RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
■Luther's Two Catechisms Iiutz, Samuel
ous later editions, of which a second followed in the same year and a third in 1530. Like the tabulce, the larger catechism was translated into Low German (1529) and in the same year twice into Latin. By May 16, 1529, Luther's own smaller catechism was published in book form, and soon went into a second edition. No copies of the original Wittenberg printings of either edition are extant, but there are three reprints, evidently independent, two made at Erfurt and one at Marburg. According to these the title of the first editions in book form was Der kleine Catechismus fur die gemeine P/arherr und Prediger. Mart. Luther. Besides the material of the tabulce they contained a preface, morning and evening prayers, and devotional exercises for the family, and a marriage service. The third edition was out by June 13, 1529, under the title Enchiridion. Der kleine Catechismus fur die gemeine Pfarherr und Prediger, gemehret und gebessert. Of the editions which appeared prior to Luther's death, those of 1531, 1535, 1536, 1537, 1539, and 1542 are known. Two Latin translations (with some alterations) appeared in 1529, both at Wittenberg. One of these, Simplicissima et brevissima catechismi expositio, appeared as an appendix to the Enchiridion piarurn precationum, the Latin translation of the Betbuchlein. Its author is not known. The other translation, Parvus Catechismus pro pueris in schola, was made by J. Sauermann and was incorporated into the " Book of Concord." A third Latin translation originated with Justus Jonas and is contained in his Latin translation of the Nuremberg Kinderpredigten of 1539. A Greek translation by Johann Mylius was printed at Basel in 1558 at the instigation of Michael Neander, who republished it in 1564 together with Sauermann's translation. In 1572 J. Clajus composed his German-Latin-Greek-Hebrew polyglot. For the translations into modern languages and the position of Luther's smaller catechism in the history of catechisms, see Catechisms.
The excellent points of the smaller catechism have been stated as follows: (1) The smaller catechism does not attempt to give a complete system of doctrine — it is not a manual of dogmatics for children; (2) it avoids carefully the scholastic language of the theologians; (3) it avoids all polemics; (4) it does away with the traditional division of the Apostles' Creed into twelve articles, and makes it an exposition of the God of revelation as showing himself in his works and blessing the Christian life. It was soon forgotten that the larger catechism was the authoritative exposition of the smaller. In 1750 Johann Georg Walch pointed out in the introduction to his edition of the symbolical books that the catechism must be explained by Luther himself. This principle has been observed in the modern works of A. Nebe, Der kleine Katechismus ausgelegt aus Luthers Werken (Stuttgart, 1891); Th. Hardeland, Der kleine Katechismus nach Luthers Schriften ausgelegt (Gottingen, 1889); idem., Die katechetische Behandlung des kleinen Katechismus Luthers in Unterredungen (Berlin, 1899). (Ferdinand Cohrs.)
Bibliography: Besides the lives of Luther by Kostlin, Jiolde, and others, consult; J. C. Vf. August!, Versuch
einer historisch-kritischen Einleitung in die beyden Haupt- Katechismen der evangelischen Kirche, Elberfeld, 1824; G. Veesenmeyer, Nachrichten von einigen evangelischen catechetischen Schriften, Ulm, 1830; K. F. T. Schneider,
D. Martin Luthers kleiner Katechismus, Berlin, 1853; T. Harnack, Der kleine Katechismus Luthers in seiner Urgestalt, Stuttgart, 1856; C. Monckeberg, Die erste Ausgabe von Luthers kleinem Katechismus, Hamburg, 1868;
E. Gopfert. Worterbuch zum kleinm Katechismus . Luthers, Leipsic, 1889; A. Ebeling, Luthers kleiner Katechismus, Hanover, 1890; F. Fricke, Luthers kleiner Katechismus in seiner Einwirkung auf die katechetische Literatur des Reformationsjahrhunderts, Gottingen, 1898; F. Cohrs, Die evangelischen Katechismus-Versuche vor Luthers Enchiridion, Berlin, 1900; H. E. Jacobs, Martin Luther, pp. 274 sqq., New York, 1898; Luther's Small Catechism Developed and Explained, Published by the General Synod , Philadelphia (current).
LUTZ, luts, JOHANN LUDWIG SAMUEL : Swiss theologian; b. at Bern Oct. 2, 1785; d. there Sept. 21, 1844. He was educated at Bern, Tubingen, and Gottingen, and in 1812 was appointed professor at the gymnasium and rector of the Litterarschule of his native city. The lack of harmony between his views and those of the citizens of Bern, as well as his share in certain movements for social and political reform which rendered the municipal authorities suspicious of him, led him to leave the school for the pulpit in 1824. He served as pastor first in Wynau and later in Bern, where in 1833 he was appointed professor of Old- and New-Testament exegesis. In addition to his academic duties, he was for many years a member of the department of education and of the Evangelical Church committee, and also dean of the theological faculty and the chapter of Bern, and president of the synod and of the Protestant charitable association. In his lifetime he published little except a few occasional and academic addresses, but after his death his pupil, R. Riietschi, edited a volume of his lectures under the title Biblische Dogmatik (Pforzheim, 1847) and A. Lutz published a second entitled Biblische Hermeneutik (1849). (E. GuDERf.)
Bibliography: F. Lutz, Der Gottesgelehrte J. L. S. Lutz, Bern, 1863 (by his son); the Gedachtnisrede was by Baggesen, ib. 1844; C. B. Hundeshagen, . . Professor Lutz in Bern;\ein theologisches Charakterbild, ib. 1844; Berner Taschenbuch, 1855, pp. 229-240; E. Muller, Die HochschuU Bern 1834-84, ib. 1884.
LUTZ (LUCIUS), SAMUEL: Swiss Pietist; b. at Bern Aug. 10, 1674; d. at Diessbach (near Thun, 16 m. s.s.e. of Bern) May 28, 1750. He received a thorough classical training from his father, who was pastor at Biglen, but a strong tendency toward mysticism developed early in his life and led him to abandon his original studies. He studied at the University of Bern, where he came under the influence of the strongly orthodox Rudolf Rudolf, although his personal religious trend was little in accord with the scholastic theology of his time. Scarcely had the Swiss theologians attempted to reaffirm the orthodoxy of Dort as contrasted with its modifications by the Saumur school, before a system of Pietism closely allied with that of Germany, though marked by Anabaptist and other separatistic tendencies, began to develop in Switzerland, especially in Bern. After a brief hesitation the government of Bern, which was not inclined to toleration, assumed a position of extreme
Lutz Xiydius