Ulrich Zwingli & the
Swiss Reformation
Gonzalez, Vol. II, Chapter 5
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
• Sometimes spelled Huldrych Zwingli
Zwingli’s resume…
• Born in January 1484, less than two months after the birth of
Martin Luther
• In his early years he studied in Basel and Bern, where the
influence of humanism was strong
• Universities of Vienna and Basel, receiving the Master of Arts
degree in 1506
• He then became the priest of the village of Glarus, where he
continued his studies in humanism and became proficient in
Greek
• His education made him exceptional as a priest; most Swiss
priests were poorly educated, some who were barely literate
in the New Testament
Zwingli’s service as chaplain to
Swiss mercenaries
• In 1512 and 1514, Zwingli went on Italian campaigns with
mercenary soldiers from his district
• The first campaign was successful, but the second was a
dismal failure; but both campaigns impressed on Zwingli the
impact of war on the defeated
• His military service convinced him of the great evils of
mercenary service, which he saw as destroying the moral fiber
of Swiss society
• After ten years as a priest in Glarus, he moved on to an abbey
in Einsiedeln, where he became openly critical of pilgrimages,
asserting that the New Testament did not support such
practices
• During his years in Glarus and Einsiedeln he perfected his
competence in both Greek and Hebrew
Zwingli in Zurich
• In 1518, attracted by Zwingli’s skill as a preacher, his humanist
learning, his criticisms against mercenary service and his
opposition to the French, the canons of Zurich elected Zwingli
to become the Leutpriestertum (people's priest) of the
Grossmünster of Zürich
• By this time, Zwingli apparently had come to hold similar
views to those of Luther, but derived independently of Luther
• Whereas Luther had reached his conclusions through personal
anguish of the soul, Zwingli had reached his through the study
of Scripture according to the methods of the humanists
• Zwingli also harbored a zealous outrage against superstitions
that passed for Christianity, the exploitation of the laity by the
hierarchy of the church, and mercenary service
Zwingli’s rising popularity
• He soon became a popular preacher and teacher in Zurich
• When a peddler of indulgences came to the city, Zwingli
convinced the canons to expel him
• When the French king, Francis I, requested mercenary
contingents from the Swiss Confederation in his war against
Charles V, all of the cantons sent their soldiers except for
Zurich
• When the pope (an alley of the French) insisted that Zurich
had an obligation to protect the papacy, Zwingli turned his
attention to the abuses of the papacy
• Word spread that Luther’s movement had spread to
Switzerland, but Zwingli always contended that he reached his
conclusions independently of Luther
The Reformation of Zurich
The Affair of the Sausages
• Zurich was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishop of
Constance
• In 1522, the Bishop of Constance brought Zwingli up on
charges for preaching against the laws of fasting and
abstinence, and encouraging some of his parishioners to eat
sausages during Lent – the so-called “Affair of the Sausages”
• Zwingli argued that Christians were free to fast or not to fast
because the Bible does not prohibit the eating of meat during
Lent
• Zwingli’s argument won the day, which encouraged him to
expand the scope of his attacks on traditional Christianity by
declaring the clerical celibacy was not biblical, and by pointing
out that those who defended celibacy did not live by it
Zwingli in disputation
• Meanwhile, Adrian VI had been elected pope, and was keen to
reform the church
• The pope decided to appeal to Zwingli by tempting him with
high position; hoping to harness him in the process
• The city council then called for a debate between Zwingli and
a representative of the local bishop
• Zwingli expounded several theses and defended them on the
basis of Scripture; when the bishop’s representative refused to
respond to him, and appealed to a future general council that
would settle these matters, the council decided that Zwingli
was free to continue preaching
• This decision marked Zurich’s final break with the bishopric of
Constance and, as a consequence, with Rome
Zwingli as Reformer
• With the support of the City Council, Zwingli sought to restore
biblical faith and practice to the churches of Zurich
• His approach, however, was different from that of Luther
• Luther continued to permit traditional usages that did not
contradict the Bible
• Zwingli insisted that anything that lacked explicit warrant from
scripture must be rejected
• Rapid changes began to take place throughout Zurich
•
•
•
•
Organs (and all instruments) were banned from worship
Many priests, monks and nuns were married
Communion “in both kinds” was offered to the laity
General public education, with no class distinction, became the
norm
Iconoclasm in Zurich (1524)
Reformation spreads
throughout Switzerland
• It was not long before Zwingli’s ideas poured across the
borders into other Swiss cantons
• The Swiss Confederation was not a centralized state, but
rather a complex mosaic of different states, each with its own
laws and government
• They came together as a “confederation” because they shared
a number of common goals, among them was maintaining
their independence from the German empire
• However, some cantons quickly embraced Zwingli’s agenda for
reform, others just as strongly maintained their obedience to
Rome
• Religious friction, exacerbated by Protestant proselytization,
made civil war inevitable
Prelude to Civil War
• The Catholic cantons took steps to stem the tide of
Protestantism by seeking an alliance with the much hated
Charles V
• This was seen as a treasonous act by the Protestant cantons
• Zwingli recommended military action against the Catholics,
but the Protestant cantons were not ready to make a move;
