In the Latin and German texts brackets with a star contain different textual readings, while all other brackets contain explanations, quotations from authors referred to in the texts, etc. Unless otherwise indicated, citations from Church Fathers, etc., are taken from Mueller's edition of the Symbolical Books, p. 840 ff.
In keeping with the principle otherwise observed in the Triglot, the superscriptions of the first 21 articles of the Latin and German Augsburg Confession (with the exception only of Article XX in the German text), furthermore Articles I, II, and IX of the Apology, and a number of Bible references should have been put in brackets, because they are additions not found in the original German and Latin editions of 1580 and 1584.
Brackets in the English text contain words, phrases, sentences, or shorter or longer passages from the respective German or Latin text which is not the basis of the translation.
The "Index of Scripture Texts" and the German *Sach- und Namenregister" have been appropriated from Mueller's edition of the Lutheran symbols, while the English "Index of Subjects" is the one found in Jacobs's Book of Concord, which, however, is also based on Mueller. The tedious work of changing the page-numbers of these indexes to those of the Triglot was done by Prof. Dau. All three indexes have also been revised and substantially augmented.
The Lutheran Church differs from all other churches in being essentially the Church of the pure Word and unadulterated Sacraments. Not the great number of her adherents, not her organizations, not her charitable and other institutions, not her beautiful customs and liturgical forms, etc., but the precious truths confessed by her symbols in perfect agreement with the Holy Scriptures constitute the true beauty and rich treasures of our Church, as well as the never-failing source of her vitality and power.
Wherever the Lutheran Church ignored her symbols or rejected all or some of them, there she always fell an easy prey to her enemies. But wherever she held fast to her God-given crown, esteemed and studied her confessions, and actually made them a norm and standard of her entire life and practise, there the Lutheran Church flourished and confounded all her enemies.
Accordingly, if Lutherans truly love their Church, and desire and seek her welfare, they must be faithful to her confessions and constantly be on their guard lest any one rob her of her treasure. To strengthen this loyalty and to further and facilitate the study of our "Golden Concordia,"—such is the object also of this Jubilee Edition—the Triglot Concordia.
May God be pleased, as in the past, so also in the future, to bless our Church, and graciously keep her in the true and only saving Christian faith as set forth and confessed in the Lutheran symbols, whose paramount object is to maintain the gem of Luther's Reformation, the blessed doctrine of salvation by grace only, which most wonderfully magnifies the great glory of our God, and alone is able to impart solid comfort to poor sinners.
F. BENTE,
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.
July 4, 1921.
