The New Student's Reference Work/Zwingli, Ulrich

Zwingli (tsvǐng′ lḗ), Ulrich, Swiss reformer, was born at Wildhaus in the canton of St. Gall on Jan. 1, 1484.  After being educated at Bern and at Basel, he became pastor in Glarus in 1506.  Having begun to study Greek in 1513, he devoted himself from that time to the study of the New Testament, even going so far as to learn by heart the Epistles of Paul in the original language.  In 1518 he was called to Zürich, and in 1522 the Reformation was formally established in that city.  In 1524 Zwingli married, and soon after Of the True and False Religion was published.  Luther and Zwingli agreed on most points, but there was a serious breach between them in regard to the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, Luther adhering to this dogma and Zwingli denying it.  A conference, arranged by Philip, landgrave of Hesse, was held between them at Marburg in 1529, but after spending three days In earnest discussion they separated without coming to any agreement on the point at issue.  In 1531 open war broke out between Zürich and the Roman Catholic cantons of Lucerne, Schwyz, Uri, Unterwalden and Zug; and Zwingli by command of the Council of Zürich, had to take the field with the banner of a canton, which had always been borne by a priest.  The Zürichers met their foes at Kappel, but were outnumbered and defeated, Zwingli being among the slain.  A great bowlder, roughly squared, marks the place where he fell on Oct. 11, 1531.