Friday, March 22, 2024

We Need More Zwinglis

This film about Zwingli, the great reformer of Zürich, is a breath of fresh air. For one thing, it's historically accurate. For another, the actors all speak Swiss German. (You can enable English subtitles.) I loved the scene beginning at 27:49. Here Zwingli and two of his assistants are translating Acts 22:16 from Latin/Greek into German. The discussion gets heated. At one point Zwingli even enlists the aorist tense to defend his preferred rendering! 

I have great admiration for Zwingli. He launched the Reformation in Switzerland by preaching week by week through the book of Matthew, verse by verse. He was a self-taught Greek scholar without peer. He wrote out and personally memorized Paul's letters in Greek. He attacked one unbiblical Roman doctrine after the other. He eagerly sought to apply the Lordship of Christ to every area of life. The Bible became the basis for all law. He taught that grace could neither be bought nor sold. For him, the word of God was always above the church. "I shall allow myself to be taught better, but only from the Scriptures, which are inspired by God," he wrote. He called the church of his day back to the word of God. 

Would that we had more Zwinglis today!