Philip Schaff · 7 of 85

The First Helvetic or Second Basle Confession, A.D. 1536.

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:

'Ein gemeine bekantnus des helgen waren und uralten Christlichen gloubens und unsern mittburgern und Christlichn gloubgnossen, etc. Zurich. Bern. Basell. Straßburg. Costenz. Santgalln. Schaffhusn. Millhusn. Biel. etc. zbasell uffgericht geordnet und gmacht uff wytern bscheid, etc. Im 1536. 1. 2. 3. et 4. Februariy.

'Ein kurtze und gemeine bekantnuß des gloubens der kelchen so in einer Eidtgnoschafft das Evangelium Christi angenomen habend, allen glöbigen und fromen zu erwegen, zu beschatzn und zu urteilen dargestelt. 1 Pet. iii.; 1 Joh. iv.']

Ist durch oben gemeldeter Städte Boten bestätigt und einhellig angenommen.

Basel, 1536, am 26. März.