Ulrich Zwingli: The Life and Legacy of the Swiss Reformer Who Fought the Catholic Church during the Reformation

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Colin Fluxman

“The Christian life, then, is a battle, so sharp and full of danger that effort can nowhere be relaxed without loss. I beseech Christ for this one thing only, that He will enable me to endure all things courageously, and that He break me as a potter's vessel or make me strong, as it pleases Him.” (Ulrich Zwingli)

On March 9, 1522, a band of about a dozen rebellious Christians gathered in a printer's workshop in Grabengasse, Zurich, fully resolved to march to the beat of their own drum. These renegades were intent on broadcasting a message to the corrupt and increasingly dishonorable Catholic Church. The group included: Christoph Froschauer, the proprietor of the printing shop; Hans Oggenfuss, a tailor by trade; Niklaus Hottinger, a shoemaker; Laurenz Hochrutiner, a weaver; and Heinrich Aberli, a baker. All of them campaigning for a return to the old ways of the Scripture and the eradication of faulty interpretations of God's word. Aberli opted to get a start on the protest on Ash Wednesday, just four days prior, by eating a homemade roast in front of a stunned audience at the bakers' guild house. Along with these rebels were two priests: Leo Juda from Alsace and 38-year-old Ulrich Zwingli.

Their resistance on March 9 was a spontaneous act supposedly prompted by Zwingli himself. According to the legend, Zwingli had stopped by two days earlier to order a stack of copies of his sermons regarding the St. Paul epistles, and under instructions to rush the order, Froschauer and his staff worked overtime to churn out the copies. They completed the project in a timely manner, and in the process, Froschauer invited his staff, along with Zwingli, Juda, and the aforementioned rebels (whom he knew from church) to the front of his workshop, where he had cleared out a table for a small feast. Zwingli was thrilled by Froschauer's idea - breaking the fast was a non-violent yet powerful act of disobedience.

Even the Bishop of Constance caught wind of the uproar, and he subsequently organized a committee to investigate the issue. It was at the meeting that Zwingli officially appointed himself mastermind and spokesperson for the cause.

This fateful event, now remembered as the “Affair of the Sausages”, supposedly triggered the Swiss Reformation. As fascinating as this pivotal event was, it was merely one episode in Zwingli’s colorful and consequential life, and in the years that followed, Zwingli and the Swiss reformers embarked on a campaign to rid Zurich of all objects and new-age creeds spawned by mankind. Zwingli’s life was packed with portentous events, alarming twists and turns, and an unexpected ending, and through it all, he would have a profound impact on Christianity.

Ulrich Zwingli: The Life and Legacy of the Swiss Reformer Who Fought the Catholic Church during the Reformation chronicles the reformer’s life and teachings, and the influence he had on religion.

©2019 Charles River Editors (P)2019 Charles River Editors

Great book but needs fact check.

The book is very well written. The storybook fashion of the narration really pulls the audience in and makes for an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately there was one factual error. The author claims that Martin Luther, who had a major debate with Zwingli, was a proponent of transubstantiation. This is not true and was actually a point of major disagreement between him and the Roman Catholic Church. Luther believed what he called “Sacramental Union” which was still a belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist but defined differently than Roman view.