The Swiss Reformation: Huldrych Zwingli and others Fritz Graf, The Ohio State University 1. Zwingli’s Life Portrait by Hans Asper Dum patriae quaero per dogmata sancta salute, ingrate patrio caesus ab ense cado. When I was pursuing salvation for my country through the sacred writings, I die, felled by an unthankful sword.
He died in the Year of the Lord 1531, on October 11, in the 48th year of his life. Zwingli: Time-line
Zwingli’s Life The Times 1484 Born in Wildhaus 1483 Luther born 1492 Columbus in the Bahamas 1506 MA in Basel, priest in Glarus (-1516) 1507 Luther ordained 1515 In Marignano; meets Erasmus 1515 Battle of Marignano 1516 Einsiedeln (-1518) 1516 Erasmus’ New Testament 1517 Luther’s 95 theses 1519 Jan. 1: Zürich, Grossmünster 1519 New Testament sermons; plague 1521 Luther begins German translation of the Bible 1523 First and Second Zurich Disputation 1529 Marburg Disputation; First Kappelen 1529 Marburg Disputation War 1531 Second Kappelen War, killed in action. 1532 Calvin begins French reformation Wildhaus: the house of the Zwingli family Glarus 1506-1516 Einsiedeln 1516-1518 Zurich (Grossmünster) 1519-1531
Fraumünster (imperial abbey) Grossmünster
St. Peter (Leo Jud) Switzerland at the time of Zwingli 2. Switzerland in Zwingli’s Time Switzerland at the time of Zwingli Mercenary with Glarus Flag: Urs Graf, 1521 The Tagsatzung of 1531 Zwingli’s Reformation Mechanisms and Achievement Erasmus of Rotterdam (Rotterdam 1466- Basel 1536) The Novum Instrumentum of 1516
http://www.csntm.org/PrintedBook/ViewBook/ErasmusNovumInstrumentum Complutense polyglot Bible, project of Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros The consequences (in 1522)
The principle: Sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
This leads immediately to ➢Sermon on a passage from Scripture (against begging orders) ➢Abolition of Fasting ➢Abolition of Celibacy ➢Iconoclasm ➢Dissolution of monasteries The 1529 “battle” of Kappel
Catholic milk + Protestant bread The 1531 battle of Kappel Etching by Merian, 1630
Flags: Flag: Lucerne and Uri Zurich Switzerland in 1536 The successor: Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575)
Aged 55 “I do care nothing for beauty or life-time; I only care for Christ, who is the beauty of my life”
Founder of the Zurich Seminary for Reformed Theology, the Carolinum; intrepid interpreter of reformed Christianity in over 12’000 letters and many books. Contrasts Saint Gall: Vadianus (Joachim von Watt)
If someone does not know the give live and soul to the colors, He is unable to paint you, Vadian. In the 58th year of life, 1545 Saint Gall in 1623 Saint Gall in 1623 Basel: Johannes Oecolampadius Basel: Johannes Oecolampadius Basel: Johannes Oecolampadius
Cathedral University Zwingli’s Theological Positions The principles 1
Sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”) as against Luther’s Sola fide (“by Faith alone”)
This leads immediately to ➢Sermon on a passage from Scripture (against begging orders) ➢Abolition of Fasting ➢Abolition of Celibacy ➢Iconoclasm ➢Dissolution of monasteries The principles 2
Overarching principle: Solo Christo (“By Christ alone”) Scripture emanates from Christ and thus is secondary:
> Allows agreements with Luther The 15 articles of Marburg 1529
Agreement on 14 of the 15 articles – including • Original sin from which Christ saved us: Article 4: “We believe that we are born with and inherited original sin from Adam” Predestination and Original Sin
Zwingli: Luther: • Results from God’s power (optimist • Results from man’s inborn anthropology) depravity (pessimist anthropology) • Even Adam’s fall is preordained • Original sin creates guilt • Original sin an inborn defect that > Baptism is necessary purification doesn’t make us guilty as such > Baptism not needed • We transgress out of free will – Oecolampadius: Salus nostra ex Deo, perditio nostra ex nobis (Our salvation comes from God, our fall from ourselves) The 15 articles of Marburg 1529
Agreement on 14 of the 15 articles – including • Original sin from which Christ saved us: Article 4: “We believe that we are born with and inherited original sin from Adam” • Baptism: Article 9: “We believe that holy baptism is a sacrament which is an instrument of God for such faith and ordered by Him.” Baptism
• Zwingli: • Luther: Baptism is not necessary for Baptism is necessary for grace, grace, because we are not because it purifies us from original inherently guilty, and grace is part sin. of God.
General rule: General rule: Sacraments symbolize and Sacraments perform confirm but do not perform The 15 articles of Marburg 1529
Agreement on 14 of the 15 articles – including • Original sin from which Christ saved us: Article 4: “We believe that we are born with and inherited original sin from Adam” • Baptism: Article 9: “We believe that holy baptism is a sacrament which is an instrument of God for such faith and ordered by Him.”
Disagreement on communion (article 15) Communion
Article 15: Although we have not been able to agree at this time, whether the true body and blood of Christ are corporally present in the bread and wine,
each party should display towards the other Christian love, as far as each respective conscience allows, and both should persistently ask God the Almighty for guidance so that through his Spirit he might bring us to a proper understanding. Communion
Zwingli: Luther: A symbol of our faith and An instrument for our salvation salvation and therefore not really and therefore really Christ’s body Christ’s body and flesh. and blood.
(Again: sacraments are symbols, not instruments) Bullinger’s confirmation
Those who insist that the formal words of the Supper, “This is my body; this is my blood,” are to be taken in what they call the precisely literal sense, we repudiate as preposterous interpreters. For we hold it to be beyond controversy that they are to be taken figuratively, the bread and wine receiving the name of that which they signify. Salvation
God can save whom he pleases – included non-baptized infants or pagans. Salvation
God can save whom he pleases – included non-baptized infants or pagans.