Mountains, Mission, Plague: the life of Zwingli

This is the house where Ulrich Zwingli was born, just a few minutes away from where we stayed in northeast Switzerland. Who was Zwingli?

Zwingli was a man of the mountains. He translated the well-known Psalm 23, “In schone Alp weidert Er mich,” (In the beautiful Alps he tends me.) He had a tremendous view of the Alps from his birthplace, plus the town where he first served as a priest.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Zwingli was an intellectual. Unlike many priests of his day, he was highly educated. He studied philosophy. He mastered languages. He read. He wrote.

Zwingli was a man of the Word. When the Dutch humanist scholar Erasmus published a Greek New Testament, Zwingli ate it up. Some say he memorized all of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the original Greek. When he became priest in Zurich, he broke from simply saying the words of the mass each week and began preaching straight through books of the Bible. The power of the Word, he said, was as unstoppable as the Rhine river. You can dam it for a time, but eventually it will have its way.

Zwingli was a reformer. In Germany, Martin Luther’s agonizing personal struggle led him to attempt to reform the Catholic church and its teachings. Zwingli came to similar views through his study of the Bible. And he came to those views before he ever heard of Luther, who was active at the same time. Zwingli led reforms of the church’s teaching and worship. He chose to marry, insisting that celibacy was not a requirement for serving Christ’s church.

Zwingli was a man of conviction. In his early days as a priest, he accompanied Swiss mercenaries as they fought in Italy. He watched them looting when they won. On another occasion, he watched them suffer defeat. He became convinced that “selling blood for gold” was corrupting the country. He began preaching against the war industry. It cost him his job as priest in the town of Glarus.

Zwingli was a man of compassion. After Glarus, Zwingli became a priest in the leading church of Zurich. A plague killed one-third of the city’s population. Zwingli chose to stay and continue ministering. He himself became sick and nearly died.

I find plenty to inspire me in our day.