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On Providence and Other Essays
English, Latin (translation)
- GenresTheology
307 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1983
About the author
Huldrych Zwingli
91 books18 followersHuldrych (or Ulrich/Ulricht) Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system, he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly centre of humanism. He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln, where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus.
In 1518, Zwingli became the pastor of the Grossmünster in Zurich where he began to preach ideas on reforming the Catholic Church. In his first public controversy in 1522, he attacked the custom of fasting during Lent. In his publications, he noted corruption in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, promoted clerical marriage, and attacked the use of images in places of worship. In 1525, Zwingli introduced a new communion liturgy to replace the mass. Zwingli also clashed with the Anabaptists, which resulted in their persecution.
The Reformation spread to other parts of the Swiss Confederation, but several cantons resisted, preferring to remain Catholic. Zwingli formed an alliance of Reformed cantons which divided the Confederation along religious lines. In 1529, a war between the two sides was averted at the last moment. Meanwhile, Zwingli’s ideas came to the attention of Martin Luther and other reformers. They met at the Marburg Colloquy and although they agreed on many points of doctrine, they could not reach an accord on the doctrine of the presence of Christ in the eucharist. In 1531 Zwingli’s alliance applied an unsuccessful food blockade on the Catholic cantons. The cantons responded with an attack at a moment when Zurich was badly prepared. Zwingli was killed in battle at the age of 47. His legacy lives on in the confessions, liturgy, and church orders of the Reformed churches of today.
In 1518, Zwingli became the pastor of the Grossmünster in Zurich where he began to preach ideas on reforming the Catholic Church. In his first public controversy in 1522, he attacked the custom of fasting during Lent. In his publications, he noted corruption in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, promoted clerical marriage, and attacked the use of images in places of worship. In 1525, Zwingli introduced a new communion liturgy to replace the mass. Zwingli also clashed with the Anabaptists, which resulted in their persecution.
The Reformation spread to other parts of the Swiss Confederation, but several cantons resisted, preferring to remain Catholic. Zwingli formed an alliance of Reformed cantons which divided the Confederation along religious lines. In 1529, a war between the two sides was averted at the last moment. Meanwhile, Zwingli’s ideas came to the attention of Martin Luther and other reformers. They met at the Marburg Colloquy and although they agreed on many points of doctrine, they could not reach an accord on the doctrine of the presence of Christ in the eucharist. In 1531 Zwingli’s alliance applied an unsuccessful food blockade on the Catholic cantons. The cantons responded with an attack at a moment when Zurich was badly prepared. Zwingli was killed in battle at the age of 47. His legacy lives on in the confessions, liturgy, and church orders of the Reformed churches of today.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 10, 2026
“A man will lie in bed sick for many months and will not realize how much good it does for him.”
April 2, 2025
This is really a 3.5 descending towards 3.0, but I don’t mean that he shouldn’t be read, and I would like to see the respect for Zwingli increase. He was a bigger trailblazer for things than I realized, and I’m fairly educated on this stuff, so I would assume that most people are likewise unfamiliar with his influence.
So, for that reason, I would rather give him 4 stars than 3, even if I think that the content is more deserving of 3 stars. It is kind of unfair to treat Zwingli as I would D. A. Carson, Doug Wilson, or other great men of the modern day, since those others are standing on a pillar that Zwingli began construction on around 1520. I am of the opinion that historical fathers ought to be more wrong in theology than we are today because iron sharpens iron, not just in one era, but over generations. Thus, I think Zwingli has been quite sharpened.
For every thing I agreed with and loved— his arguments against the Catholic Eucharist, the foundation of covenantal theology, etc.— there was something I equally disliked— his determinist soteriology, his over-reliance on scholastic thought to shape his theology, etc.
I also think the translation does him no favors. It is already difficult enough to translate Greek, Latin, or German (whichever language he used for whichever document) in a way that makes sense. It is another thing to translate it in 1800’s parlance. To be clear, I read people like Spurgeon regularly, and so the problem is not with 1800’s English so much as the compounded difficulty of reading a translation from a different language into that English.
I can gleam from Zwingli’s writing that he was very likely an excellent stylist in his original documents, and there’s no shortage of wit. There is just too much here I don’t like for it to be 5 stars.
So, for that reason, I would rather give him 4 stars than 3, even if I think that the content is more deserving of 3 stars. It is kind of unfair to treat Zwingli as I would D. A. Carson, Doug Wilson, or other great men of the modern day, since those others are standing on a pillar that Zwingli began construction on around 1520. I am of the opinion that historical fathers ought to be more wrong in theology than we are today because iron sharpens iron, not just in one era, but over generations. Thus, I think Zwingli has been quite sharpened.
For every thing I agreed with and loved— his arguments against the Catholic Eucharist, the foundation of covenantal theology, etc.— there was something I equally disliked— his determinist soteriology, his over-reliance on scholastic thought to shape his theology, etc.
I also think the translation does him no favors. It is already difficult enough to translate Greek, Latin, or German (whichever language he used for whichever document) in a way that makes sense. It is another thing to translate it in 1800’s parlance. To be clear, I read people like Spurgeon regularly, and so the problem is not with 1800’s English so much as the compounded difficulty of reading a translation from a different language into that English.
I can gleam from Zwingli’s writing that he was very likely an excellent stylist in his original documents, and there’s no shortage of wit. There is just too much here I don’t like for it to be 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews