Over two years ago a small translation committee began to work on the translation of documents in the Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum. The people involved were: Christian Williams, who is a member of our church and fluent in German, Grant Gebbie, who is a professional German translator in Scotland with a strong background in Reformation studies, and Dr. Drake Williams. The three of us have worked many hours on the translation of what we have called Schwenckfeld's catechism. We have been in constant contact with Dr. Peter Erb, the Associate Director of the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center. Prof. Paul Ellingworth, a gifted translator with the United Bible Society and who was Dr. Drake's advisor for his thesis, also was involved with this work.

The work of this group is due to be published by Pandora Press, which is based in Kitchener, Ontario. Pandora Press is dedicated to publishing historical and theological books from Anabaptist, Mennonite, and Believers Church perspectives. They are well known in these fields, and this will give the translation work done on Schwenckfeld's writings a wide circulation.

In the coming months, the documents that are a part of this volume will be highlighted in this section. The first and most important is the catechism which has the longer title of "Deutsche Theologia für die Gottsfürchtigen Laien vom Herren Christo und von der Christlichen Lehre der Gottseligkeit." In English that means "German theology for God fearing laity concerning the Lord Christ and concerning the Christian teaching of God- blessedness." The document can be found in Corpus Schwenkfeldianorum 17:57-147.

The significance of this document is great in Schwenkfelder studies. It was written in the last year or so of Schwenckfeld's life. It was written as a response to Philip Melanchthon and others who criticized Schwenckfeld that he did not have a system of theological doctrine. Thus, this is his most systematic teaching of the Christian faith as we have it. It is a compendium of Christian doctrine as he viewed it at the end of his life.

This document covers many important topics in question and answer form. The following are questions that he answers in paragraph form: What is the proper foundation of eternal salvation? What or who is Jesus Christ? What is sin, and how is it that we are sinners? How then might I be freed from such an injurious evil, sin, and condemnation, and be made blessed? What is the spiritual knowledge of Christ? What is true faith? What is prayer?

The catechism then concludes with the Apostles Creed and the Lord's Prayer with Caspar Schwenckfeld's comments on each of these. According to Selina Gerhard Schultz, the editor of this volume of the Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum, this entire document is an explanation of the Apostles Creed and the Lord's Prayer.