Book of Concord Editors - Brief Summary

Concordists

Martin Chemnitz was the chief editor of the Book of Concord and primary author of the Formula of Concord, 1580. Chemnitz studied under Luther and Melanchthon, reflecting the best of both reformers. His Examiniation of the Council of Trent, Loci, and other books are finally available in English, but skipped by modern Lutherans in favor of Leonard Sweet, C. Peter Wagner, and Waldo Werning.

Jacob Andreae began the effort that ended up as the Book of Concord and contributed to it. He was a cagey politician. Paul McCain considers himself a "Jacob Andreae," as he claimed one day at the Purple Palace.

David Chytraeus also made contributions. He felt slighted then and is often overlooked as a Concordist and as a theologian. We named our smallest guest room in one parsonage, The Chytraeus Room.

Selnecker had some doctrinal problems at first, but later joined the Concordists and wrote one of our finest hymns.

Musculus and Koerner were also part of the Book of Concord.

Johann Gerhard was born later, in 1582, so he belongs to the Sub-Concordist Age. He was close enough to the Reformation to finish one gigantic work of Chemnitz.

What do these orthodox theologians teach in common? Justification by faith alone.