ULRICH ZWINGLI REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND

Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a contemporary of Luther who carried out religious reforms in the Swiss confederation of Zurich. Zwinglis reformation was based on humanist views. His short stay at Basle and his familiarity with the works of Erasmus gave Zwingli a different perception of Christianity. Zwingli was essentially a humanist and was greatly inspired by Erasmus. He had studied the Bible in depth, which made him question some of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He presented new views in the course of his preaching. His actual reformation started in 1520 and was completed within 5 years. According to Jean Wirth, Zwingli was an acculturative reformer. He depended on the support of the dominant classes to impose a rigorous reform. Under his influence, the bourgeois authorities in Zurich imposed on the people, without having converted them to the cause. It appears that Zwingli preferred an ordinary evolution of reformation but was overwhelmed by the groups by comprising opponents of all forms of images of saints-iconoclasts. Zwinglis influence became evident only after September 1523, when the town council of Zurich gave him full backing. Swiss reformation under Zwingli: It stressed upon the corporate nature of the church. It believed that clergy and laymen formed a holy community. Zwingli also raised the subject of celibacy and set an example by getting married, much to the indignation of the priests and clergy. The Council of Zurich decided against the practice of exacting fees for baptism, Eucharist and burial. Under the reformed religion: The clergy was to preach only from scriptures and the original Bible was to be read in the churches. Preaching formed an integral part of the church. The images and relics were removed from the church, processions disallowed and the use of candles and holy water abandoned.

Reformation in Zurich had a great social impact: The monasteries were abolished and monastic charity became a communal concern. The monasteries were converted into poor houses and hospitals; their wealth was utilized to support the poor. The jurisdiction exercised by the Bishop was transferred to the civil body. A new court was established to deal with marriage disputes and to bring moral discipline into society. The church and the moral discipline were to be jointly supervised by the church and the state which together formed the holy community. Church attendance was made compulsory in 1529. The power of the magistrate was combined with that of the clergy thus bringing a complete fusion of the church and state which was called magisterial reformation. It was essentially doctrinal and liturgical reformation and was more radical than that of Luther. After Zwinglis death at the battle of Kappel (1531) where he accompanied the army as chaplain, his successor, Bullinger, continued the reforms. Similarities between the Lutherans & Zwinglis Reformation Both rejected medieval sacraments and emphasized the word of God. They both retained the traditional practice of infant baptism but for different reasons. When both the leaders met at Marburg in 1529 to strengthen the cause of a unified reformation, they made an attempt to resolve their differences and agreed on almost all points except on the question of the Lords Supper. Zwingli Luther Christ was present only in the hearts of Christ was actually present at the believers. Eucharist He treated the occasion as a memorial He insisted upon its literal sense and rejected Zwinglis proposal of brotherhood by saying your spirit is different from ours He tied both the kingdom of God and He had separated the kingdom of God the secular order together. from the secular order.