Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531)
Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss pastor and reformer who led the Reformation in Zurich independently of Luther. A humanist and scholar influenced by Erasmus, Zwingli developed many of the same convictions as the German Reformer—including the authority of Scripture, the rejection of indulgences, and salvation by grace through faith—before ever reading Luther’s writings. His reforms emphasized preaching, the removal of images, and the simplification of worship. Though he shared much with the Wittenberg movement, Zwingli’s symbolic view of the Lord’s Supper brought him into sharp conflict with Luther and ultimately fractured early Protestant unity. He died in battle at the age of 47, leaving behind a Reformed tradition that would be carried forward by Heinrich Bullinger and later shaped more fully by John Calvin.
Early Life and Education
Zwingli was born in 1484 in Wildhaus, in the Toggenburg valley of Switzerland. He studied in Basel, Bern, and Vienna, and was deeply influenced by the classical and biblical scholarship of Renaissance humanism. Like Erasmus, he believed that reform must begin with a return to the sources—ad fontes. He mastered Greek and studied the New Testament in its original language, developing a preaching-centered model of ministry that contrasted sharply with the medieval sacramental system.
Zwingli was ordained in 1506 and served in Glarus and then Einsiedeln, where he became known as a gifted preacher. He also served as a military chaplain during Swiss campaigns in Italy, which left him disillusioned with war and papal politics. In 1519, he was appointed people’s priest at the Grossmünster in Zurich—a position that gave him a public platform to call for reform.
Reform in Zurich
Zwingli began preaching directly from the Greek New Testament, working systematically through books of the Bible. He rejected purgatory, clerical celibacy, and the veneration of saints, arguing that these practices had no biblical basis. He promoted the idea that Scripture alone should govern faith and worship. In 1522, during the famous “Affair of the Sausages,” Zwingli defended those who ate meat during Lent, challenging Rome’s authority to impose fasting laws.
The Zurich city council convened a series of disputations to decide theological issues publicly. Backed by the support of the council, Zwingli initiated sweeping changes: images were removed from churches, the Mass was replaced by a simple communion service, and monastic houses were dissolved. Worship was stripped down to its essentials—Scripture reading, preaching, and prayer.
Unlike Luther, Zwingli worked hand-in-hand with civic authorities to implement reform, creating a model of church-state cooperation that would shape the Swiss and broader Reformed traditions.
Theology and Worship
Zwingli’s theology emphasized the sovereignty of God, the centrality of Scripture, and the rational clarity of biblical doctrine. He viewed the sacraments—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper—as signs and seals of grace rather than means of grace in themselves. His symbolic understanding of the Lord’s Supper became the defining difference between his Reformed branch of Protestantism and Luther’s Lutheran movement.
Where Luther insisted on the real bodily presence of Christ “in, with, and under” the elements, Zwingli taught that Christ was present spiritually and remembered by faith. For Zwingli, the Supper was primarily a commemoration and a public testimony of unity among believers.
He also rejected music in worship and favored plain psalm singing, believing that elaborate choirs and instruments distracted from the Word.
Zwingli and Luther
Though Zwingli and Luther shared many convictions and initially admired one another, their relationship soured over the issue of the Eucharist. In 1529, the two met at the Marburg Colloquy, arranged by Philip of Hesse to unite the Protestant factions. The meeting resulted in agreement on fourteen theological points, but broke down on the fifteenth: the presence of Christ in the Supper.
Luther could not accept Zwingli’s symbolic interpretation, famously writing “Hoc est corpus meum” (“This is my body”) in chalk on the table before them. Zwingli wept at the failure of unity, but neither man yielded. Their split would define the division between the Lutheran and Reformed traditions.
Death and Legacy
In 1531, after political tensions between Catholic and Protestant cantons in Switzerland escalated, war broke out. Zwingli served as a chaplain and was killed at the Battle of Kappel, defending Zurich. His body was mutilated by Catholic soldiers.
Though his leadership ended abruptly, Zwingli laid the foundation for Reformed Protestantism in the Swiss Confederacy. His successor, Heinrich Bullinger, preserved and systematized Zwingli’s teachings, and passed them down to later theologians such as John Calvin. Zwingli’s insistence on Scripture as the sole authority, his civic model of reform, and his symbolic view of the sacraments became defining features of the Reformed tradition.
