''Luther's Small Catechism'' (german: Der Kleine Katechismus) is a
catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adul ...
written by
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
and published in 1529 for the training of children. Luther's Small
Catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adul ...
reviews the
Ten Commandments,
the Apostles' Creed,
the Lord's Prayer,
the Sacrament of Holy Baptism,
the Office of the Keys and Confession and
the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is included in the ''
Book of Concord
''The Book of Concord'' (1580) or ''Concordia'' (often referred to as the ''Lutheran Confessions'') is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since ...
'' as an authoritative statement of what Lutherans believe.
The ''Small Catechism'' is widely used today in Lutheran churches as part of youth education and
Confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
. It was mandatory for confirmands in the
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...
until the 1960s.
See also
*
* ''
Luther's Large Catechism
''Luther's Large Catechism'' (german: Der Große Katechismus) is a catechism by Martin Luther. It consists of works written by Luther and compiled Christian canonical texts, published in April 1529. This book was addressed particularly to cle ...
''
References
External links
*
*
Luther's Small Catechism(1921 Triglotta version)
LCMS versionSchwan Catechism German and English side-by-side
WELS versionCLC version*
{{Authority control
1529 books
1529 in Christianity
16th-century Christian texts
Book of Concord
Catechisms
Lutheran education
Religious works for children
Works by Martin Luther