Lord’s Day, Vol. 6 No. 43

Reformation in Switzerland

From Germany, the Protestant Reformation progressed to Switzerland, where in the northern part the people were mostly German in language and customs, in distinction from those parts which were geographically and in certain other respects linked with France.

Ulrich Zwingli led the Reformation movement in the northern part of Switzerland. He was born in the village of Wildhaus in 1484. Like Luther, he was of lowly birth, but he was brought up in more favourable circumstances than Luther and was educated in a school at Basel and at the University of Vienna. He was an altogether different type of man from Luther, but the teaching of the Spirit of God led both of them in the same direction. Zwingli became more and more convinced of the sad condition of the Church, and as he was a very earnest and diligent student of the Bible, he also became convinced that between many of the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and those of the Scriptures there was a world of difference. At the same time, he read the writings of the early Fathers and the books of Wycliffe and Huss. When a colleague of Tetzel, Bernardin Samson, sold indulgences in Switzerland, Zwingli raised a protect, but he was not as bold as Luther, nor was Samson as boisterous as Tetzel, so there was not such a violent clash in Switzerland as there was in Germany.

In 1519, Zwingli – he had become a priest in 1506 – was invited to become a preacher in Zurich and he accepted on condition that he would be left free to preach the pure gospel of Christ. In this city, striking things were to happen. Great crowds came to hear his sermons, and from all sides was heard the comment, “Such preaching we greatly need; he tells us the way of salvation.” Zwingli showed himself a true shepherd to his flock. This became especially evident during the days in which the plague came to the city. It proved very severe, for 2500 died of it out of a total population of only 17,000. Zwingli, ignoring all danger of infection, visited the stricken families, and comforted the dying. He himself fell a victim of the plague and for about three months he was very ill indeed. Finally, he recovered and wrote a famous “Christian song” to commemorate the event.

Luther and Zwingli agreed on many points of Bible doctrine, but they also differed some important points, including the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Luther would not bend to Zwingli’s teaching and before long the Swiss brethren formed a new religious organization which they called the Reformed Church, in distinction from what came to be called the Lutheran Church. Reformation now made rapid progress. Switzerland is a country divided into cantons and many of these accepted the new the doctrines that Zwingli taught out of the Bible; others, however, remained strictly Catholic and even formed a league with Catholic Austria to suppress the Reformation. This made the enemies of Zwingli overbearing, and political troubles were added to doctrinal disputes. Protestants were persecuted and some were murdered.

Four cantons took up arms, and it appeared probable that the Reformation would gain a military victory, but before the decisive battle was fought a compromise was arranged. The league of Austria was nullified and the Catholics promised toleration to the Protestants who lived in the Catholic cantons. When the Catholics did not give effect to their promise but continued the old policy of persecution, another civil war broke out, and soon an army of 8000 Catholics invaded the canton of Zurich. The Zwinglians at once raised a small army of 2700, the reformer himself joining the forces, not as a combatant but as a chaplain. In 1531 a battle was fought at Kappel in deadly earnest and with great bitterness. Zwingli cared for the wounded and the dying, many of his own relations being among them, including his brother-in-law, stepson, and son-in-law. With hardly an exception, prominent Zurich families had to mourn their dead. About 500 were slain.

Zwingli was among the slain. Wounded in the legs by a spear, and his helmet battered by a stone, he had fallen down. One of the enemy, acting in a kindly fashion, offered to call a Catholic priest to hear his dying confession. Unable to speak, Zwingli shook his head. “Then pray to the Mother of God, and call upon the saints, that God in his grace may accept you”, said his foe. Again Zwingli shook his head, an action marking him as a Protestant. More of the enemy then arrived and one of them, reviling Zwingli for holding the reformed faith, struck him with his sword and killed him. His body was next quartered by a hangman who was brought, and according to the law of the Empire, its various parts were mixed with dung and burned, his ashes being scattered to the winds.

Zwingli was only 47 years of age and his death was a cause of intense grief to his followers. Luther was deeply shocked. He believed that the displeasure of God had been shown against the Swiss for resorting to the sword to defend themselves. But before many years had passed the reformed faith had made remarkable progress, not only in the German but also in the French Cantons.

Zwingli’s successor at Zurich was Henry Bullinger, and under his teaching, a Confession of Faith was accepted by all the Reformed cantons. It was known as the Helvetic Confession (Helvetia having been the name of Switzerland in the days of ancient Rome) and was signed also by John Knox and other Scottish ministers, by the churches of the southern Rhineland, and by the reformed congregation of Poland and Hungary. [Extracted and edited from Sketches from Church History by S.M. Houghton.]

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee