*Includes pictures
*Includes contemporary accounts
*Includes a bibliography for further reading
"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, the first Sunday of Lent, Catholics across Europe ushered in a 40-day period of solemn penitence, self-imposed moderation, and spiritual discipline by marking crosses onto their foreheads with ash-coated fingers. They dutifully adhered to the Lenten laws, immersing themselves in prayer, modulating their consumption of booze, and avoiding meat in preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ.
Meanwhile, 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 had garnered reputations as wayward pro-reform activists 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.
While the dissenters had long been planning a dramatic demonstration of sorts to capture the attention of the Church, 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.
As the group hoped, their protest against fasting swiftly caught the attention of the townspeople, inciting acclamation and derision. 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 called upon by the bishop's envoys 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, leading to a purge that would soon be enforced in Zurich. 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. Along with pictures of important people and places, you will learn about Zwingli like never before.