Lutheranism
- Year
- 1517
- Kind
- Tradition
What it was
It grew out of Martin Luther’s protest against indulgence preaching (1517) and was given confessional form in the Augsburg Confession (1530). Internal disputes after Luther’s death were settled in the Formula of Concord (1577), gathered into the Book of Concord (1580).
Little known
Luther kept private confession and absolution: the Small Catechism teaches how to confess to the pastor, and the Augsburg Confession (arts. XI and XXV) states that private confession should be retained in the churches.
Key figures
- Martin Luther1483–1546
- Philip Melanchthon1497–1560
- Martin Chemnitz1522–1586
- Johannes Bugenhagen1485–1558
Key documents
- Ninety-five Theses1517
- Small and Large Catechisms1529
- Augsburg Confession1530
- Apology of the Augsburg Confession1531
- Smalcald Articles1537
- Formula of Concord1577
- Book of Concord1580