SMALCALD ARTICLES.
They were drawn up in the city of Smalcald in an intransigent and aggressive tone by Luther himself (unlike the conciliatory "Confessio Augustana" formulated by Melanchthon), as a norm for what the Protestants could and should "recipere, concedere vel recusare" in the Council convened for Mantua in 1537.
They are grouped into three parts: the first comprises the articles concerning "the divine Majesty," that is, the Trinitarian and Christological dogma, as it is contained in the Apostles' Creed: of these it is said that there is no controversy with the adversaries; the second groups the "irreducible" articles, on which no concession is to be made: they are salvation through the merits of Jesus Christ alone, the rejection of the Mass as a sacrifice, the condemnation of the invocation of the Saints, the abolition of celibacy, the papacy as a creation of the antichrist; in the third, 15 articles are listed on which "one can treat with the learned and come to compromises." They concern original sin and its consequences; the law, which reveals to man his weakness; penance, as a sense of spiritual death and of one's own radical unrighteousness; the "false penance of the pontificals"; the Gospel as the manifestation of the promise of for-
(phot. Boissonnar)
ENAMEL - Aquamanile, known as that of Charlemagne, with Eastern enamels set into it, 8th century - St-Maurice, Treasury of the abbey church.
the gift; Baptism, with the justification of the Baptism of children; the Sacrament of the altar; the power of the keys; confession; excommunication; initiation, Order and vocation; the marriage of priests; the Church; "how before God man is judged" and of good works; monastic vows; human traditions. These articles, subscribed by 43 theologians, among them Luther, Bugenhagen, Nikolaus Amsdorf, Agricola, Melanchthon, Urbanus Rhegius, were included in the Liber concordiae of 1580, as the dogmatic text of Lutheranism (v. LUTERO).
Bibliography2 works
Mario Bendiscioli