Zwingli was a Chaplain, pastor and soldier for the Swiss Guards

Portrait of Ulrich Zwingli after his death 1531 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Zwingli lived a tremendously full and productive life in spite of its temporal brevity. He wrote hundreds of tractates and books, many hundreds of letters, and preached thousands of sermons. He made incredible contributions to theology and his efforts on behalf of Reform laid the foundation for the work of his successor, Heinrich Bullinger, who can be rightly credited with taking the Reformed movement international. Indeed, Bullinger was more widely respected and followed around Europe in the 16th century than either Calvin or Luther.

But the most remarkable contribution which Zwingli made to the Reformed movement was the contribution of a pious life piously lived. 

Zwingli may be widely known as a warrior, as the man who died on the field of battle; but that is scarcely the real Zwingli. The real Zwingli will be discovered in his teaching on and practice of prayer; his firm conviction of the power of Christ in bringing salvation as clearly revealed in Scripture; his love of the church as the community of faith, and his stalwart hope of heaven. This is the real, authentic Zwingli. This is the Zwingli we will find—the pious Zwingli: the Zwingli whose theology was informed by his piety, and whose piety was informed by his theology.

West, J. (2011). “Christ Our Captain”: An Introduction to Huldrych Zwingli (pp. 20–21). Quartz Hill, CA: Quartz Hill Publishing House.

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