Books on Ulrich Zwingli
Zwingli: God’s Armed Prophet
By Bruce Gordon (2021)
A vivid, compelling biography that places Zwingli in his political and theological context. Written by one of the leading scholars of the Swiss Reformation.
Zwingli
By W. Peter Stephens (1992)
A concise and balanced introduction to Zwingli’s theology, life, and legacy.
The Life and Thought of Huldrych Zwingli
By Ulrich Gäbler (1986, English translation 1987)
The standard academic biography in English. Highly regarded for its theological depth and historical accuracy.
Huldrych Zwingli: His Life and Work
By Samuel M. Jackson (1901)
A classic Protestant biography with detailed citations and contemporary admiration.
Zwingli and Bullinger (Library of Christian Classics)
Edited by G. W. Bromiley (1953)
Includes key writings by both reformers, including Zwingli’s Sixty-Seven Articles, Commentary on True and False Religion, and selected letters.
The Defense of the Reformed Faith: Zwingli’s Fidei Ratio
Translated by Samuel M. Jackson (1901)
One of Zwingli’s most important theological works, written in response to the Roman Catholic critique.
Zwingli: An Introduction to His Thought
By Hermann Ziegler (1977)
A clear theological overview for students and interested readers.
The Eucharistic Controversy of the Sixteenth Century
By Hermann Sasse (1966)
Explores the debate between Luther and Zwingli with theological precision and historical insight.
Zwingli the Pastor
By W. P. Stephens (1986)
Highlights Zwingli’s role as a working parish pastor during the Reformation.
Ulrich Zwingli: Early Writings
Edited and translated by Samuel Macauley Jackson (1901)
Primary texts from Zwingli’s formative years.
The Theology of Huldrych Zwingli
By Robert Walton (1965)
Systematic analysis of Zwingli’s views on Scripture, sacraments, and sovereignty.
The Reformation in Zurich
By Gordon Rupp (1953)
Contextualizes Zwingli’s work within the broader Swiss and European reform movements.
The Reformation: A History
By Diarmaid MacCulloch (2003)
An outstanding general history that includes thoughtful sections on Zwingli.
Zwingli and the Arts
By Lee Palmer Wandel (2000)
Explores Zwingli’s iconoclasm and reform of sacred space and worship aesthetics.
Zwingli and Calvin: Historical and Theological Essays
By William G. Naphy (1994)
Examines the continuities and tensions between Zwingli’s reforms and Calvin’s developments.
Zwingli’s Reformation in Switzerland
By Amy Nelson Burnett (2016)
Focuses on the social and political dimensions of Zwingli’s work in Zurich.
Radical Reformation vs. Zwinglian Reform
By George H. Williams (1962)
Contrasts Zwingli’s conservative reform with more radical groups like the Anabaptists.
Reformation Readings of the Apocalypse
By Francis X. Gumerlock (2018)
Includes Zwingli’s apocalyptic worldview and his use of Revelation in polemics.
The Zurich Letters
Translated by Hastings Robinson (1842)
A collection of letters from Zurich reformers, including Zwingli and Bullinger.
The Christian Education of Youth
By Huldrych Zwingli (1523, various editions)
A treatise on raising children with Scripture and moral discipline.
An Introduction to the Swiss Reformation
By Bruce Gordon (2002)
A reliable primer on Zwingli, Bullinger, and Reformed developments in Switzerland.
The Lord’s Supper in the Reformed Tradition
By John W. Nevin and Thomas J. Davis (2007)
Includes historical development from Zwingli’s symbolic view through later Reformed perspectives.
Reformers in the Wings
By David C. Steinmetz (2nd ed., 2001)
Brief but excellent chapters on lesser-known figures—including Zwingli.
The Marburg Colloquy and the Lord’s Supper
By Hermann Sasse (reprinted 2011)
A detailed account of the 1529 debate between Luther and Zwingli.
Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification
By R. C. Sproul (1995)
While not focused on Zwingli, includes comparisons with other Reformers on sola fide.
