Zwingli Received The Revelation Theology Religion Essay Example

was necessary for prayer, asserting that individuals could communicate directly with God. Other priests who shared his views showed their support. In a letter to the Bishop of Constance, Zwingli addressed the issue of priestly marriage, arguing that celibacy forced some priests into sinful behavior. However, his letter was ignored, prompting him to secretly marry a widow named Anna Meyer. Their marriage was happy and resulted in four children, three of whom outlived Zwingli. Though Zwingli did not write as many books as Luther or Calvin, his works had a significant impact on the church community. He faced accusations of unorthodoxy for claiming that the Church had become too worldly and asserting that Christ, not Peter, was the foundation of the true Church. Prior to a council meeting called to address these accusations, Zwingli authored another article called "67 Decisions."Zwingli strongly expresses in this message his belief that Christ alone is our high priest and savior, and no one else. He also criticizes the misuse of Jesus' name to enrich the church and establish unscriptural manmade regulations. In 1523, Zwingli had a significant moment during the Disputations of 1523 in Zurich, where he challenged the audience, including his old friend Johann Faber, about the exclusive role of Christ in salvation. Zwingli emerged victorious and was granted permission by the council to preach from the Bible. The following debate in October involved the Bishop himself, further highlighting Zwingli's influence. Significant changes then began to occur in June 1524, such as the establishment of theological schools and hospitals for the poor, closure of monasteries, and replacing Latin with Swiss-German language during Holy Communion. The priest now stood

behind the Lord's table during the Lord's Supper as if inviting the congregation. Gold and silver cups were replaced with wooden ones. Interestingly, music was temporarily removed from worship but fortunately reintroduced before the end of the sixteenth century.Zwingli and Luther both believed that the Bible should be translated for everyone to read (Stein, 2000, pp.94-96). With the help of Wolfgang Koepfel and Johann Hussgen, Zwinglianism quickly spread throughout Switzerland. In a debate in Zurich in 1523, Zwingli and Hussgen figuratively dismantled Johann Eck, who had "defeated" Zwingli's student in an argument, marking a significant triumph for the Protestant movement. This debate made people aware of Zwingli's knowledge of the Bible (Stein, 2000, pp.96-97). Like any reformation movement, there was chaos. The Protestant movement and its rules spread rapidly in Switzerland, encountering resistance in cities like Strassburg (Stein, 2000, pp.97-99). A war broke out when Zurich declared war on the Christian Alliance, but before any blood was shed, a peace agreement was reached between the small Roman army and the large Protestant army. Zwingli was not pleased with this outcome and may have suspected that Rome was buying time (Stein, 2000, pp.99-100). Zwingli and Luther finally met and engaged in an endless conversation about the Lord's Supper. Luther argued that the Body and Blood were present at the Lord's Supper, while Zwingli argued that it was simply a nonliteral representation. Needless to say, they never resolved this disagreement. Luther drafted an agreement that covered everything except the "loose ends" of Holy Communion (Stein, 2000, pp.).Between the Romans and Protestants, Zwingli lost his life in a war, leaving his wife widowed and without her son, brother,

son-in-law, and brother-in-law. His enemies mutilated and burned his body, but legend has it that his heart remained untouched amongst the ashes. As he was dying, Zwingli cried out, "They can destroy my body but not my soul." (Stein, 2000, pp.103-105) Heinrich Bullinger, a man who closely resembled Zwingli, succeeded him. When people heard Bullinger preach in Zurich, they mistook him for Zwingli. In Zurich, there is a statue of Ulrich Zwingli holding the Holy Scripture in his right hand and the hilt of a sword in his left. He served as a great inspiration to his followers. (Stein, 2000, p.115) (1111 words)