Heidelberg Catechism — compare

Text of the Heidelberg Catechism in its original German, as printed in Henricus Egbertus Vinke (ed.), Libri symbolici Ecclesiae Reformatae Nederlandicae (Utrecht, 1846), pp. 302–394. Vinke reproduced not the first printing but the second edition of 1563, from a copy in the Utrecht University Library, an edition that, as he notes in his preface, neither Köcher nor Niemeyer had seen.

The three German editions of 1563 differ chiefly in Question 80. The first printing lacks it; the second, given here, adds it in a short form, at the Elector's command. It condemns the Mass as “ein abgöttische verleugnung dess einigen opffers und leidens Jesu Christi”. It does not yet have the clauses about Christ's body in heaven and his presence under the bread and wine, or the closing words “ein vermaledeite Abgötterey”, which first appeared in the third edition.

The text was transcribed directly from page images of Vinke's print, with doubtful places checked against a second, independently digitized copy. Vinke prints in roman type and modernizes the typography (“dass”, “auss” for ß; u and v in their modern use). His text is reproduced exactly as he prints it, including apparent slips, which have not been silently corrected. The Scripture proof-texts are given in his citation style, with their letters as printed. The print does not number its questions, so the numbers 1–129 have been supplied. Bracketed page numbers reproduce Vinke's pagination and link to facsimiles of each page. Vinke's footnotes recording variant readings from Niemeyer and other editions, the Elector's preface, and the appended index of Scripture texts have not been transcribed.

Catechismus, Oder Kurtzer Unterricht Christlicher Lehr, wie der in Kirchen und Schulen der Churfürstlichen Pfaltz, und andern Orten getrieben wird. Cassel, 1749. The transcription follows the copy in the Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Q 7312-1 A RES (catechismus1749; Public Domain Mark). The catechism occupies pp. 1–23, printed in two columns; it is followed by short questions on the five chief parts of the Christian religion, the Haustafel, the Nicene Creed, the forms for baptism, the preparation for and celebration of the Lord’s Supper, marriage, and morning and evening prayers, none of which is given here.

The edition. This is a small church and school edition from Kassel, the capital of the Reformed landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel; the words “und andern Orten” in the title mark it as an edition for use outside the Palatinate. It has no Scripture references, no Sunday divisions and no preface. The text is the received German text with the full answer to Q 80 (“… eine Verläugnung des einigen Opffers und Leydens JEsu Christi, und eine vermaledeyte Abgötterey”), but it differs in a number of places from the Palatine editions, among them:

• Q 23 asks “Wie lauten die Articul des Christlichen Glaubens?”, and the Creed reads “Ich glaub an GOtt Vatter …”, “Und an JEsum Christum …”, “Ich glaube an den Heiligen Geist …” and ends with “Amen”;
• Q 31 has “der uns den himmlischen Raht und Willen GOttes … offenbahret” (elsewhere “heimlichen”);
• in Q 77 the words of institution are expanded after the Gospels: “und gabs den Jüngern”, and of the cup “das für euch, und für viele vergossen wird”;
• Q 100 reads “mit Schwören und Fluchen”; Q 114 lacks the words “nicht allein nach etlichen, sondern”; Q 117 marks its second point with “Zum andern”; Q 121 has “Der du bist im Himmel” (while Q 119 has “in den Himmeln”); Q 122 ends “nicht gelästert, sondern gepriesen werde”.

Layout. The questions are numbered 1–129, with a few misprinted numbers (two questions numbered 19, “56” for 46 and “46” for 47, “119” for 110), which are given here in the standard form. The headings of the three parts (“Der erste Theil, Von des Menschen Elend”, “Der ander Theil, Von des Menschen Erlösung”, “Der dritte Theil, Von der Danckbarkeit”) and of the sections are given as printed, including the abbreviated forms “Von GOtt dem H. Geist”, “Von den Heil. Sacram.”, “Von der Heil. Tauf.” and “Vom Heil. Abendmahl.”

Transcription conventions. Spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the print. The Creed, the Ten Commandments, the words of institution and the Lord’s Prayer are given in ordinary type; the headings of the commandments in Q 92 are given in italics. Hyphens at line ends are removed; a page break inside a word is marked at the break; syllables repeated across a line break (“Ge-Gedächtnus”, Q 75; “un-unserm”, Q 86) are given once. Running heads, catchwords and signatures are omitted. Printer’s errors are kept, e.g. “Tenffels” and “thne” (turned letters, Q 9–10), “zugleich wahrer GOtt seyn” (Q 15), “der heigen Tauf” (Q 71), “Seekeit” and “Zanberey” (Q 94), “vorbilden” (Q 96), “noch deß, der unten auf Erden” (Q 92) and “und alles Guts geben willst” (Q 128).