Ulrich Zwingli Homeschool Resources

On the battlefield at Kappel, a Swiss hero died. He was not a warrior but a minister. His heroism was not displayed in military valor but in preaching the gospel. He demonstrated his courage not so much in facing pikes, spears, and swords as in declaring the whole counsel of God, even when kings and priests opposed him. This hero was Ulrich Zwingli. In sixteenth century Switzerland, Zwingli sought to reform the church according to the pure precepts of the Word of God. Yet in those violent times, even a spiritual reformation could encounter very earthly opposition. Plots and counterplots, rioting mobs, and the threat of executioner's sword confronted the reformer of Zurich and his supporters. The Reformation did not advance without the shedding of blood. Through it all, Zwingli sought to be a faithful shepherd to his flock, knowing that his loyalty must ultimately lie not with kings or princes but with "that great shepherd of the sheep," the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zwingli 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. Often misunderstood, long neglected, Huldrych Zwingli is today regaining recognition as the first Reformed theologian.

"No other reformer struck out a more original and independent course than Ulrich Zwingli (1483-1531). No other man attempted to be, at the same time, a preacher, author, statesman, military patriot and reformer. Why he gave such varied direction to his noble energies, and how well he succeeded in his efforts, it is partly the design of the present volume to show. His personal history is full of interesting incidents; his character rich in admirable qualitites; his public life conveys a lesson upon the mingling of religion and politics which it may be well to ponder in later times. The author has endeavoured to set forth the man and his friends as they grew in piety and laboured together in studying the Word of God, teaching and preaching the truth, and restoring the Church to the foundation of Christ and his Apostles. If the good seed of divine truth shall be found in the sheaves of this gleaning, and there be a soil for it in the reader's heart, the Lord may bless the volume now committed to his care." -from the Author's Preface

This is the first comprehensive study of Zwingli's theology in English and the first extended presentation of the theology of this Swiss reformer since Pollet's work in 1950. Making use of the main secondary studies in German, French, and English, and drawing from the whole range of Zwingli's writings, the book covers the central themes of his theology--unfolding them historically as well as systematically--and sets his thought in the context of his life and ministry.