Harmony of the Confessions of Faith

1581 book edited by Jean-François Salvart

Main articles: Catechism and Reformed Christian confessions of faith

Published in 1581, the Harmonia confessionum fidei (Harmony of Confessions of Faith) was an early attempt at Protestant comparative dogmatics or symbolics.

## Purpose

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It grew out of a desire for one common Creed, which was modified into the idea of a selected harmony. In this shape it was proposed by the Protestants of Zurich and Geneva. Jean-François Salvart, minister of the Church of Castres, is now recognized as the chief editor of the work with some assistance from Theodore Beza, Lambert Daneau, Antoine de la Roche Chandieu, and Simon Goulart. It was intended as a defense of Protestant, and particularly Reformed, doctrine against the attacks of Roman Catholics and Lutherans. It does not give the confessions in full, but extracts from them on the chief articles of faith, which are classified under nineteen sections. It anticipates Georg Benedikt Winer's method, but for harmonistic purposes.

## Content

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Besides the principal Reformed Confessions (i.e., the  Tetrapolitan, Basel,  Helvetic, French, Scots and Belgic Confessions), three Lutheran Confessions are also used, viz., the Augsburg Confession, the Saxon Confession (Confessio Saxonica), and the Württemberg Confession, as well as the Confession of the Unity of the Brethren (1573) and Anglican Confession (1562). The work appeared almost simultaneously with the Lutheran Formula of Concord, and may be called a Reformed Formula of Concord, though differing from the former in being a mere compilation from previous symbols.

## References

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* This article incorporates text from the Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, a publication now in the public domain

## Further reading

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* Jill Raitt (1996) "Harmony of Confessions of Faith," in Hans J. Hillerbrand, ed., The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, vol 2, 221-212. ISBN 0-19-506493-3
* Cochrane, Alfred C., ed. Reformed Confessions of the 16th Century. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, ©2003.

## External links

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* The Harmony of Protestant confessions (by J.F. Salvart) (1842).
* Harmonia confessionum fidei (1581) Geneva.

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Reformed confessions of faith

Continental
Reformed|

* Tetrapolitan Confession
* Helvetic Confessions
* Consensus Tigurinus
* French Confession of Faith
* Three Forms of Unity
* Heidelberg Catechism
* Belgic Confession
* Canons of Dort
* Harmony of the Confessions of Faith
* Helvetic Consensus
* Conclusions of Utrecht
* Barmen Declaration
* Belhar Confession

British and
American|

| Presbyterian|

* Scots Confession
* Negative Confession
* Westminster Standards
* Westminster Confession of Faith
* Westminster Shorter Catechism
* Westminster Larger Catechism
* Confession of 1967
* Book of Confessions

|

Anglican|

* Thirty-nine Articles
* Lambeth Articles
* Irish Articles
* Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral

Baptist|

* Helwys Declaration of Faith
* First London Confession of Faith
* Standard Confession of Faith
* St Paul's Catechism
* Second London Confession of Faith
* Keach's Catechism
* Philadelphia Confession of Faith
* New Hampshire Confession of Faith
* Strict Baptist Affirmation of Faith

Congregationalist|

* Cambridge Platform
* Savoy Declaration
* Saybrook Platform
* Kansas City Statement of Faith

Subordinate standard
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