Page 71 - History of Christianity - Student Textbook

Christianity or have their tongues torn out. (David Hunt, A Woman Rides the Beast, Harvest House Publications, 1994, p.
23)

Be careful about following a man! Throughout time, God has raised up men and women to
change the course of history. Martin Luther was such a man. God used him to challenge the
false teachings of the predominant church of his day as well as translating the Bible into the
language of the people. But his views about the Children of Abraham, especially toward the
later part of his life, where radically dissimilar from those of God’s Word. So while some of what Luther
believed and taught was absolutely “right on”, other of his teachings were radically in error. We will see this
among many of God’s great leaders. So when it comes to following the teaching of a man, don’t! Follow the
teachings of Jesus Christ! Be like the Bereans who search the Word, carefully, to validate truth.

Animated History of the Reformation

Ulrich Zwingli 1484-1531

Ulrich Zwingli was born on New Year’s Day, 1484 in Wildhaus, Switzerland. Although not
as well-known as some other Reformers of his day, like Calvin and Luther, he nonetheless
began a large Reformation movement that resulted in the demise of Catholicism in
Switzerland.

When Erasmus’s New Testament in Greek appeared, in 1516, Zwingli immediately
purchased a copy. Zwingli taught himself Hebrew and Greek and wrote out and
memorized Paul’s Epistles in the Greek New Testament. He carried around his little
pocket edition with him, memorizing much of the New Testament. Zwingli was shocked to find that there was a
world of difference between the teachings of the Bible and the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic
Church.

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