when Zurich decided it was time to go to war, the other
cantons disagreed
• The Protestant cantons decided against Zwingli’s advice to
take up economic sanctions against the Catholics, leaving the
Catholic cantons no choice but the strike first
The Battle of Kappel (1531)
The Battle of Kappel (1531)
• In October 1531, five Catholic cantons joined in a surprise
attack on the city of Zurich; the defenders hardly had time to
prepare for battle
• Zwingli marched out with the first line of defenders, hoping to
buy the city enough time to organize a defence
• The Catholic cantons defeated the army of Zurich, and Zwingli
died in battle
• A month later, the Peace of Kappel was signed; the Protestants
agreed to cover the expenses of the recent war; in return each
canton would have the freedom to make its own choice in
matters of religion
• The movement of population from one canton to the next,
seeking freedom for the practice of religion, soon made some
cantons staunchly Protestant and others staunchly Catholic
Zwingli’s Theology
• While the source of Luther’s theology was his own tormented soul
which finally found solace in the biblical message, Zwingli’s source
was his humanist approach to the study of scripture, which
encouraged him to go back to the sources
• This in turn meant that Zwingli’s regard for the power of reason was
much more positive than that of Luther
• Zwingli’s view of original Christianity had been colored by the long
historical influence of Neoplatonism (he was certainly not aware of
this); one element of that was the tendency to undervalue the
physical realm in contrast to the spiritual realm
• Zwingli thus insisted on simple forms of worship – forms that would
not lead the believer to the material through excessive use of the
senses; in contrast, Luther saw the material, not as an obstacle, but
as an aid to the spiritual
Contrasting Sacramental Views
Luther
Zwingli
• Held that an inner divine
action took place when
the outer human action
was performed
• Material elements and
physical actions of the
sacraments were means
of grace
• Refused to grant any
efficacy to the outward
performance of the
sacraments; this would
limit the freedom of the
Spirit
• Material elements of the
sacraments were no
more than signs of
symbols of spiritual
reality
Marburg Colloquy (1529)
• The Protestant Landgrave Philip of Hesse attempted to bring
together the German and Swiss Reformers to bring about an
alliance between the two movements
• Among the reformers present were: Martin Luther and Philip
Melanchthon (Wittenberg), Martin Bucer (Strasbourg),
Johannes Oecolampadius (Basel) and Ulrich Zwingli (Zurich)
• They agreed on most points, except on the question of the
nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist
• Melanchthon had warned Luther that a compromise with the
Zwinglians on this point would further alienate Catholic
Germans whom Luther and his companions still hoped to win
for their cause
“We are not of the same spirit” (Luther at Marburg)
The Anabaptist
Movement
Gonzalez, Vol. II, Chapter 6
Luther & Zwingli
Difference of Approach
Luther
• Sought to cleanse the
church from what
contradicted Scripture
• Whatever was not
prohibited by Scripture
was allowed if it served
to edify the people and
reinforce the faith
Zwingli
• Sought to reconstruct
the Church on a
scriptural foundation
• Whatever was not
explicitly warranted in
Scripture was rejected
outright
The Radical Reformation:
Anabaptism
• Contended that Zwingli & Luther did not go far enough in their
programs of reform
• A marked contrast between the church and society in the NT
• Early Christians were persecuted by the state
• Constantine’s “conversion” was a betrayal of primitive
Christianity
The Relationship between Church
& Society
• The Church should not be confused with society
• One belongs to society by the mere fact of birth; one cannot
belong to the church without a personal decision
• Infant baptism must be rejected, because it assumes that one
becomes a Christian simply by being born into a supposedly
Christian society
Conflict with Society
• The rejection of infant baptism essentially meant the rejection
of Christian society
• True Christians were not to support the state, even against
invading infidels (Turks); later this would become full-blown
pacifism
• Supreme New Testament ethic: Sermon on the Mount
Zwingli & The Anabaptists
• The “radical reformation” first came to public attention in
Zurich, early in Zwingli’s program of reform
• Certain “brethren” had been urging Zwingli to undertake a
more radical program of reform; nearly convinced him to
reject infant baptism
• Breaking ranks with Zwingli, they finally took matters into their
own hands
Conrad Grebel (1498-1526)
Conrad Grebel
• Embraced Reformation ideal in 1522; early supporter of
Zwingli
• Disputed with Zwingli over the abolishing the Mass in 1523
• After his dispute with Zwingli, Grebel and a group of 15 men
began to meet for prayer and private Bible study
• Final break with Zwingli came in 1525 when Grebel and his
companions failed to convince Zwingli on the issue of infant
baptism
Third Disputation of Zurich
(January 17, 1525)
• Zwingli argued against Grebel, George Blaurock and Felix
Manz on the issue of baptism
• The city council decided in favor of Zwingli, ordered Grebel’s
group to cease their activities, and ordered all unbaptized
children to be baptized within eight days, else face exile from
the canton
• Grebel ignored the order to have his own infant daughter
baptized
The Fateful Meeting
• Grebel and his companions met together (illegally) in the
home of Felix Manz on January 21, 1525
• At this meeting, George Blaurock asked Grebel to baptize him
on confession of faith; Blaurock then proceeded to baptize the
others
• They committed themselves to living apart from the world
according to NT principles
Persecution sweeps Europe
THE “ANABAPTISTS”
Why were the Anabaptists
persecuted?
• In the eyes of the state, the Anabaptists were a threat to
social order
• They refused to support the state (militarily)
• They implied that the structures of power should not be
transferred to the church, nor should authority in spiritual
matters be transferred to the state
In contrast…
• Lutheranism depended on the support of the princes who
embraced it, who in turn enjoyed great authority in matters
both civil and ecclesiastical
• In Zwingli’s Zurich, the Council of Government had the final
word in religious matters
• In Catholic lands, the state enforced church teaching and
practice
Anabaptist Society
• The Church was a voluntary community, totally distinct from
the civil community
• Radically egalitarian – in most groups, women had the same
rights as men; the poor and ignorant were as important as the
rich and learned
The Course of Persecution
• In 1525, the Catholic areas of Switzerland began condemning
Anabaptist to death
• The Zurich Council of Government followed suit in 1526
• No uniform policy in Germany; ancient laws against heretics
applied to Anabaptists
• In 1528, Charles V ordered that they be put to death on the
basis of ancient Roman laws against Donatists (who also rebaptized)
The Course of Persecution
• The Diet of Speyer (1529) approved Charles’ imperial decree
against the Anabaptists
• The only German prince to follow his conscience was Philip of
Hesse
• In many areas, Anabaptists were accused of both heresy and
sedition (ecclesiastical and criminal charges)
The Radicalization of the
Anabaptist Movement
• Most of the early Anabaptist leaders were scholars (in
humanism); most were pacifists
• Most of the early Anabaptists succumbed to martyrdom
• The next generation became more radicalized; original
pacifism was largely forgotten
Thomas Muntzer (1489-1525)
Melchoir Hoffman (1495-1543)
A Time Ripe for Revolution
• Muntzer’s ideas of social justice for the peasants had
unsettled central Europe (culminating in the Peasant’s
Rebellion)
• Hoffman’s preaching that Day of the Lord was at hand incited
the multitudes to believe that Muntzer’s ideas were still
within reach
Hoffman’s Apocalypticism
•
•
•
•
Originally a follower of Luther, then of Zwingli
Moved to Strasbourg in 1530; rebaptized in April
Founded a community in Emden in 1532
Returned to Strasbourg in 1533 after it was prophesied that he
would be imprisoned for six months
Hoffman’s Apocalypticism
• Studied John’s Apocalypse; believed that the New Jerusalem
would be established in Strasbourg
• Rejected pacifism because he believed that the children of
God would have to take up arms against the children of
darkness
• His imprisonment “fulfilled” the first half of his prophecy;
many flocked to his movement
Hoffman’s Prediction Fails
• Hoffman predicted that Christ would return in 1533; but
Hoffman was still in prison on the day predicted for Christ’s
return
• The movement relocated to the city of Muenster, where the
balance of powers between Catholics and Protestants meant
that the Anabaptists enjoyed a measure of tolerance
Muenster Rebellion (1534-1535)
Siege of Muenster
Anabaptists take control
• Soon Muenster was seen as the “New Jerusalem”
• Anabaptists took control of the city in 1534, and established a
theocracy under John Matthys, a Dutch baker, and his main
disciple, John of Leiden
• Catholics were expelled from the city; the local bishop then
gathered an army and besieged the city
John Matthys
• Died in a foolish sortie against Catholic forces besieging
Muenster in April 1534
John of Leiden
• “King of Jerusalem”
Bernhard Knipperdolling
Conditions deteriorate…
• Moderate Protestants eventually expelled
• Sculptures, paintings destroyed; governed by literal
interpretation of Scripture
• Food increasingly scarce
• Daily claims of visions and revelations
• Less and less males meant more and more females
• John of Leiden decreed the practice of polygamy
Fall of Muenster
• Some of the inhabitants of the city, tired of the excesses of the
visionaries, finally opened the gates of the city to the bishop
and his besieging army
• John of Leiden and Knipperdolling were captured, humiliated,
tortured and killed
John of Leiden, Bernhard Knipperdolling & Bernhard
Krechting
Their Torture & Execution
Steeple of St. Lambert’s Church
The Later Anabaptists
• Fall of Muenster put an end to revolutionary Anabaptism;
impetus for renewed persecution
• New leaders emphasized pacifism
• Menno Simons (1496-1561); catholic priest who embraced
Anabaptism in 1536
Menno Simons (1496-1561)
Mennonite Teachings
• Pacifism was essential part of Christianity
• No swearing of oaths; nor occupying positions of authority in
the state
• Obedience to the state unless in conflict with the teachings of
Scripture
• Baptism by pouring, only to adults who confess their faith
publicly
• Sacraments are outward signs
• Practice of footwashing
Mennonites considered subversive
• Would not swear oaths or offer military service
• As a result, they were scattered all over Europe
• Eventually spread to Russia, North America, and South
America