Transcript Ulrich Zwingli & the Anabaptists - NOBTS

Ulrich Zwingli
& The Swiss Reformation
Swiss Confederation
• Confederation began in 1291
• Technically part of Holy Roman Empire,
basically independent by 1499
• Noted for its independent spirit & quality of
its mercenaries
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
• Born in Switzerland; son & grandson of
civil magistrates; Uncle Bartholomew,
parish priest
• Latin scholar; educated
in Basel, Bern, Vienna
• Came under influence
of Erasmus & humanism
Early Priesthood (1506-1518)
• Glarus – Arranged by Uncle Bartholomew
– Another priest sold post for 100 florins
– Main “cash crop” was mercenaries
– Zwingli served as chaplain, saw 10,000 killed
• Einsiedeln – Chaplain of Shrine of Virgin
– Preaching to pilgrims earned his
reputation
– Began to question indulgences
• Grossmunster – Great Church of Zurich
Zurich & Early Reform
• Zurich: key city of Switzerland & important
religious center
• Pastorate: preaching, mass, visiting sick
• Preached through books of Bible instead of
prescribed Scriptures
• Spiritual crisis: plague, brother’s death, his
own sickness after ministering to victims
1522 – Key Year
• “Affair of the Sausages”
– Zwingli preached against Lenten fast
– Zurich printer rewarded workers with sausages
– Zwingli defended practice
1522 – Key Year
• Petition against celibacy
– Priests petitioned bishop to legitimize relations
– Many priests had common-law wives, concubines
– 1500 illegitimate children
fathered by priests
– Zwingli was living with
widow Anna Rinehart
First Disputation – Jan. 1523
• Debate between Zwingli and Vicar General of
Bishopric of Constance
• Zwingli presented 67 Articles for church life
• City Council supported Zwingli’s Reformation:
– Affirmation of Scripture as basis of authority
– Condemned corruption of Roman Catholic Church
– Denounced: purgatory; papal office; priestly garments;
priesthood; clerical celibacy; traditional mass (Lord’s
Supper should be memorial)
• Zwingli’s Reformation depended on Council
Second Disputation – Oct. 1523
• Topics: Use of images; the mass; purgatory
– Quick agreement to reject use of images
– Purgatory was never discussed
– Instead remainder of discussion was spent on replacing
the mass with simple Lord’s Supper: magistrates delayed
implementation; Zwingli’s followers insisted on immediate
action; Zwingli sided with magistrates
• No action was taken
• Christmas Day, Zwingli did not conduct simple
Lord’s Supper as planned
• Many of his student-followers broke with Zwingli
Prophecy Meetings
& Swiss Brethren
• 1519, Zwingli began attracting students:
– Conrad Grebel
– Felix Manz
– George Blaurock
• At Prophecy Meetings, studied NT in Greek
• Study led to rejection of infant baptism &
support of believer’s baptism
• When this reform was rejected by Council,
Zwingli backed down
Third Disputation – Jan. 1525
• Zwingli attempted to suppress Swiss Brethren
at public disputation on baptism
• Zwingli coined term “Anabaptists”:
Re-baptizers
• Decision: Brethren to
stop meeting & have
children baptized or
leave in 8 days
• Brethren defied
Zwingli & Council,
were baptized as believers & were
persecuted
Zwingli on Church-State
• State-church in Zurich:
Reformation depended upon
support from Council
• Christian Civic Union:
allied with other Swiss cantons
to spread Reformation
Zwingli on Baptism
• Adhered to infant baptism
• Nature of baptism
– Infants are not guilty
– Baptism not necessary for salvation
– Infant was elect; in covenant community
• Predestination
– Fit his view of infant baptism, which was sign of covenant for
those elected by God
– Covenant concept of church
• Used OT to show that baptism is NT parallel to
circumcision
Zwingli on Lord’s Supper
• Easter 1525, Zwingli observed
“evangelical” Lord’s Supper
– Advocated symbolic view of Lord’s
Supper
– Taught that bread & cup were
signs or symbols to be observed in
remembrance & thanksgiving for Christ’s sacrifice
– Holy Spirit uses these signs/symbols to testify that
participants are joined in true & spiritual way to
resurrected & ascended Christ; but Christ was not
actually present in elements of Supper
Zwingli as Reformed Spokesman
• 1529, Marburg Colloquy:
met with Luther for alliance
against Catholics; no
agreement on Lord’s Supper
(Zwingli – memorial;
Luther – real presence)
1530, Augsburg Diet:
Swiss Churches
presented their own
articles
Zwingli’s Contribution to
Reformed Churches
• Zwingli set out goal & early model
• Creation of disciplined people of God governed
by biblical principles required extensive reform
of doctrine, worship, church government & entire
society
• Laws enforcing state church’s worship were
based on precedent of Israel & OT laws on
religion & civil matters
• Infant baptism, like OT circumcision, included
children in covenant community
Zwingli’s Contribution to
Reformed Churches
• Biblical lessons became focus of worship
• Worship attendance was mandatory
• Music & organs, images removed from
churches
• Tight control on moral behavior; curfew
• Religious uniformity strictly enforced;
deviation considered treasonous;
Anabaptist targeted especially
Zwingli’s Writings (1525)
• On Baptism, Anabaptism and Infant Baptism
– Baptism is sign of covenant: infant baptism is NT
expression of circumcision
– OT is precedent for covenant community
• Commentary on True and False Religion
– Lord’s Supper is symbolic remembrance
• On Human and Divine Justice
– Union of Church & State
Zwingli’s Death
• Second Kappel War (1531)
– Protestants blockaded routes to Catholic
cantons
– Protestant cantons did not unite; Catholics did
– Catholics attacked Zurich
• Catholics won; routed Zurich army
• Zwingli died
• Catholics strengthened hold
on 5 Catholic cantons, which
remain Catholic to this day
Heinrich Bullinger (1504-75)
• Successor & spokesman
for Zwinglian viewpoint
after 1531
• Influenced refugee
Protestant leaders who
relocated in Zurich
• Drafted Helvetic (Swiss)
Confession, basic
doctrinal standard for
Reformed churches in
Europe (1536, 1566)
Heinrich Bullinger (1504-75)
• Negotiated with John Calvin for
accord uniting German-speaking
& French-speaking
Reformed churches
(Consensus Tigurinus, 1549)
• Wrote historical & theological works defending
Reformation & Protestantism (i.e. The Decades)
Johann Oecolampadius
(1482-1531)
• Led Reform in Basel
• Humanist, Hebrew scholar,
commentator on Scripture
• Elaborated concept of
“covenant” community as
model for Reformed city
• Advocated use of elders to
help pastors in providing
spiritual oversight
Berchtold Haller (1492-1536)
• By 1528, led Reform in
Bern, political & military
center of Protestant
reform among Swiss &
capital of Swiss
Confederation
• Supported Frenchspeaking Reformed
church development in
Geneva, Neuchatel &
Lausanne
Martin Bucer (1491-1551)
• Strasbourg: located outside
of Swiss Confederation;
refugee center until 1548;
leading intellectual center
for Reformed churches
• Reform led by Bucer:
Humanist scholar, Bible
commentator & theologian,
implementer of Reformed
models
Martin Bucer (1491-1551)
• Pursued middle way or moderate approach to
accommodate Lutheran & Schmalkaldic League
positions with Swiss Reformed positions
• Effort to recruit English church leaders into
united Protestant church effort
• Thomas Cranmer invited
Bucer to England to assist
in English Reformation