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a Grace Notes course History of the Christian Church VOLUME 8 Modern Christianity, The Swiss Reformation By Philip Schaff CH804 Chapter 4: Spread of the Reformation in Switzerland History of the Christian Church Volume 8 Modern Christianity, The Swiss Reformation CH804 Table of Contents Chapter 4. Spread of the Reformation in Switzerland ...................................................................2 8.30. The Swiss Diet and the Conference at Baden, 1526 .................................................................. 2 8.31. The Reformation in Berne ......................................................................................................... 4 8.32. The Reformation in Basel. Ecolampadius .................................................................................. 6 8.33. The Reformation in Glarus....................................................................................................... 11 8.34. The Reformation in St. Gall, Toggenburg, and Appenzell ....................................................... 14 8.35. Reformation in Schaffhausen .................................................................................................. 16 8.36. The Grisons (Graubünden) ...................................................................................................... 17 8.37. The Reformation in the Grisons .............................................................................................. 19 8.38. The Reformation in the Italian Valleys of the Grisons ............................................................. 23 8.39. Protestantism in Chiavenna and the Valtellina, and its Suppression. The Valtellina Massacre .......................................................................................................................................................... 28 8.40. The Congregation of Locarno .................................................................................................. 30 8.41. Zwinglianism in Germany ........................................................................................................ 31 Chapter 4. Spread of the The Diet of Switzerland took the same stand against the Zwinglian Reformation as the Diet Reformation in Switzerland of the German Empire against the Lutheran 8.30. The Swiss Diet and the Conference at movement. Both Diets consisted only of one Baden, 1526 house, and this was composed of the hereditary nobility and aristocracy. The THOMAS MURNER: Die Disputacion vor den XII people were not directly represented by Orten einer loeblichen Eidgenossenschaft … zu delegates of their own choice. The majority of Baden gehalten. Luzern, 1527. This is the official Catholic report, which agrees with four voters were conservative, and in favor of the other protocols preserved in Zurich. (Mueller- old faith; but the majority of the people in the Hottinger, VII. 84.) Murner published also a larger and most prosperous cantons and in Latin edition, Causa Helvetica orthodoxae fidei, the free imperial cities favored progress and etc. Lucernae, 1528. BULLINGER, I. 331 sqq. The reform, and succeeded in the end. writings of ZWINGLI, occasioned by the The question of the Reformation was Disputation in Baden, in his Opera, vol. II. B. repeatedly brought before the Swiss Diet, and 396–522. not a few liberal voices were heard in favor of HOTTINGER: Geschichte der Eidgenossen waehrend der Zeit der Kirchentrennung, pp. abolishing certain crying abuses; but the 77–96. MOERIKOFER: Zw., II. 34–43. MERLE: majority of the cantons, especially the old Reform., bk. XI. ch. 13. HERZOG: Oekolampad, forest-cantons around the lake of Lucerne, vol. II. ch. 1. HAGENBACH: Oekolampad, pp. 90– resisted every innovation. Berne was anxious 98. A. BAUR: Zw.’s Theol., I. 501–518. to retain her political supremacy, and History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff 3 CH804: Volume 8, Chapter 4 a Grace Notes course vacillated. Zwingli had made many enemies The arrangements for the disputation and the by his opposition to the foreign military local sympathies were in favor of the papal service and pensions of his countrymen. Dr. party. Mass was said every morning at five, Faber, the general vicar of the diocese of and a sermon preached; the pomp of Constance, after a visit to Rome, openly ritualism was displayed in solemn turned against his former friend, and made processions. The presiding officers and every effort to unite the interests of the leading secretaries were Romanists; nobody aristocracy with those of the hierarchy. besides them was permitted to take notes. “Now,” he said, “the priests are attacked, the The disputation turned on the real presence, nobles will come next.” the sacrifice of the mass, the invocation of the At