The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

Commissioned in 1993, this translation of The Book of Concord brings a new generation of scholarship and sensitivities to bear on the foundational texts of Lutheran identity. The fifth English translation since 1851, this edition succeeds that edited by Theodore Tappert published in 1959 by Muhlenburg Press.

A review of the text in light of a mountain of new scholarship and other factors dictated the new translation and apparatus, including changes in the English language over the past forty years, differences in the training and preparation of seminarians and pastors, limitations in the introductions and annotations to the various parts of the book, new knowledge of the history and theology of these very documents, and the occasional error in Tappert's translation.

Kolb and Wengert's team of leading Reformation historians was augmented by consultation with one hundred other scholars and teachers who use The Book of Concord continually, and two other teams of scholars who have reviewed the translations. In coming years, two volumes of related documents will follow.

Benefits of this new translation:

Expanded introductions and annotations offer richer historical context

New translation aims at accessible but accurate translation

Format is easier to read and use

Leading American scholars have been involved or consulted

Author: Robert Kolb, Timothy J. Wengert
Publisher: Fortress Press
Published: 08/04/2000
Pages: 792
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.90lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.37w x 2.01d
ISBN: 9780800627409


Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 12/20/2000 pg. 1347

About the Author
Kolb, Robert: -

Robert Kolb is International Research Emeritus Professor for the Institute of Mission Studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Among his many publications, he is the author of Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith (2009) and coeditor of The Book of Concord (2001).

Timothy J. Wengert is emeritus professor of church history at the United Lutheran Seminary. A parish pastor for seven years in Minnesota and Wisconsin with a doctorate from Duke University, he taught on Philadelphia's faculty from 1989 to 2013. He has written extensively on the Reformation, was coeditor of the English edition of The Book of Concord (Fortress, 2000) and translated Luther's Small Catechism, used throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In addition to books on Philip Melanchthon and Martin Luther, he coauthored with Susan Wood a book on Lutheran/Roman Catholic relations, Shared Spiritual Journey (2016), and currently serves on the US Lutheran/Roman Catholic dialogue. He lives in Long Valley, New Jersey.