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The year was 1537. It had been almost 20 years since Luther posted his 95 Theses to the Castle Church Door in Wittenberg. It was 7 years since the Lutheran faith was documented in the Augsburg Confession, read before Emperor Charles V on June 25, 1530. Preparations for an open Church Council were being made and Martin Luther was asked to prepare a statement of beliefs on behalf of the followers of his Reformation.
In 1531, political, religious and even military pressure necessitated an allegiance called the Smalkaldic League. This was a defensive coalition in which Lutheran territories promised that they would come to the aid of and provide military support for other member cities and regions within the League in the case of an attack by Imperial or papal forces.
Luther began preparing his statement of his faith in December of 1536. Having fallen ill, his urgency to complete his work grew. He believed this might be his final opportunity to defend the truths of God’s Word. In actuality he lived for an additional 10 years.
The Smalcald Articles were prepared and presented to the meeting of the Smalkaldic League on February 8, 1537. Luther was unable to attend this meeting due to a bout with kidney stones. There were some voices there that wondered if Luther’s timing and tone was appropriate. The Smalkald Articles were not officially adopted there, though 44 people present gave their individual endorsement with a signature. Luther made some small edits and published the work himself in 1538. Certainly the attacks of Charles V in the First Smalkaldic War later in 1537 pushed others to the side of Luther’s tone and tact in the document. Within years, the document found widespread acceptance in Lutheran circles. In 1577, the Formula of Concord cites the unanimous acceptance of the Smalcald Articles in Lutheran churches and in 1580 they were codified as an official Lutheran confessional writing with their inclusion in the Book of Concord.
Join in our study of the Smalcald Articles. You can find a free version of the Book of Concord online here, grab your printed copy off the shelf or get your own copy here.
If you have any questions about this series or our Most Certainly True Podcast, please reach out to Pastor Hackmann at bhackmann@gracedowntown.org. If you’d like to learn more about Grace Lutheran Church, check out our website www.gracedowntown.org.
