Ulrich Zwingli: Prophet, Heretic, Pioneer of Protestantism

by Peter Opitz

Ulrich Zwingli can be regarded as the father of the Reformed Church and Reformed theology. He stands at the beginning of the Reformed confessional tradition, and many Reformers like Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger, and John Calvin were heavily influenced by his views. Nevertheless, he is lesser known than Luther and Calvin. For one thing, many of his works are written in the Swiss German of the sixteenth century. Further, the time of his activity was short and marked by conflict. So his writings address specific questions that confronted him. He did not have time to develop his theological thought in peace or to write biblical commentaries. This book aims to lessen his relative anonymity by offering a short introduction to Zwingli's life and times and a concise summation of his basic theological ideas.

102 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2024

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short Bio of Zwingli. Reformed Protestant and a return to the Biblical Lord's Supper amongst his any hallmarks. Willing to meet Luther halfway and spurned. Not martyred, by dying on the battlefield in a Swiss Confederation battle.

[John Horning · Rating 5 out of 5]

My greatest thought on this book is to agree with Herman Selderhuis’ review on the cover: this short book contains much more content than the length would suggest.

However, this book doesn’t read like it is abbreviated or rushed. The pace is natural and pleasant, and the content of the book is fascinating.

I’m familiar with Zwingli because of study I’ve done surrounding the history of reformation theology, Anabaptists, and reformed infant baptism; but this is my first time reading a resource focused on Zwingli specifically. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to gain a more cohesive view of Zwingli to attach the other discussions to.

Furthermore, the life of Zwingli is instructive and inspiring. As a single example, Zwingli’s teaching had influence on the actions of governing authorities in Zurich, but Zwingli did not exercise direct political authority as some other reformers did. This book contains discussions about Zwingli’s desire not to achieve reform through compulsion, and it includes examples of Zwingli making public recommendations for political action which the authorities ignored or implemented only partially. I find Zwingli to be an example of a preacher who achieves social change without usurping the role of politicians or engaging in a spirit of rebellion, and that encourages me.

This is a book I’m likely to reread in the future.