A new translation of the Book of Concord is a chance for the Lutheran Church to pause and consider what her confessions are. The new, anonymously translated and edited Concordia . . . DRESDEN, 1580 presents a translation of the 1580 German Book of Concord, even for those parts that were originally written in Latin. To my mind this is a defensible and even laudable pursuit. The 1580 German Book of Concord was the version that had widespread approval, to which were appended thousands of names of subscribing pastors, teachers, and civil rulers. While the 1584 Latin Book of Concord was always seen as equivalent in meaning to the German 1580 and was widely used in university instruction, until recent times you either had the 1580 German Book of Concord or the 1584 Latin, not a mix.
The new translation also includes the Catalog of Testimonies, just as it was included in 1580—a laudable addition. But it lacks paragraph numbers, which since the 19th century have facilitated navigation of the Lutheran confessional documents—a lamentable omission.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend this translation. Nearly every article I checked against the original German had words missing or words added. The following table gives examples. Boldface type highlights the discrepancies.
Reference | Smalkald Press | 1580 German | A possible translation of the 1580 German
AC I 2 | without parts, infinite in power (p. 17) | ohne stück, one end, vnermeßlicher macht | without parts, without end, of immeasurable power
That is, Smalkald Press left out a phrase.
AC I 1, 5 | We unanimously teach and hold . . . . we reject (p. 17) | ERstlich wird eintrechtiglich gelehret vnd gehalten . . . . werden verworffen | First, it is taught and held unanimously . . . . are rejected
Smalkald Press changed the third person passive to the first person active. But since the AC is a statement of the princes and free imperial cities to the emperor, concerning what the churches and pastors in their territories taught, it should not be changed to the first person active. For comparison, the Latin renders it as third person active, describing what “the churches” teach.
AC II 3 | and who, through natural powers, ascribe righteousness to human nature, thus diminishing the suffering and merit of Christ. (p. 17) | damit sie die Natur from machen, durch natürliche kreffte, zu schmach dem leiden vnd verdienst Christi. | so that they might justify [human] nature through natural powers, insulting the suffering and merit of Christ.
AC II 3 is seriously confused in the new translation.
AC V 1 | instituted the ministry of preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments. (p. 18) | das Predigtampt eingesetzt, Euangelium vnd Sacrament geben, | instituted the preaching-office, gave Gospel and Sacraments
AC V seems to be translated sometimes from the German and sometimes from the Latin. The words “administering the” are not in the German.
AC V 2 | where and when it pleases God. (p. 18) | wo vnd wenn er wil | where and when he wills
Here “it pleases God” seems to be a translation of the Latin “visum est Deo.”
AC V 3 | through Christ’s merit, nor through our own. (p. 18) | durch Christus verdienst, nicht durch unser verdienst, so wir solches gleuben. | through Christ’s merit, nor through our merit, if we believe this.
Smalkald Press omitted a phrase.
I could go on listing examples of added or omitted words, but at some point I started to suspect that this is an A.I. generated text, the work of a Large Language Model. In my experience with these models, besides giving plausible but inaccurate translations (since they are essentially just sophisticated auto-complete programs, predicting the next most likely word) they often leave out large chunks of text. And indeed, when I looked at the Large Catechism’s exposition of the First Commandment, I found that paragraphs 28–48 are completely missing.
Therefore, caveat emptor! This A.I. translation needs a human editor who knows 16th century German before it can deserve to be called “Concordia” or “The Book of Concord.” The publishers and editors should also have the courage to name themselves and stand behind their work.
Benjamin T. G. Mayes
Associate Professor of Historical Theology
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana