forward. On the question of Justification, and particularly on bondage restraints the
doctrine of the Eucharist, the two reformers found themselves in
hopeless conflict.[3]
Zwingli's teaching did not
at first find much favour in other portions
of German Switzerland. Bondage restraints lucerne declared against it in 1524. The city
authorities forbade the introduction of the new teaching, and offered
an asylum to those Catholics who had been forced to flee from Zurich.
Other bondage restraints cantons associated themselves with Lucerne, and bondage restraints a deputation was
sent to Zurich to request the city authorities to abandon bondage restraints Zwingli and
to bondage restraints take bondage restraints part in a general movement for a real and constitutional
reform. But the Grand Council, mindful of the political advantages
which would accrue to Zurich from its leadership in the new religious
revolt, declined to recede from their position.
While Zwingli bondage restraints was at work in Zurich, Oecolampadius (bondage restraints 1482-1531) set
himself to stir up religious divisions in Basle. He was born at
Weisnberg, studied law at Bologna and bondage restraints theology subsequently at
Heidelberg, was ordained priest, and appointed to a parish in Basle
(1512). With Erasmus he was on terms of the closest intimacy, and, as
Basle was then one of the great literary centres of the world, he soon
became acquainted with Luther's pamphlets and teaching. Some of the
clergy in bondage restraints Basle, notably Wolfgang Capito, a warm friend of Zwingli,
were bondage restraints already showing signs of
restlessness especially in regard to the
Mass, purgatory, and invocation of the saints, and Oecolampadius was
not bondage restraints slow to imbibe the new ideas. In 1518 he was appointed preacher in
the Cathedral of Augsburg, but, having resigned bondage restraints this office on account
of failing health, he withdrew to bondage restraints the convent of Altmunster, where,
for some bondage restraints time, he lived a retired bondage restraints life. Subsequently he acted as
chaplain to the well-known German knight, Franz von Sickingen, and
finally, in 1524, he accepted the parish of St. Martin's in Basle.
He now proclaimed himself openly a supporter of Zwingli, advocated the
new teaching on justification and good works, and attacked several
Catholic bondage restraints doctrines and practices. For him, as bondage restraints indeed for most of the
other reformers, clerical celibacy was the great stumbling block. He
encouraged his followers by taking as his wife a young widow, who was
subsequently in turn the wife of the two renowned Lutheran preachers,
Butzer and Capito. At first the city authorities and a large body of
the university professors were against him,