ARTICULI SIVE CONCLUSIONES LXVII. H. ZWINGLII.

A.D. 1523.

The Sixty-Seven Articles or Conclusions of Ulrich Zwingli.

[These Theses of Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531) were publicly discussed and successfully defended at the religious conference in Zurich, Jan. 29, 1523, and prepared the way for the introduction of the Reformation in German Switzerland. They exhibit the first creed of the Reformed Churches (seven years older than the Lutheran Confession of Augsburg). Their form, consisting of brief, concise propositions, is much better adapted for a creed than the lengthy argumentative discussions of many later and more authoritative confessions. They never acquired a strictly symbolical authority, not even in Zurich, but may justly claim a place in this Collection on the ground of their historical importance. We give the original in High-German, with some of the old readings in foot-notes, together with the Latin translation (instead of the less intelligible Swiss dialect in which Zwingli wrote them, and which is reproduced by Niemeyer, pp. 1 sqq.). For an abridgment in English, see the History of Creeds, Vol. I. pp. 363 sqq.]

THESES BERNENSES. A.D. 1528.

The Ten Conclusions of Berne.

These Ten Conclusions were carefully prepared by Berthold Haller and Francis Kolb, Reformed ministers at Berne, and, at their request, revised and published by Zwingli (in German, Latin, and French) for a large religious Conference held in the capital of Switzerland, Jan. 7–26, 1528. They were approved by all the leading Swiss Reformers, and also by Ambrosius Blaarer of Constance, Bucer and Capito of Strasburg, and others, who attended the Conference. The result of the Conference was the complete triumph of the Reformation in Berne. They are a model of brevity. Niemeyer gives the German original in the Swiss dialect from the Zurich edition of 1528. An English version is given in Vol. I. p.365.

CONFESSIO HELVETICA PRIOR (sive BASILEENSIS POSTERIOR).

The First Helvetic Confession. A.D. 1536.

[This Confession was composed by a number of Swiss divines (Bullinger, Grynæus, Myconius, and others), delegated and assembled for the purpose, in the city of Basle, A.D. 1536. It is the first Confession which represented the faith of all the Reformed cantons of Switzerland; the preceding ones had merely a local authority. It is called the First Helvetic Confession to distinguish it from the Second Helvetic Confession (1566), which acquired still greater authority. It is also less aptly called the Second Confession of Basle (Conf. Basileensis Posterior), from the place of its composition and publication, in distinction from the First Confession of Basle, or of Mühlhausen (1534), which continued in force in these two cities. See the History, Vol. I. §§ 53 and 54. The Latin text was published first under the title: Ecclesiarum per Helvetiam Confessio Fidei summaria et generalis. It is reproduced in the Corpus et Syntagma, and in Niemeyer's Collectio (pp. 115–122). The German text in the Swiss dialect was prepared by Leo Judæ, and is of equal authority with the Latin, although it is a free and enlarged translation. I give it in High-German, which is more intelligible. It appeared with the following title and introductory note: