born Jan. 1, 1484, Wildhaus in the Toggenburg, Sankt Gallen, Switzerlanddied Oct. 11, 1531, near Kappel
Sausages and Wives
Would you believe that sausages and wives had their place at the forefront of Zwingli's turn toward church reforms? Well, these and other issues inaugurated a press for reforms in the Church in Switzerland. The first element commonly cited was that of his decision to break from the tradition of following prescribed texts for each Sunday and to take up a verse-by-verse, phrase-by-phrase exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. Zwingli had come to hold strongly to the conviction that true authority resides in the Scriptures rather than in human learning or church leaders. So, on his thirty-sixth birthday, New Year's Day, 1519, Zwingli entered in to a new pulpit at Great Minster in Zürich and commenced teaching the people by means of expository preaching.
Another issue was that of fasting during Lent. The story is told (I read of it in the biography by Jean Rilliet) that
One evening during Lent of 1522, a dozen men were discussing in the house of the printer Froschauer. He had had a very strenuous day. He was preparing for the Frankfurt fair a new edition of the Epistles of St. Paul, and his printing presses had been going day and night for weeks. In order to refresh his exhausted workmen, he had his wife, in view of the high cost of fish, to get some meat from the butcher. (Note: The eating of meat during Lent was forbidden by the Church. Fish was permitted.--Tr.) Sausages were served, not only to the weary typographers, but also to the guests of the printer, among whom there happened to be three priests: Zwingli, Leo Jud, and a country parson, Laurence Keller. Ulrich had not been forewarned: when the reeking hot dish was held out to him, he refused, while the other guests, including the two remaining priests, guzzled. The episode had resounding repercussions. The magistrates were quickly informed and were much disturbed. The attitude of Zwingli is explained by his often-expressed desire to respect the weak; his fellow-guests were for the most part violent men, with whom prudence passed pusillanimity (cowardice). (Rilliet. Zwingli, pp. 67-68)Zwingli took up for these men arguing for Christian liberty: "Do you, of your own free will, wish to abstain from meat? then do not eat it! But allow your brother his liberty" (ibid, pp. 68-69).
Another matter was that of marriage. Zwingli secretly married Ann Reinhart in 1522 because he had neglected to obtain permission from the bishop of Konstanz. It wasn't until 1524 that he made his marriage public. By then Zürich was nearly considered to be a Protestant stronghold.
In 1523 Zwingli offered and defended 67 Theses which were subsequently received and supported by the city council. You've got to take a few moments and read through these. They are wonderfully Christ-centered, Gospel-centered, Scriptural, and accessible. I love he sixty-seventh.
In 1524 Zwingli lead the people in stripping the churches of icons and organs (Yes, organs. See thesis number 46.)
Zwingli is often overshadowed by Luther and Calvin, but historians still consider him to be "the third man of the Reformation" and the "founder of Reformed Protestantism." His life was cut short on the battlefield, so we do not have as many writings from him. Along with that he did not cause as much of a stir with his reforms as did Luther who moved quickly and forthrightly in Wittenberg. While there are many similarities between Luther and Zwingli, there were also some sharp differences. Both men held strongly to the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, and predestination. They both rejected the celibacy of the clergy, the selling of indulgences, and other abuses of the church. However, they differed strongly on the doctrines of the Lord's Supper and baptismal regeneration. A.N.S. Lane concludes that "There was no time for [Zwingli's] thought to mature or for him to write a systematic exposition of Reformed Theology. This task was left to Calvin, with the result that Reformed Protestantism is known as Calvinism, not Zwinglianism."
Praise the Lord for raising up men like Ulrich Zwingli to lead his people away from dead traditions, doctrinal error, and empty religion to the fullness of life in Christ! Hallelujah for the Soul-Liberating Gospel!
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Biographical Works:
D'Aubigne, Jean Henri Merle. For God and For His People: Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation. JourneyForth, 1993. 312 pages.
Rilliet, Jean. Gabler, U. Huldrych Zwingli: His Life and Work. T&T Clark, 1987).
Potter, G. R. Zwingli. Cambridge University Press, 1976).
Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals. Edited by Timothy Larsen, David Bebington, and Mark A. Noll. IVP, 2003. Pp. 761-63.
Moyer, Elgin. "Zwingli, Ulrich (Huldreich)" in Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary of the Church. By Elgin Moyer. Revised and enlarged by Earle E. Cairns. Moody Press, 1982.
Works on the Reformation: (There are many other titles that could be listed, but I offer the first as a source used in preparing this article and the second as a recent volume in a fascinating series.)
Bainton, Roland. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Beacon Press, 1952; Reprint, 1961. 278 pages. Out of Print.
Sunshine, Glenn S. The Reformation for Armchair Theologians. Westminster John Knox, 2005. 247 pages.
Judging by how much I have enjoyed two other volumes in this series, I confident that this will be an enjoyable and informative read.Works:
Zwingli and Bullinger. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Library of Christian Classics. Westminster John Knox Press, 1953; Reprint Edition, 1979. 360 pages.
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