Born within weeks of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli founded the Swiss Reformation. His family’s societal prominence afforded him the finest education, and he was selected to pastor his first flock shortly before receiving his master of theology degree in 1506.

Renaissance humanism, along with the teachings of scholar and humanist Desiderius Erasmus, profoundly influenced Zwingli. A scholar at heart, he taught himself Greek and Hebrew so he could better understand the Scriptures. When a publisher released Erasmus’s 1516 edition of the Greek text, Zwingli copied the Pauline epistles by hand and memorized them. The more he studied, the more convinced he became of the problems brewing with the Roman Catholic Church.

Zwingli’s New Testament lectures in 1519 lit the spark of Switzerland’s Protestant Reformation. Scholastic commentaries were no longer of any use to him; God alone, through His Word, had the authority to govern Zwingli. In 1522, his public opposition to Lenten traditions set the Reformation ablaze. Later that year, he pointedly stated his belief in the need for freedom from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. Papal representatives called a public hearing before Zürich’s general council to discuss Zwingli’s many arguments with the theology of the church. The Swiss council agreed with the Reformer’s position and instructed all priests statewide to comply.

The new practices presented in his Sixty-seven Theses quickly took over, and changes were seen across the country. Most notably, the monastic life became a thing of the past as priests were allowed to marry. Liturgy was brought to a level commoners could understand, and Communion was now seen as a celebration commemorating Christ’s sacrifice. In 1525, the traditional Mass became a Reformed service at Grossmünster.

But dissension still divided the Protestant ranks. Philip of Hesse, a German nobleman and staunch Reformation supporter, took it upon himself to bring an end to the conflict by inviting the Reformers together to discuss their differences. Zwingli, Luther, and other Reformers attended the Marburg Colloquy, finally agreeing on fourteen of fifteen doctrinal points. They never came to an agreement on their interpretations of the Lord’s Supper.

A zealous patriot and defender of freedom, Zwingli went to war in 1531 when a battle erupted between Catholic and Protestant states. He was badly wounded by enemy forces and died shortly thereafter. He was the only major Reformer to perish on the battlefield.

Are you committed to knowing and memorizing Scripture? Do you sacrifice your own livelihood to serve others? When you’re called upon to defend your faith in the face of relativism, pluralism, and tolerance, do you stand up for the truth of the gospel? Zwingli once said, “Not to fear is the armor.”1 Like this courageous Reformer, when you place your life in God’s hands and allow Him to use you for His purposes, you gain the power to overcome fear and the strength to fight even life’s fiercest battles.