Augsburg Fortress Publishes New Book of Concord

Seminary Faculty Member Timothy J. Wengert is co-editor

Minneapolis, MN; August 18, 2000 - Augsburg Fortress, Publishing House of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), today announced the publication of a new edition of The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Commissioned in 1993, this translation of The Book of Concord brings a new generation of scholarship and sensitivities to the foundational texts of Lutheran identity.

Edited by Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, the new edition succeeds the earlier version edited by Theodore Tappert and published in 1959 by Muhlenburg Press. Kolb and Wengert worked with an editorial team of leading Reformation historians, as well as over 100 other scholars and teachers who use The Book of Concord continually. Two other teams of scholars also reviewed the new translations. [MORE]

"The Tappert edition of The Book of Concord served the church and its pastors, teachers, and students well during the past 40 years," said Hal Rast, acting vice president for the academic and professional business group at Augsburg Fortress. "However, in light of new scholarship and changes in translation and usage of the English language, it is time for a new edition that will be more accurate and useful for today's users."

The new edition of The Book of Concord features expanded introductions and annotations offering richer historical context, new translation aiming at accessible but accurate translation, and a format that is easier to read and use. Written in modern English, it uses the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible where possible and contains references to the English translations of works by Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and the Church Fathers. Based on the latest scholarly research, it provides the first English translation of the standard sixteenth-century edition of the Apology and the complete text of Luther's printed Small Catechism.

Kolb is the mission professor of systematic theology and director of the Institute for Mission Studies at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to numerous articles, his books on the Reformation include Martin Luther as Prophet, Teacher, and Hero. Images of the Reformer, 1520-1620 (Baker Books, 1999); Luther's Heirs Define His Legacy, Studies on Lutheran Confessionalization (Variorum, 1996); and The Christian Faith, a Lutheran Exposition (Concordia Publishing House, 1993).

Wengert is a professor of Reformation history at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Some of his most recent writings include Human Freedom, Christian Righteousness (Oxford University Press, 1998); Law and Gospel (Baker Book House, 1997); and Philip Melanchthon ... and the Commentary (Sheffield Academic Press, 1997). Wengert has also published notes on two of Martin Luther's sermons (Sixteenth Century Studies Journal, 1983).

The Book of Concord is available through both Augsburg Fortress catalogs and the on-line store. The book will also be carried in Augsburg Fortress stores.

Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is the largest Lutheran publishing house in the United States. Augsburg Fortress provides education materials, music, books, ecclesiastical arts, electronic worship resources, computer products and other resources for congregations and non-church markets. It also publishes several magazines, including The Lutheran and Lutheran Woman Today. For more information about Augsburg Fortress, visit the Web site at www.augsburgfortress.org.