Huldrych Zwingli

Lore & Background

Huldrych Zwingli was born on 1 January 1484 in Wildhaus, Switzerland, to a family of farmers. He attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, receiving a Master of Arts degree in 1506. He served as a pastor in Glarus for ten years, where he became involved in politics and initially supported the pope, receiving an annual pension from Pope Julius II. After the Swiss defeat at the Battle of Marignano, he retreated to Einsiedeln, where he withdrew from politics, studied Greek and Hebrew, and was influenced by the writings of Erasmus. In 1519, he became the people's priest of the Grossmünster in Zurich and began preaching reform. He attacked the custom of fasting during Lent in 1522, promoted clerical marriage, and opposed the use of images in worship. He clashed with the Anabaptists, leading to their persecution. In 1525, he introduced a new communion liturgy to replace the Mass.

Reader's Guide

Zwingli's significance lies in his role as a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, where his expository preaching and liturgical reforms shaped the development of Reformed churches. His alliance of Reformed cantons divided the Swiss Confederation along religious lines, leading to conflicts such as the unsuccessful food blockade of Catholic cantons in 1531, which resulted in his death on the battlefield. His ideas influenced other reformers, though he could not reach accord with Martin Luther on the Real Presence in the Eucharist at the Marburg Colloquy. His legacy persists in the confessions, liturgy, and church orders of today's Reformed churches. Historians debate whether he turned Zurich into a theocracy. His opposition to the Swiss mercenary system and his focus on scripture-based reform were central to his work.

Did You Know?

• Zwingli was born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system.
• He attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly center of Renaissance humanism.
• He died on the battlefield in 1531 after his alliance applied an unsuccessful food blockade on Catholic cantons.
• He met Martin Luther at the Marburg Colloquy, where they agreed on many points of doctrine but not on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin." — Huldrych Zwingli "Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Volume 1, p. 424." — Huldrych Zwingli "Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Volume 1, p. 427-428." — Huldrych Zwingli "I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary." — Huldrych Zwingli