folio. Greiff's<br />

Register. 1740. Fol.Sammtliche Werke. (Walch) Halle 1740-52. 24 vols. 4to. -Simrntliche Werke. (Ammon,<br />

Erlsperger, Irmescher, Plochmann) Erlangen, 1826-1857. 65 vols. (German) <strong>and</strong> 2 vols. Register. Invaluable for<br />

critical purposes. - Geist, oder Concordanz der Ansichten, etc. Darmstadt, 1827-31. 4 vols. -Briefe, Sendschreiben u.<br />

Bedenken (De Wette), Berlin, 1826-56. 6 vols. (<strong>The</strong> last edited by Seidemann.) -Reformatorische Schriften, in<br />

Chronologischer Folge. (Zimmermann) Darmstadt, 1846-49. 4 vols. 8vo. - (Lutherus Redivivus, oder des<br />

fiirnehmsten Lehrers der Augspurg. Confess. D. M. Luther's hinterlassene Schriftliche Erklirungen... was der<br />

Augspurg. Confess. eigentliche Meinung u. Verst<strong>and</strong>t in allen Articuln allezeit gewesen. (Seidel) Halle 1697.) —<br />

MELANCTITHON. Opera Omnia (Peucer.) Wittenb. 1562-64. 4 vols. Fol. -Opera quae supersunt omnia.<br />

(Bretschneider) Halle 1834-1856. 28 vols. 4to. Indispensable to the student of the Augsburg Confession, or of the<br />

<strong>Reformation</strong> in general. ~ <strong>The</strong> Loci <strong>The</strong>ologici especially, are edited with a completeness unparalleled in the<br />

Bibliography of Dogmatics.- MELANCHTHON. Corpus Doctrinae Christianae, das ist, Gantze Summa der rechten<br />

Christlichen Lehre, etc. Leipzig, 1560. Fol. -Corpus Doctrinae Christianae quae est summa orthodoxi et Catholici<br />

Dogmatis. Lipsiae, 1563. Folio. -ZWINGLII Huldr. Opera, Completa Editio prima cur. Schulero et Schulthessio.<br />

Zurich 1829-1842. 8 vols. 8vo.

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