last the Diet resolved to settle the difficulty Virgin Mary and of saints, on images, by a public disputation. Dr. Eck, well known purgatory, and original sin. Dr. Eck was the to us from the disputation at Leipzig for his champion of the Roman faith, and behaved learning, ability, vanity and conceit, offered with the same polemical dexterity and his services to the Diet in a flattering letter of overbearing and insolent manner as at Aug. 13, 1524. He had then just returned from Leipzig: robed in damask and silk, decorated a third visit to Rome, and felt confident that with a golden ring, chain and cross; he could crush the Protestant heresy in surrounded by patristic and scholastic folios, Switzerland as easily as in Germany. He spoke abounding in quotations and arguments, contemptuously of Zwingli, as one who “had treating his opponents with proud contempt, no doubt milked more cows than he had read and silencing them with his stentorian voice books.” About the same time the Roman and final appeals to the authority of Rome. counter-reformation had begun to be Occasionally he uttered an oath, “Potz organized at the convent of Regensburg (June, Marter.” A contemporary poet, Nicolas 1524), under the lead of Bavaria and Austria. Manuel, thus described his conduct:— The disputation was opened in the Catholic “Eck stamps with his feet, and claps his hands, city of Baden, in Aargau, May 21, 1526, and He raves, he swears, he scolds; lasted eighteen days, till the 8th of June. The ‘I do,’ cries he, ‘what the Pope commands, cantons and four bishops sent deputies, and And teach whatever he holds.’ ” many foreign divines were present. The Ecolampadius of Basle and Haller of Berne, Protestants were a mere handful, and both plain and modest, but able, learned and despised as “a beggarly, miserable rabble.” earnest men, defended the Reformed Zwingli, who foresaw the political aim and opinions. Ecolampadius declared at the outset result of the disputation, was prevented by that he recognized no other rule of judgment the Council of Zurich from leaving home, than the Word of God. He was a match for Eck because his life was threatened; but he in patristic learning, and in solid arguments. influenced the proceedings by daily His friends said, “Ecolampadius is correspondence and secret messengers. No vanquished, not by argument, but by one could doubt his courage, which he vociferation.” Even one of the Romanists showed more than once in the face of greater remarked, “If only this pale man were on our danger, as when he went to Marburg through side!” His host judged that he must be a very hostile territory, and to the battlefield at pious heretic, because he saw him constantly Cappel. But several of his friends were sadly engaged in study and prayer; while Eck was disappointed at his absence. He would have enjoying rich dinners and good wines, which equaled Eck in debate and excelled him in occasioned the remark, “Eck is bathing in biblical learning. Erasmus was invited, but Baden, but in wine.” politely declined on account of sickness. History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff 4 CH804: Volume 8, Chapter 4 a Grace Notes course The papal party boasted of a complete Elberfeld, 1861. The monographs on Niclaus victory. All innovations were forbidden; Manuel by GRUENEISEN, Stuttgart, 1837, and by Zwingli was excommunicated; and Basle was BAECHTHOLD, Frauenfeld, 1878. HUNDESHAGEN: called upon to depose Ecolampadius from the Die Conflicte des Zwinglianismus, Lutherthums pastoral office. Faber, not satisfied with the und Calvinismus in der Bernischen Landeskirche von 1532–’58. Bern, 1842. F. burning of heretical books, advocated even TRECHSEL: articles Berner Disputation and the burning of the Protestant versions of the Berner Synodus, and Haller, in Herzog, II. 313– Bible. Thomas Murner, a Franciscan monk 324, and V 556–561. Berner Beitraege, etc., and satirical poet, who was present at Baden, 1884, quoted on p. 15. See also the Lit. by heaped upon Zwingli and his adherents such NIPPOLD in his Append. to Hagenbach’s Reform. epithets as tyrants, liars, adulterers, church Gesch., p. 695 sq. robbers, fit only for the gallows! He had III. KARL LUDWIG VON HALLER (a distinguished formerly (1512) chastised the vices of priests Bernese and convert to Romanism, expelled and monks, but turned violently against the from the Protestant Council of Berne, 1820; d. Saxon Reformer, and earned the name of 1854): Geschichte der kirchlichen Revolution “Luther-Scourge” (Lutheromastix). He was oder protestantischen Reform des Kantons Bern und umliegender Gegenden. Luzern, 1836 now made lecturer in the Franciscan convent (346 pages). French translation, Histoire de la at Lucerne, and authorized to edit the acts of revolution religieuse dans la Swiss occidentale. the Baden disputation.