Zwingli Begins His Search

 In his early 20's, Zwingli began to set his mind on becoming a Catholic priest. Like other candidates for the priesthood at the time Zwingli was required to study such philosophy, church traditions, and the writings of the "Church Fathers"-but not on the Bible itself.

How did Zwingli begin to discover the Bible truth? While a university in Basel, Switzerland, he attended the lectures of Thomas Wyttenbach, who condemned the Church's system of indulgences. According to one biographer, Zwingli "learned from [Wyttenbach] that the death of Christ was once offered for our sins." (1 Peter 3:18) When he understood that Jesus' ransom provided the only basis for forgiveness, Zwingli rejected the teaching that church leaders could forgive sins in exchange for money. (Acts 8:20) Nevertheless, Zwingli continued his studies and became a Catholic pastor at the age of 22.

Next time: Zwingli's Begins His Search - Conclusion

From the jw.org publications