“The evangelical confirmation, despite the same name and despite some regulations referring to it from the church orders, is completely different from the Catholic confirmation.  While the latter is considered to have an effect through its execution alone, and therefore also no special preparation of the children seems necessary, for the former, everything depends on a fundamental catechetical instruction of the christian youth before going to the Supper for the first time, so that the confirmation is the conclusion of the instruction.  It is believed that one can ascertain the attainment of this goal through a test, a “Glaubensexamen,” which essentially is nothing other than the exploratio, the hearing of confession, which absolutely every Supper-guest had to undergo.  On account of this, in itself there is no reason for a public celebration of confirmation.  [A public confirmation celebration] was therefore unknown until the end of the 17^th century, and even until the end of the 19^th century in some Lutheran Landeskirchen.”  [note: A Landeskirche might be compared to one of our “synodical districts.”]

And, from p. 326:

“For the confirmation does not happen whenever the confirmands or their parents wish it, but certain conditions must first be fulfilled, especially that the age prescribed in many church orders and decrees be reached.  But on this point the rules differed greatly from one another.  While during the time of the Reformation children were confirmed very young—‘Puer decennis [10 year old boy]’ (Calvin)--the point of time was delayed as much as possible at the end of the 17^th century (Lüneburger decree: after 15, in Schlewig-Holstein the boys only after 16), mostly, however, 13 or 14 was the norm.  ‘Dispensations’ are, by the way, in some cases possible, but they can only happen when the child has through regular school-attendance achieved the necessary knowledge (not only in religion, but also in reading).”