The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

The Bible meant everything to Ulrich Zwingli, and the sword meant more than it probably should have.

IN ZURICH, Switzerland, stands the statue of a man holding a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other.

Courageous and resourceful, the Zurich pastor was ruthless in his pursuit of reform, persecuting defectors from the Swiss Reformation and taking up arms against the resistant Catholic cantons. The Lord Jesus said, “Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

Zwingli perished on the battlefield of Kappel on October 11, 1531.

On December 9, 1531, Heinrich Bullinger succeeded Zwingli as pastor of the Zurich Great Church and leader of the Reformed movement in German-speaking Switzerland. Although a theological disciple of Zwingli, Bullinger was in many ways “greater than his master.”

Born in 1504 in Bremgarten, Switzerland, Heinrich Bullinger was one of five sons of the village priest. His father paid the regional bishop a yearly tribute for the privilege of marriage (forbidden to the Roman Catholic clergy).

Heinrich was groomed for the priesthood himself from an early age. Studying in Cologne, Germany, in 1519, he was introduced to the writings of the church fathers. Their insistence on the priority of Scripture moved Bullinger into his own study of the Bible, which led to his further reading of the popular works of Martin Luther. Seeds of reform were being sown in Bullinger’s heart and mind.

Returning to Switzerland with his master’s degree in 1522, Bullinger became abbot of a monastery in Kappel, where he taught the monks directly from the New Testament. A five-month assignment in Zurich introduced him to Zwingli and the foundations of the Swiss Reformation. Upon his return to Kappel, he convinced the abbot and all the monks of the truth of the Reformation.

In 1529 Bullinger’s father declared himself a Protestant and was removed from his priesthood at Bremgarten. The townspeople, however, invited Heinrich to take his father’s place as the church’s first evangelical minister.

In Bremgarten, Bullinger’s pastoral and teaching gifts became apparent. While there, he married Anna Adlischweiler, a former nun. Their marriage was loving and long, producing eleven children. All of their sons became Protestant ministers.

In 1531 when Ulrich Zwingli was killed, Zurich called on Heinrich Bullinger to take up the mantle of its fallen captain. He proved himself up to the task. Starting on the path that Zwingli had blazed, Bullinger soon forged his own way.

He was a devoted pastor whose home was constantly open to the hungry, the lost, the persecuted, and the spiritual seeker. Although his salary was meager, he refused any gifts, giving of his own small income to hospitals and institutions of mercy. The harried exiles of Bloody Mary’s Catholic reign in England found refuge in Bullinger’s Zurich. When they returned home to England, they became leading Puritans.

Bullinger’s preaching was powerful, and his pen never rested. For forty years he preached as often as seven times a week. He wrote commentaries on almost every book in the Bible, maintaining a remarkable correspondence with Christians and theologians all over the Protestant world. He corresponded with royalty as well. His wise and persuasive words brought about many a needed compromise between doctrinal opponents within the Reformation, and his pastoral heart produced one of the first Protestant books for comforting the sick and dying. His writings outnumber those of Luther and Calvin combined.

Meek, wise, and patient, Bullinger gave the Reformation what Zwingli probably would not have, even had he lived: order—both ecclesiastical and theological. When Heinrich Bullinger died in 1575, he left behind a church truly reformed. His legacy lives on in the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions.

Reflection

The Bible took priority in Bullinger’s study and as a result, shaped his life. Is the Bible a priority in your life? In your devotions do you primarily read the Bible or books about the Bible? It’s amazing how much light the Bible can shed on some of the books about it.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105