Regensburg Colloquy and Original Sin: A Lutheran Perspective.

This article examines the Regensburg Colloquy's resolution on original sin within the context of late medieval theological debates and traces its relationship to the evolving Lutheran confessional tradition. The Regensburg Colloquy (1541) sought a mediating position between Catholic and Lutheran views by defining original sin as both the lack of original righteousness and the presence of concupiscence, drawing on medieval scholastic categories but avoiding definitive stances on baptismal forgiveness and culpability. In contrast, Lutheran confessions such as the 1530 Augsburg Confession and the 1577 Formula of Concord developed a more defined doctrine equating concupiscence directly with original sin, emphasizing its condemnation by God, its remission in baptism, and the loss of the image of God (imago Dei) as a consequence of original sin. The article also discusses internal Lutheran debates, notably Matthias Flacius Illyricus's controversial view that original sin constitutes the substance of human nature, which was rejected by the Formula of Concord. Finally, it considers how the early Martin Luther's strict Augustinian understanding of original sin aligned with some medieval positions but diverged from the conciliatory approach of Regensburg, highlighting the widening confessional divide in the sixteenth century.