Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation (Zurich-style)

1. Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation (Zurich-style)

2. Announcement • Next Monday is Veterans’ Day, and therefore Ali’s office hours and mine are cancelled. She and I would be both very happy to arrange a meeting with you if you were planning on coming: just send us an -mail!

3. Luther: from last time.. • Luther’s theology: cutting the middlemen, and by doing this leaving men and women to ‘deal with God by themselves’ • Luther and Erasmus: although Luther did use Erasmus’ edition, and he repeated many of Erasmus’ points, he was very different from Erasmus • Luther and politics: Luther survived the Catholic persecution because of contextual elements, namely politics • Keep in mind how theological, political and social issues are intertwined!

5. Zwingli: some background info • Zwingli was a pastor, while Luther was a monk • Zwingli was an educated pastor and a humanist • Zwingli active in Switzerland, in an economically solid context

6. ‘Schlussreden’ published in 1523

7. Zwingli’s Theology • Erasmian influences • No images in Churches • Emphasis on the spiritual over the corporeal • Sacramental doctrine

8. Eucharist in Zwingli • While Zwingli did not believe in the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, for it was too much similar to superstition, he did not believe in Luther’s doctrine that the bread CONTAINS the body of Jesus either…

9. ….so what did he believe in? Let us look at the source… • You eat the body of Christ ‘spiritually’ which means that: • EUCHARIST HAS ONLY A SYMBOLIC VALUE • Zwingli again wants to reassure people about God: we have to remember that ‘God is good’. Note again the dramatic aspect of theology in people’s life • ‘There is some bitter contention amongst us’: note that the Reformation was not a solid and united front!

10. For Zwingli, Eucharist is like ‘saluting the flag’

14. What about baptism for Zwingli? • For Zwingli, as for Luther, infant Baptism needed to be enforced, just like the Catholic Church: why? • Remember again the social value of baptism as a way to link people to their community • In fact…

16. Anabaptists • Complex set of sects, different from each other in many respects, but all of them believed in: • The concept of ‘election’ • The denial of infant baptism: Christ was baptized as an adult, so why should we be baptized as infants?

17. They were persecuted by everybody: why?

18. Anabaptists threatened early modern Europe in two respects: • They questioned both the Protestant and the Catholic Churches and their institutionalization • They were dangerous for early modern European states, in that they refused to acknowledge the political authority, together with the religious one

19. Conclusions on Zwingli • Zwingli represents a different path to Reformation: do not think that the Reformation was only Luther’s • The influence of Erasmus is much stronger in Zwingli than in Luther, as Zwingli emphasizes the ‘spiritual’ aspects. However, once again, Erasmus was NEVER a Reformer! • Baptism is the same for Zwingli as for Luther, the doctrine of the Eucharist is very different! • The Anabaptists are an example of a ‘dangerous’ outcome of the Reformation

20. The End Remember: no class on Friday and Monday: see you on Wednesday!