This statement of Lutheran doctrine was written principally by Philip Malancthon, for presentation to the meeting of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1530. It is widely affirmed by Lutherans as their central creedal statement. It was affirmed by the Evangelical Synod as one of their three basic doctrinal statements. The Evangelical and Reformed Church did likewise.

The full text can be found in The Living Theological Heritage 2:162-195, or on any of the web sites indicated below.

Some portions of the original texts are not always included in the text as it is reprinted today. These are:

• a lengthy Preface

• a paragraph following Article XXI, summarizing the articles to that point

• a paragraph under the heading “Articles about Matters in Dispute . . .” before Article XXII, introducing this second part of the Confession

• a final two sentences with the signatures of the rulers endorsing the Confession

• numerous short phrases or sentences appearing in brackets.

The following are all links to other web sites where the text of the Augsburg Confession can be found:

• Project Wittenberg

• Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod