Born in 1494 in Wildhaus, Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1506. He worked as Swiss military chaplain from 1512-1516 before being promoted to the role of priest at Grossmünster Church in Zurich. Highly educated in Humanist ideals, Zwingli is often called the third man of the Reformation, after Martin Luther and John Calvin.
Martin Luther vs. Ulrich Zwingli
Like Martin Luther, Zwingli had a lot of trouble with certain church practices, such as the selling of indulgences. But the straw that broke the camels back as far as Zwingli was concerned came during a party in 1522. Being a polite party-goer, he nibbled on some sausage, offered by the host. Unfortunately the party happened take place during lent, when Catholics fast from meat. Catholics all over Zurich were in an uproar over Zwingli’s blasphemous attitude.
For Zwingli, enough was enough. He threw off his priests robes, got married and plowed head first into the Protestant Reformation. He began basing his sermons on the Gospel spoke out about several Catholic practices including:
- Celibacy of priests
- Fasting
- Saint Worship
Zwingli’s 67 Theses
In 1523, Zwingli publishes his own Sixty-Seven Theses, outlining his major religious points. It aligned very closely to Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, posted in 1517, except on the matter of communion. Luther believed that Jesus’ words spoken by the priest at communion “This is my body, this is my blood” meant that something happened at that precise moment. Zwingli said that was a bunch of hogwash and that while the bread and wine may represent Jesus’ body and blood, the whole communion thing was simply not necessary for the salvation of one’s soul.
Zurich Becomes a Theocracy
Zwingli went on to propose that the church and state should unite into one governing body. Zurich would be ruled by God’s word, with a special court of morals to try sinners for their crimes. Several Swiss cantons, including Bern, Basel and Schaffhausen thought that was a fine idea and shook off the Pope’s control. Other Swiss cantons, such as Lucerne said “Um, we don’t think so, Zwingli!” choosing to remain staunchly Catholic. Remember, the Swiss Guard was responsible for guarding the Pope, so many Swiss felt it was not wise to jeopardize one of their biggest exports. Others felt that to turn their back on the Pope and the Catholic Church was a one way ticket to hell.
The Swiss Catholics Take Action
In 1531 the Swiss Guard marched on Zurich and killed Zwingli, along with 2000 other men. But thanks to Zwingli, the Swiss Reformation was in full swing. Soon another preacher, John Calvin, would build on the work done by both Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther.
Sources:
Lang, Sean. European History for Dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
Life World Library. Switzerland. New York: Time Incorporated, 1964.
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