Ulrich Zwingli 14841531

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Ulrich Zwingli1484-1531
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The Beginning

• Born January 1st,1484 in Wildhaus, St. Gallen,
  Switzerland
• Was the third of eight sons
• Ulrichs Grandfather and Father both served as
  the local magistrate
• Zwingli studied Latin and the classics at the age
  of ten
• Zwingli then began his University studies at the
  age of fourteen at the University of Vienna
• It was in University that Ulrich was introduced
  to the humanist movement
• Zwingli went on to study theology, philosophy,
  and the new humanistic studies
• He received his BA in 1504 and his MA in 1506

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Post-Studies

• Upon the completion of his University degrees,
  Zwingli was called upon to become the parish
  priest at Glarus
• Zwingli remained priest at Glarus for ten years
• While at Glarus Ulrich perfected Greek and began
  his study of Hebrew
• Zwingli read Erasmus and this changed his
  philosophy to an increasingly humanist way of
  thinking
• With Erasmus Greek New Testament and Zwinglis
  linguistic ability, He was able to study texts
  without subservience to traditional
  interpretations (p.170 Lindberg)
• Zwingli began to simplify the Bible and was
  looked down upon by the church for doing so

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Arrival To Zurich

• The Swiss mercenaries were widespread in the
  sixteenth century and this was something that
  Ulrich Zwingli was opposed to
• Zwinglis poem The Labyrinth, and The Ox (p.
  171) where what showed his clearly negative view
  on the Swiss Mercenaries
• After his decade at Glarus, Zwinglis reputation
  as a fine and scholarly priest led to his
  election as priest of The Great Minster Church in
  Zurich, Switzerland in 1518
• He was elected by the Council of 200
• The church was also known by the locals as
  Grossmünster
• Two main churches of the Reformation period in
  Zurich, The Great Minster and The Minster of Our
  Lady
• Zurich had a population of about 6,000, including
  the total surrounding areas the population
  increased to about 50,000

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Celibacy and Zwingli

• According to the ancient priest code, it was
  impossible for a priest to get married due to the
  vow of celibacy recited during priesthood
  inauguration
• The Bishopric of Constance changed the original
  celibacy structure and allowed priests to marry
  after paying a fee for the marriage and a fee for
  each child born due to the union
• Zwingli married Anna Reinhard who was also a
  strong believer in the reformation
• Together Ulrich and Anna had four children
• There marriage was publicly announced on April
  2,1524

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Zwinglis New Approach To Preaching

• On January 1st, 1519 Zwingli decides to preach a
  sermon at Grossmünster that is unlike any people
  have witnessed before
• Instead of preaching from the traditional text
  assigned by the church calendar, Zwingli began a
  series of sermons that went seriatim (in a
  series) through the entire gospel of Matthew
• He then chose other New Testament books on the
  basis of what he perceived to be the need of the
  people and proceeded to expound each as a whole
• In 1525, Zwingli instituted the practice of
  weekly Bible studies that he entitled
  prophesyings (Name taken from 1 Corinthians 14,
  which meant biblical introduction)

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Zwinglis New Approach To Preaching Contd

• The goal of this new practice was to enhance the
  knowledge of ministers and advanced students
  alike
• Zwinglis concept of reformation all of life,
  personal and communal, is to be normed by
  Scripture

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Zwingli Persuades Council

• Zwinglis appointment to the Great Minster church
  helped him create a symbiotic relationship with
  the city government
• One main difference between Luther and Zwingli is
  the fact that Luther relied on a Prince to aid
  him, while Zwingli had to convince the government
  and a council to back him
• Zwinglis popularity in Zurich was not only due
  to his increasingly new views on preaching but
  also his political ties to the city
• Zwingli became the mayor, secretary and council
  all at once and led Zurich through his beliefs

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Alienation From Roman Church

• During Zwinglis time as the Priest of
  Grossmünster, he began to question the Roman
  Catholic dogma (beliefs and doctrine)
• When a preacher of indulgences arrives in Zurich
  in the sixteenth century, Zwingli immediately
  opposes him which in turn causes Roman Catholics
  distress
• This opposition of indulgences is two years after
  Luthers 95 Thesis
• After Zwinglis Affair of the Sausages he
  claimed that the Bible was the sole source of
  faith and that all Roman Catholic oral traditions
  had nothing to do with ones faith

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The Reformation

• All of Zwinglis new doctrines did not come
  fourth without opposition
• The Anabaptists were opposed to infant baptism in
  which Zwingli had interpreted to be the correct
  code of conduct
• In Zurich, people of the community began to
  follow Zwinglis preaching very seriously and
  began to put it in motion (p. 178)
• Many towns joined the reformation including
  Constance (1527), Berne and St. Gall (1528),
  Biel, Mulhausen, and Schaffhausen (1529)

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The Dispute

• In Baden, northwest of Zurich, there was a
  disputation between the Old Church and the
  Zwingli party from May 21 to June 8, in 1526
• Zwingli did not attend in person but had close
  connections with those from Zurich who spoke for
  him, and gave them instructions on what to say
• Both sides claimed victory

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The Marburg Colloquium

• On October 1st, 1529 Zwingli and Luther meet
• The discussion about the Lords Supper ensued the
  following morning at 6am in front of an audience
  of fifty
• Luther claimed that Zwinglis interpretation of
  the Lords supper was incorrect
• Luther talked about the Eucharist and the fact
  that during the transubstantiation Christ is
  actually present
• Zwingli claimed that during the
  transubstantiation Christ was merely in the
  hearts of the believers
• Luther proposed fifteen articles and Zwingli was
  able to agree on all except one, the Lords
  Supper
• Although the two parties left Marburg with the
  avowed intention to practice Christianity charity
  toward each other, they failed to achieve either
  a confessional or military alliance.

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The Death of Ulrich Zwingli

• A Zurich-inspired economic blockade of the
  Catholic cantons that refused to admit Protestant
  preachers increased the Protestant-Catholic
  tensions in the Swiss Confederacy
• The Catholic cantons surprised Zwingli with a
  rather impressive military force
• Zwingli armed himself and took part in the battle
  of Kappel in 1531
• While in battle Zwingli was mortally wounded and
  left on the battlefield
• Once the Catholic forces found him they
  immediately struck with a mortal blow ending
  Ulrich Zwinglis life
• Zwingli was quartered (the punishment for being a
  trader) and burned in dung to silence any
  successors
• Zwinglis heart was supposedly intact after the
  burning

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Final Stages of the Reformation

• Although Zwingli was killed, the Swiss
  Reformation continued
• In 1555, the Peace of Augsburg legally changed
  Switzerland to become a state of free religious
  belief
• People were now able to emigrate to territories
  amenable to their confession of faith

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Discussion Questions

• After viewing Zwinglis new methods of preaching
  at The Great Minster church, would you attend
  his weekly bible study and become a part in the
  beginning of the Swiss Reformation or would you
  continue to remain true to the ancient Catholic
  ways?
• As a member of the Council of 200, would you have
  elected Zwingli? Why or why not?