CHAPTER XVIII THE REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND AND GREAT BRITAIN, 376. Char acter of the Swiss Reformation 377. A. THE REFORMATION IN SWITZERLAND THE Reformation in German Switzerland began, independently of Luther, with the labors of Ulrich Zwingli (tsving'lē; born 1484). The son of a prosperous peasant, he received a good education, and grew into his reform views without either the material or the spiritual struggle which shaped Luther's character. He represents the humanistic culture derived from Erasmus more than does Luther. The reformation which he carried out was more logical, and also more radical, than that of the Saxon reformer. Whereas Luther wished to preserve all that was not positively contrary to Scripture, Zwingli rejected everything which was not commanded by the Bible. Zwingli anticipating Calvin- also introduced a rigid church discipline, under which playing games, swearing, and tavern frequenting were severely punished. Zwingli's Zurich Zwingli's work as a reformer began in 1518 with an attack upon indulgences and pilgrimages. His appointment, late in the same year, as preacher at the cathedral of Zurich, enabled him to secure a wider hearing for his "evangelical" reform at views. Because the Swiss cantons were self-governing re(1518-1529) publics, every step of the Reformation there was accompanied by public debates between the Catholics and reformers, with the people sitting as judges. After such a debate between Zwingli and his opponents, in 1523, the magistrates of Reformation, Zurich gave their approval to his work. "Pictures, crucifixes, and images were removed from the city churches. relics were burned, holy water was done away with, organs Walker, 157 silenced, and frescoed walls whitewashed, as an effective method of making a tabula rasa [clean sweep] of the symbols of the older worship." Extensive changes were also made in the services and government of the church. From Zurich the reformation spread to the cities of Bern and Basel, and to other Swiss cantons. troversy Zwingli was more of a statesman than Luther. His mind formed projects of a union of all the opponents of Charles V. Luther had no liking for such political alliances, and 378. Conmoreover distrusted Zwingli's theological views, especially with Luther on the Lord's Supper. Both rejected transubstantiation (1529) (§ 87); but Luther believed that the body of Christ was physically present in the sacrament along with the bread and wine (consubstantiation), while Zwingli, interpreting the words of Christ "This is my body" to mean "This signifies my body," taught that Christ was present only in a symbolical sense. In 1529 a conference between the parties was held at Marburg, with a view to bringing about a union between them. Luther took his stand on the letter of the text, and with chalk wrote the words of Christ (in Latin) on the table before him, Hoc est corpus meum. From their literal meaning he would not budge. He even refused to take Zwingli's hand in token of fellowship, saying that the Swiss reformers were "of another spirit." This failure to agree was unfortunate, for a union of all Protestants was sorely needed to meet threatening dangers. A lack of political insight, a hasty temper, and some measure of intolerance were weaknesses intertwined with Luther's strength. 379. The The wealthy and populous Swiss cantons embraced the cause of the reformers; but the five forest cantons remained zealously Catholic. In 1531 war broke out between the Catholic and the Protestant cantons. At Cappel the troops hastily Swiss war levied by Zurich were totally defeated by a larger force (1531) from the forest cantons, and among the slain was numbered Zwingli himself. A peace was then made whereby each canton was left free to do as it liked in religious matters. This was really a victory for the Catholic party, which soon secured a majority in the federal Diet. The work which Zwingli began at Zurich was continued by John Calvin at Geneva. As organizer and systematizer, Calvin was the greatest of 380. Early life of Calvin the reformers and his influence was most widespread. Calvin was born in northern France, in 1509; he was thus a generation younger than Luther and Zwingli. He was prepared at French universities for the profession of law, but determined to devote himself to a life of scholarship. Then he fell under the influence of certain French reformers; and in 1535 he was forced to leave the French kingdom, a fugitive and an exile. A year later (1536) Calvin hap JOHN CALVIN From an old print pened to pass through the French-speaking city of Geneva, which had recently thrown off the control of its feudal lords and 381. Calvin accepted the Reformation. The urging of the Protestant at Geneva leaders induced him to remain and take up the active (1536-1564) duties of reformer in that turbulent little republic. With the exception of two years of exile, Geneva was thenceforth the scene of Calvin's labors, until his death in 1564. For a quarter of a century he controlled almost completely its civil and ecclesiastical government. Two important features of his system were : (1) the republican constitution which he gave to the church; and (2) the rigid supervision exercised over manners and morals. In the Calvinistic or Presbyterian system of church government, as it was fully developed in France, Scotland, and the 382. Pres- Netherlands, control of the church is vested in representbyterianism ative councils called "synods" and "presbyteries," 1 Although Geneva did not finally enter the Swiss Confederation until 1815, it was for centuries in alliance with leading Swiss cantons. The history of its reformation belongs naturally, therefore, with that in Switzerland. |