The Wittenberg Concord

The Wittenberg Concord is often overlooked since it is generally held that it failed to resolve the eucharistic controversy. Such a judgment might be premature, however. As Timothy Wengert notes, it was the benchmark for Melanchthon's interpretation of the Lord's Supper. Assessing its value is complicated by the multiple layers of theology, history, politics, and linguistics woven into this concord ratified by the Lutherans and some south German theologians. While consensus was quickly reached on baptism and absolution, agreement on the Lord's Supper was more difficult. Still, the Concord had a lasting impact on the Augustana Variata of 1540 and the Formula of Concord of 1578. More recently, its statements on the Lord's Supper helped shape the 1973 Leuenberg Concord between Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe. Its original success lay in the way it provided space for dialogue, and this is what makes the Wittenberg Concord instructive for ecumenical dialogues today.