Creeds and Confessions

Table of Contents

During the Protestant Reformation, several creeds and confessions were drafted to articulate doctrinal beliefs, establish religious identity, and distinguish different Protestant groups from the Roman Catholic Church. Here is a list of some of the most significant creeds and confessions from that period:

    Lutheran Tradition

  1. Augsburg Confession (1530)
  2. Smalcald Articles (1537)
  3. The Formula of Concord (1577)

    4. Reformed Tradition

  4. Tetrapolitan Confession (1530)
  5. The Scots Confession (1560)
  6. The Belgic Confession (1561)
  7. Second Helvetic Confession (1566)
  8. The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)
  9. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)

    10. Anglican Tradition

  10. The Thirty-Nine Articles (1571)

    11. Anabaptist Tradition

  11. The Schleitheim Confession (1527)
  12. The Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632)

Catechisms

Several catechisms were drafted during the Reformation as tools for instruction and education. These catechisms were designed to articulate core beliefs and to instruct individuals in the essentials of the Christian faith.

    Lutheran Tradition

  1. Luther's Small Catechism (1529)
  2. Luther's Large Catechism (1529)

    3. Reformed Tradition

  3. The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
  4. The Geneva Catechism (1541)
  5. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647)
  6. The Westminster Larger Catechism (1647)

    7. Anglican Tradition

  7. The Catechism of the Church of England (1549)

    8. Anabaptist Tradition

  8. The Anabaptist Catechism of Hans Denck (c. 1527)

Legacy