THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
(sometimes known as Enchiridion), and with it the material of the catechism was firmly established for the future (see Luther's Two Catechisms). In some places, especially under the influence of the Nuremberg Kinderpredigten (1533), the power of the keys was added as a sixth article, and is still used as such in some of the churches of Germany.
At first Luther's catechism was merely one among several others, though it was almost universally adopted in both parts of Saxony, in Brandenburg, and in Pomerania. Apart from manuals produced under the influence of the Swiss theology, like those of Leo Jud and Bullinger, there are others which follow Luther's doctrine, among them Kaspar Lower's Unterricht des Glaubens (1529), Johann Brenz's Fragestiicke (1535), which is still used in Wiirttemberg, Butzer's catechisms for Strasburg (1534 and 1537), and others. It was only by degrees that Luther's work assumed the supremacy over other catechisms of the same tendency, until it finally attained the importance of a standard of doctrine. It was treated as such for 2 Gradual *ne nrs*' time in 1561 in the articles Supremacy of Liineburg, where it had its place of Luther's beside the Augsburg Confession, the
Smaller Apology, and the Schmalkald Articles Catechism. (see Corpus Doctrine). It attained a still stronger position 'in contradistinction to the Heidelberg Catechism (q.v.). The latter, which from the first was considered in the light of a confession of faith, was compiled in 1563 by Olevianus and Ursinus from the catechisms of Leo Jud and Bullinger, from the Emden catechism of 1554, from Calvin's catechism of 1542 (see below), and from two catechisms used among Low-German emigrant churches of the sixteenth century, and was soon introduced in all countries where the Reformed faith prevailed. In 1580 the Smaller Catechism was included in the Book of Concord, and took rank everywhere as the corresponding standard of Lutheran doctrine. While the Heidelberg Catechism, as the more comprehensive work, retained everywhere its old form, Luther's Enchiridion formed frequently only the basis for fuller expositions, in connection, e.g., with Brenz's Fragestiicke of 1535 and a booklet printed in 1549 at Erfurt under Luther's name, though really compiled by Johann Lang, entitled Fragestiicke fur die, so zum Sacrament gehen wbllen.
No little influence on the development of a
traditional form for catechisms was exercised by
the Latin ones prepared for the Latin schools.
The material of these, based partly
3. Early upon the Loci of Melanchthon, grew Catechisms to such an extent that they al-
Based on most formed regular dogmatic works.
Luther's Among the catechisms which origiwork. nated from such sources on the basis of Luther's Encheiridion the Kleiner Catechismus D. .1/. Lutheri by Nicolaus Herco (1 554) shows a fairly definite form already assumed by the development. A wider circulation was attained by the Fragestiicke of Bartholomseus Rosinus (1580). The first regular catechism with expositions was the Goldene Kleinod of Johann Tetelbach
chisms.
(1568); and the first of such to receive official sanction was the Nuremberg Kinderlehrbuchlein (1628).
During this whole period catechetical instruction consisted of nothing more than the memorizing by the children of the catechisms. Further explanations were left to the catechetical sermons which gradually became more common, modeled after Luther's Larger Catechism and the Nuremberg Kinderpredigten of 1533. Frequently it was decided that the children should be questioned on these sermons. On the other hand, efforts were early made to guard children against a mechanical memorizing by making the text intelligible to them. A school edition of the Heidelberg Catechism (1610) gives four rules in this respect; (1) dif- 4. Orthodox ficult passages are to be explained; andPietis- (2) a long paragraph is to be contic Cate- densed by the pupil; (3) the text of the catechism is to be analyzed by the teacher, putting questions which the children have to answer from the text; (4) the catechism is to be confirmed and proved by Bible texts and stories. The method laid down in these rules dominated catechetical instruction until a late time in the eighteenth eentury. Orthodox and pietistic catechists agreed in the use of the analytical method; but the latter emphasized more strongly the cultivation of the heart, and in formulating the questions and answers of the catechism laid stress upon the practical side of life, as may be seen from Philipp Jakob Spener's Tabula catechetical (Frankfort, 1683). The two principal pietistic catechisms are Spener's Erklarung der christlichen Lehre (1677) and the Dresden Kreuz- Katechismus (1688). But even Pietism could not hinder the gradual degeneration of catechetical instruction into mere formalism.
A fresh impulse was received from the new methods introduced by the rationalist school. Starting from rationalistic premises, Johann Bernhard Basedow (q.v.) demanded in his Abhandlung vom Unterricht der Jugend in der Religion (Liibeck, 1764) that children should not be forced to memorize anything but what they already understood, and that they should be left to acquire new knowledge only by their own thinking, with 6. Ration- *ne ne^P °f instructive questions, alistic Cat- Basedow laid down these views in his echisms of catechism for two grades entitled the Eight- Grundriss der Religion, wclche durch eenth Cen- Nachdenken und Bibelforschen erkannt tury. wird (1764). This, which gradually became known as the Socratic method, was developed further by Karl Friedrich Bahrdt in his PhilanthropinischerErziehungs'plan (Frankfort, 1776) and confirmed from the philosophy of Kant by Johann Friedrich Christian Graeffe in his Vollstdndiges Lehrbuch der allgemeinen Katcchetik (Gottingen, 1799). Its most prominent representatives were Johann Peter Miller, Johann Christian Dolz, and especially Gustav Friedrich Dinter. With these new ideas new manuals appeared wliich either dropped altogether the old catechisms based on the articles of faith or relegated them to an appendix. Johann Gottfried Herder attempted