Basle, Confession of

Basle, Confession Of, a Calvinistic confession adopted by the Protestants of Basle in 1534. Ecolampadius, a short time before his death, introduced a short confession of faith in a speech he delivered at the opening of the synod of Basle in Sept. 1531. This short confession became the basis of the Confession of Basle, which latter was prepared, probably by Myconius (q.v.), between 1532 and 1534. It was officially promulgated Jan. 21st, 1534, and shortly after sent to Strasburg to refute some objections of the theologians of that place on the articles concerning the Eucharist (Letter of Myconius to Bullinger, Oct. 14th, 1534). The title of the oldest edition, probably printed in 1534, reads, Bekannthnus unsers heyligen christlichen gloubens, wie er die Kylch zu Basel haldt. It is accompanied by commentaries in Latin, which had their origin probably in the different changes the Confession underwent before its final adoption and publication. These commentaries are omitted in the editions after 1547. After the official adoption of the Confession, an order was issued to all citizens to assemble in the corporations, and to declare whether they were prepared to accept and uphold this Confession by all means in their power. Afterward it became a practice in the city to have the Confession read every year in the corporations on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Muhlhausen adopted the same Confession, from whence it also received the name of Confessio Muhlhusana (in the same manner as the first Helvetic Confession [q.v.] received, on account of its having been prepared at Basle, the name of second Confession of Basle). It is also found in Augusti, Corpus Libror. Symbolicor. Reformatorum, p. 103 sq.; Hagenbach, Kritische Gesch. d. Entstehung u. d. Schicksale d. ersten Basler Confession (Basel, 1827).