The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrines, written by Martin Luther, which declared the positions on which Lutherans could not concede. This would serve as an agenda for a Council with the Roman Catholics, and is often thought of as Luther's "last will and testament," although Luther did not die while it was being written. Melanchthon then contributed to this work with the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, which was appended to the Smalcald Articles. The articles are named after the German town of Smalcald. Luther at age 46 (Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529) The Luther seal Martin Luther (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope is a treatise written by Philip Melanchthon that denotes the Lutheran position regarding the Papal abuses of authority. ... Schmalkalden is a town in the Kreis (district) of Schmalkalden-Meiningen in the southwestern portion of the German state of Thuringia. ...
Although the intended Council was never held, the Smalcald Articles were seen as a supplement to the other Confessions of the Lutheran Church and are still used today. They are included in the Book of Concord. The Book of Concord, or Concordia was first published on June 25, 1580, fifty years after the presentation of the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg. ...
The SmalcaldArticles were written near the end of 1536 by Martin Luther and submitted to the Smalcald League for adoption early in 1537.
Despite not being officially read at the league, the articles were nevertheless subscribed voluntarily at Smalcald (with the exception of the South Germans), and subsequently became known as the SmalcaldArticles.
The SmalcaldArticles are grouped in three parts: Part I treats the sublime articles of the divine majesty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Catechisms and the SmalcaldArticles came from the pen of Martin Luther; the Augsburg Confession, its Apology, and the Treatise were written by Luther's co-worker, the scholarly Phillip Melanchthon; the Formula of Concord was given its final form chiefly by Jacob Andreae, Martin Chemnitz, and Nickolaus Selnecker.
These articles were never used for their intended purpose, but Lutherans at once recognized their value as a statement of pure evangelical doctrine, and they were therefore included in The Book of Concord.
Articles of faith intended by Luther to be an ecumenical platform for an upcoming ecumenical council.
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