What Did Zwingli Do?

 Zwingli was no longer a priest, but he was still active as a preacher, and he continued to convince others of his views. He had become popular among the people because of his preaching, and this led to his becoming influential among Zurich's politicians. Through his political influence, he pushed for religious reforms in Zurich.  For example, in 1523, he convinced Zurich's judicial authorities to prohibit any religious teaching that could not be provided by the Scriptures. In 1524, he persuaded them to outlaw idolatry. The civil magistrates, with cooperation of local preachers and the consent of the people, oversaw widespread destruction of altars, idols, images, and relics. "Apart from the pillaging of religious houses by Vikings, the Wester Church had never witnessed such intentional destruction, "states the book Zwingli-God's Armed Prophet. By 1525, he had also influenced the authorities to convert church properties into hospitals and to allow monks and nuns to marry. He also proposed that the Mass be replaced with a simple celebration based on the Biblical pattern. (1 Corinthians 11:23-25) Historians say that Zwingli's efforts brought together Zurich's religious and political figures and laid groundwork for the Reformation and the new Protestant religion. 

Zwingli's most meaningful work was the translation of the Bible. During the 1520's, he led a group of scholars working from the original Hebrew and Greek, along with the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. Their method was simple. They would read each verse from the original- language text, as well as from respected translations. Then they would discuss the verse's meaning and write down their findings. Their work to explain and translate God's Word ultimately resulted in a one-volume edition of the Zurich Bible in 1531.

Zwingli may have been sincere, but he was also intolerant and aggressive. For example, in 1525, he took part in the Anabaptists, who disagreed with his belief that infants should be baptized. When the courts later passed the death sentence on anyone who continued to reject infant baptism, he did not oppose the harsh verdict. He also urged political leaders to use military force to spread reform. However, several strongly Catholic religions of Switzerland resisted his reforms. This led to civil war. Zwingli accompanied soldiers from Zurich onto the battlefield, where he was killed at the age of 47.

Next time: Zwingli's Legacy

From the jw.org publications