The text of the Apology has, like that of the Confession, gone through various
transformations, which are used by Bossuet and other Romanists as proofs of the changeableness
of Protestantism. The original draught made at Augsburg has no authority, as it was based on
fragmentary notes of Camerarius and others who heard the Confutation read on the 3d of August.^978
The first Latin edition was much enlarged and improved; the German translation was prepared by
Justus Jonas, assisted by Melanchthon, but differs widely from the Latin.^979 Both were published
together with the Augsburg Confession in October, 1531. Changes were made in subsequent editions,
both of the Latin original and the German translation, especially in the edition of 1540. Hence there
is an Apologia invariata and an Apologia variata, as well as a Confessio invariata and a Confessio
variata. The Book of Concord took both texts from the first edition.^980
§ 121. The Tetrapolitan Confession.
I. Editions. The Latin text was first printed at Strassburg (Argentoratum), a.d. 1531, Sept. (21
leaves); then in the Corpus et Syntagma Confess. (1612 and 1654); in Augusti’s Corpus libr.
symb. (1827), p. 327 sqq.; and in Niemeyer’s Collect. Confess. (1840), p. 740–770; Comp.
Proleg., p. LXXXIII.
The German text appeared first at Strassburg, Aug. 1531 (together with the Apology, 72 leaves);
then again, 1579, ed. by John Sturm, but was suppressed by the magistrate, 1580; at Zweibrücken,
1604; in Beck’s Symbol. Bücher, vol. I., p. 401 sq.; in Böckel’s Bekenntniss-Schriften der
evang. reform. Kirche (1847), p. 363 sq.
II. Gottl. Wernsdorff: Historia Confessionis Tetrapolitanae, Wittenb. 1694, ed. IV. 1721. Schelhorn:
Amaenitates Litter., Tom. VI., Francf. 1727. J. H. FELS: Dissert. de varia Confess. Tetrapolitanae
fortuna praesertim in civitate Lindaviensi, Götting. 1755. Planck: Geschichte des protest.
Lehrbegriffs, vol. III., Part I. (second ed. 1796), pp. 68–94. J. W. Röhrich: Geschichte der
evangel. Kirche des Elsasses. Strassburg, 1855, 3 vols. J. W. Baum: Capito und Butzer (Elberf.
1860), p. 466 sqq. and 595. Schaff: Creeds, I. 524–529.
The Tetrapolitan Confession, also called the Strassburg and the Swabian Confession, is the
oldest confession of the Reformed Church in Germany, and represented the faith of four imperial
cities, Strassburg, Constance, Memmingen, and Lindau, which at that time sympathized with Zwingli
and the Swiss, rather than Luther, on the doctrine of the sacraments.
It was prepared in great haste, during the sessions of the Diet of Augsburg, by Bucer, with
the aid of Capito and Hedio, in the name of those four cities (hence the name) which were excluded
by the Lutherans from their political and theological conferences, and from the Protestant League.
They would greatly have preferred to unite with them, and to sign the Augsburg Confession, with
the exception of the tenth article on the eucharist, but were forbidden. The Landgrave Philip of
Hesse was the only one who, from a broad, statesmanlike view of the critical situation, favored a
solid union of the Protestants against the common foe, but in vain.
(^978) Corp. Ref., XXVII. 267 sqq. Melanchthon himself did not hear it.
(^979) Ibid., 379 sqq.; XXVIII. 1 sqq.
(^980) See on the different editions the "Corp. Ref.," XXVI. 697 sqq. and XXVII. 379 sqq.; the Latin text of 1531, p. 419 sqq.; the German
translation with the variations of ed. II. (1533), ed. III. and IV. (1540), ed. V. 1550), ed. VI. (1556), in vol. XXVIII. 37-326.