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

To give an example of the mode of using the Table, under various
readings: I, all the codices and editions sustain Melanchthon's reading,
except Mentz, Nur., Nordl., Ansp. 2, and Weim. 1; under II, all but Weim.
1, Mentz, Nur., Ansp. 2, 3; under III, all but Weim. 1, Mentz, Nur., Ansp.
2., Ed. ant. 5. The most remarkable is VII. It is found alone in the Editio
Princeps, and Melanchthon's editions of the German. Taking the aggregate
of the testimony of Codices and Editions, it is about in the ratio of more
than two for Melanchthon's Editio Princeps, to one for the text of the Book
of Concord, and this too includes the readings of the earliest, and,
consequently, immaturest of the Codices. The Codices we have given in
alphabetical order, have been arranged chronologically, thus: 1, Weim. 1
(Spalatin's autograph); 2, Ansp. 1; 3, Hannov.; 4, Mentz, (long believed to
be the original, and, as such, was taken for the text of the Book of
Concord); 5, Weim. 2; 6, Dresd.; 7, Ansp. 2; 8, Ansp. 3; 9, Cass.; 10, Mun.;
11, Nur.; 12, Nord.; 13, Augs. These Codices are copies of the Confession
made during its preparation, and, caeteris paribus, the later the time at
which the copy was made, the greater the probability of its exact
conformity with the text actually handed in. An important mark of
maturity is the addition of the subscriptions. The first three are incomplete,
the first six are without the subscription. Beginning with 7, Ansp. 2, the
rest have the subscription except Mun., which is a fragment terminating in
the Articles on the Mass. The facts we have presented demonstrate four
things: First, that the question of the two German texts which have had
Confessional authority in our Church, is purely critical. For all doctrinal
and practical ends the two texts are one. Any principle which would really
unsettle the text of the Confession of Faith, as a Confession, would much
more unsettle the text of the Rule of Faith, as a Rule. The two texts of the
German Confession differ much less than the texts of the Textus Receptus
of the Greek, and of Tischendorf's Eighth Edition. It does not disturb our
faith that we have critically diverse texts of the Rule, for they teach the
same faith, nor will it disturb our confession that we have slightly