the augsburg confession of 1530.
"ART. X. Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the [true] body and blood of Christ^918are truly present [under the form of bread and wine],^919 and are [there]^920 communicated to [and
received by]^921 those that eat^922 in the Lord’s Supper. And they disapprove of those that teach
otherwise."^923
the altered augsburg confession of 1540.
Concerning the Supper of the Lord they teach that with bread and wine are truly exhibited^924
the body and blood of Christ to those that eat in the Lord’s Supper.^925
articles of smalkald (by luther), 1537.
"Of this Sacrament of the Altar, we hold that the bread and wine in the Supper are the true
body and blood of Christ, and are given to, and re-ceived by, not only the pious, but also to and by
the impious Christians."
In the same articles Luther denounces transubstantiation as a "subtle sophistry (subtilitas
sophistica)," and the Romish mass as "the greatest and most terrible abomination (maxima et
horrenda abominatio)." Pars III., Art. VI., in Mueller’s ed., pp. 301, 320.
formula of concord (1577). epitome, art. vii. affirmative.
"I. We believe, teach, and confess that in the Lord’s Supper the body and blood of Christ
are truly and substantially present, and that they are truly distributed and taken together with the
bread and wine.
"II. We believe, teach, and confess that the words of the Testament of Christ are not to be
understood otherwise than as the words themselves literally sound, so that the bread does not signify
the absent body of Christ, and the wine the absent blood of Christ, but that on account of the
sacra-mental union the bread and wine are truly the body and blood of Christ.
"III. Moreover, as concerns the consecration, we believe, teach, and confess that no human
work, nor any utterance of the minister of the Church, is the cause of the presence of the body and
blood of Christ in the Supper, but that this is to be attributed to the omnipotent power of our Lord
Jesus Christ alone.
"IV. Nevertheless, we believe, teach, and confess, by unanimous con-sent, that in the use
of the Lord’s Supper the words of the institution of Christ are by no means to be omitted, but are
to be publicly recited, as it is written (1 Cor. 10:16), ’The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
the communion of the blood of Christ?’ etc. And this benediction takes place by the recitation of
the words of Christ.
(^918) The Latin text reads simply: corpus et sanguis Christi; the German text: wahrer Leib und Blut Christi.
(^919) Vere adsint et distribuantur. The German text adds: unter der Gestalt des Brots und Weins. The variations between the Latin and
German texts of the original edition indicate a certain hesitation in Melanchthon’s mind, if not the beginning of a change, which was
completed in the altered confession.
(^920) German: da.
(^921) German addition: und genomnen wird.
(^922) Vescentibus. The German text has no equivalent for this verb.
(^923) Et improbant secus docentes. In German: Derhalben wird auch die Gegenlehre verworfen, wherefore also the opposite doctrine is
rejected. The sacramentarian (Zwinglian) doctrine is meant, but not the Calvinistic, which appeared six years afterward, 1536. The term
improbant for the papal damnant, and anathema sit, shows the progress in toleration. The Zwinglian view is not condemned as a heresy,
but simply disapproved as an error. The Formula of Concord made a step backwards in this respect, and uses repudiamus and damnamus.
(^924) Cum pane et vino vere exhibeantur, instead ofvere adsint et distribuantur. The verb exhibit does not necessarily imply the actual
reception by unbelievers, which the verb distribute does. So Dorner also judges of the difference (l.c., p. 324).
(^925) The disapproval of those who teach otherwise is significantly omitted, no doubt in deference to Calvin’s view, which had been
published in the mean time, and to which Melanchthon himself leaned.