Reformation: Ulrich Zwingli

Huldrych Zwingli was widely known as a humanist and admirer of Erasmus when he came to Zurich from Glarus and Einsiedeln in 1519. The stages of the Zwinglian Reformation there were marked by the attack on compulsory fasting, images in churches and the doctrine of purgatory, culminating in the rejection of the sacrificial nature of the mass. Like Luther, Zwingli accepted sola scripture as the only criterion by which religious beliefs were to be judged, but he parted company with Luther on the central issue of the nature of the Eucharist. Their confrontation at Marburg failed to bring about agreement. A further important challenge came from the Anabaptists, who rejected infant baptism, military service, oaths and payment of tithe. Zwingli's many verbal and written discussions with them and his relations with Grebel, Mentz, Blaurock and Hubmaier form part of the story.

A collection of Zwingli's writings and correspondence. Includes an introduction to his life and work, all translated into English.

Ulrich Gabler's substantive biographical introduction to the life and work of Huldrych Zwingli includes a comprehensive account of the social, political,, and religious backgrounds of the Zwingli-initiated Swiss Reformation.

A biography of Zwingli from the early 1900s. Focuses on Zwingli's development and work, with little attention paid to social and political climate of Switzerland. Emphasizes the effects of Zwingli in comparison with other reformers.

Includes Zwingli's most influential works: Volume 1, The Defense of the Reformed Faith. Volume 2, In Search of True Religion: Reformation, Pastoral and Eucharistic Writings. Translated into English with notes.

A collection of Zwingli's writings. English translations with an introduction. Includes: "Visit of the Episcopal Delegation to Zurich, April, 1522," "The Petition of Eleven Priests to be Allowed to Marry, July, 1522," "The Acts of the First Zurich Disputation, January, 1523," "Zurich Marriage Ordinance, 1525," and "Refutation of the Tricks of the Catabaptists, 1527."

A study of Zwingli's influence on society in Zurich, as well as the influence of Zurich's society on Zwingli. The primary contention is that Zwingli's vision of society corresponded to previously established societal ideals in Zurich, making them simple to implement.

Zwingli, as interpreted by Courvoisier, speaks to the problems of our time with the same clarity and force which helped shape the course of the Reformation. Vigorous, totally orientated to the service of his "captain" and Savior, Zwingli grounded his theology in the Word of God as revealed in Scripture. He attacked the problems of his time--reforming the church and leading it to become the instrument through which the world hears the gospel. Zwingli gave meaning to the phrase "living under grace" in every area of life. On the relation of church and state, for example, he believed that all things on earth receive their ultimate meaning through grace. He believed that the church must affirm its presence in the world. He found no higher honor than to give his life for Christ.

A collection of essays on Zwingli by Fritz Büsser, Dorothy Clark, E.J. Furcha, U. Gäbler, Timothy George, Gerald Hobbs, Gottfired Locher, H. Wayne Pipkin, James M. Stayer, Peter Stephens, and Robert Walton.

An intellectual and theological biography of Zwingli. Emphasizes the development of Zwingli's thought, including his motivations and disputations.