On Providence by Huldrych Zwingli

First published:Ad illustrissimum Cattorum principem Philippum, sermonis de providentia Dei anamnema, 1530 (English translation, 1922)

Edition(s) used:On Providence, and Other Essays, edited by William John Hinke. Durham, N.C.: Labyrinth Press, 1983

Genre(s): Nonfiction

Subgenre(s): Didactic treatise; exegesis; theology

Core issue(s): Baptism; Eucharist; faith; freedom and free will; predestination; Protestants and Protestantism; salvation

Overview

Ulrich Zwingli wrote his Latin treatise On Providence at the behest of Landgrave Philip of Hesse and saw it published in Zurich on August 20, 1530. The text is based on his recollection of a sermon he delivered at the landgrave’s castle in Marburg the preceding year, just prior to the formal commencement of the Marburg Colloquy (October 1-4, 1529). Zwingli’s treatise comprises a dedicatory epistle addressed to Philip of Hesse, seven chapters, and an epilogue in which he recapitulates his insights into the nature of divine providence. Its pages also reflect some of the contentious theological issues he debated with Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, and other Protestant leaders present at the Marburg Colloquy.

Proceeding by definition and syllogism, Zwingli reasons that divine providence in fact exists, because God’s nature is such that he cares for and regulates all things. Any thought that the Supreme Deity might lack the willingness or the ability to foresee and regulate the universe for the better is, in his view, inconceivable and would contradict that Deity’s necessary attributes: goodness, absolute wisdom, unrestricted power, and immutability. Theologians and philosophers who argue in favor of human free will ultimately diminish or abolish providence when they falsely presume that something can occur without God’s prescient knowledge.

Zwingli expresses formal acceptance of panentheism in the third chapter when he discusses God’s relationship to creation and the secret concordance of pagan and Christian doctrines. Because God is infinite, he writes, nothing can exist outside of him; all of his works and creatures exist in him and through him, and are a part of him. Zwingli finds evidence of this not only in Holy Scripture but also in the wisdom of the ancients. He voices approval of the Pythagorean doctrine of rebirth, or palingenesis; he applauds Gaius Pliny’s understanding of nature; he welcomes Plato’s and Seneca’s contributions to natural theology.

Chapters 4 and 5 deal with humankind’s place in the universe, the nature of sin, and God’s reasons for predestining humanity’s fall. According to Zwingli, humans were created in God’s image. Humans are the only being endowed with both mind and body, and for this reason, they are superior to all other animals. Humans are also the only terrestrial creature capable of receiving God’s law, which, once given, exposes them to sin. When wolves, eagles, and stallions act according to their nature, they transgress against no law, because none was given them. Humans, on the other hand, are constantly torn between the wickedness of the flesh and the integrity of the spirit, because they have received knowledge of God’s law. The law, Zwingli contends, is not given to instill fear or damn as some individuals teach, but to expose humans’ deformity.

Why did God impose the law, if he foresaw its consequences? So that humans could recognize God’s righteousness. Without evil, Zwingli reasons, there can be no knowledge of good. Humans had to experience wickedness themselves before they could comprehend the magnitude of God’s righteousness. In foreseeing humanity’s fall, God also provided for humanity’s redemption. Redemption was not an afterthought of God’s creation, but rather a sure sign of his foresight and mercy.

In chapter 6, the longest of the treatise, Zwingli explains his views on predestination, election, faith, and the Sacraments. Faulting Saint John Chrysostom’s position on predestination, he maintains that God is the author, mover, and instigator of all creation. When a robber slays an innocent person, he is merely a tool in God’s hands. Those who see the robber as the primary agent, according to Zwingli, fail to distinguish properly between cause and instrument. If the robber’s action initiates in God, is God then guilty of this crime? No, he is not. God breaks no law, because he is subject to none. Is the robber then guilty? Yes, he is. Granted, the robber is forced to act, but the champions of free will and enemies of providence, as Zwingli calls them, are wrong to exonerate him, for he has broken the law.

Lashing out against both papists and “sacramentarians,” Zwingli rejects the doctrine of justification through faith and works. Human deeds, either good or evil, cannot affect God’s will, which is one, eternal and immutable. Prayer cannot influence what is ordained, nor can the use of sacraments. When Jesus Christ held out a loaf of bread and said “This is my body,” he did not mean that the bread was his material body, says Zwingli, but rather a symbol of his presence. The Eucharist is thus little more than a pledge and a symbolic reminder of cleansing and atonement.

Faith, according to Zwingli, is bestowed only on the elect. Its possession offers a clear sign of election, but those who lack it are not necessarily damned. Non-Christians of singular virtue, such as Socrates or Seneca, show greater promise of election, in his opinion, than the Roman pontiff or his Dominican and Franciscan minions. What of infants who die before they receive baptism? They too can expect salvation, especially if they are children of the faithful. Like prayer, the rite of baptism has no effect on God’s preordained will.

In the book’s final chapter and epilogue, Zwingli reiterates the central thrust of his argument, namely that nothing happens by accident. To think otherwise is, in his view, inconsistent with religion.

Christian Themes

Philosophers and theologians have debated the existence and nature of divine providence since antiquity. Zwingli’s treatment of this complex issue from a Protestant Christian perspective required discussion of many related theological notions, such as God’s nature, the authority of Scripture, salvation, grace, baptism, the disputed doctrine of free will, and the disputed efficacy of faith and works. Considering the profundity and the scope of its issues, Zwingli’s treatise On Providence rightly ranks as one of the foundational works of Reformation theology.

In addition to the importance of Holy Scripture, the influence of classical scholarship and pagan philosophy is particularly apparent in this work. The Swiss reformer disagreed with Erasmus of Rotterdam and other Christian humanists on some fundamental issues, but he shared with them the same basic tools of exegesis: a solid foundation in biblical languages and a desire to reconcile classical wisdom and Christian society. Much of what Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pliny, and Seneca discovered through nature and reason was, in Zwingli’s opinion, perfectly consistent with Holy Scripture. Like Erasmus, moreover, he embraced the purity of classical Latin and shunned the eccentricities of scholastic jargon.

At the Marburg Colloquy, Zwingli and Luther reached agreement on most key points of doctrine, such as salvation by grace and the overriding authority of Scripture. They also succeeded in avoiding confrontation over the role of faith in salvation. The principal point of contention between them lay in their opposing interpretations of the Eucharist. For Luther, the expression “This is my body” was literally true; for Zwingli, it was a figurative statement. Although Zwingli did not name any of his Marburg adversaries in the treatise On Providence, it is clear that Luther was prominent among those he condemned as sacramentarians for their belief in the power of the Eucharist. According to Zwingli, it was wrong to attribute divine powers to anyone, or anything, but God.

Sources for Further Study

Gordon, Bruce. The Swiss Reformation. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press, 2002. A survey of events and ideas of the Swiss Reformation, with emphasis on Heinrich Bullinger and Zwingli.

Locher, Gottfried W. Zwingli’s Thought: New Perspectives. Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1981. A comprehensive study of Zwingli’s thought, with a chapter on his doctrine of predestination and comparisons of Zwingli to Luther, John Calvin, and Erasmus.

McEnhill, Peter, and George Newlands. Fifty Key Christian Thinkers. New York: Routledge, 2004. Includes an entry summarizing Zwingli’s life and the fundamental principles of his faith.

Snavely, Iren. “The Evidence of Things Unseen: Zwingli’s Sermon On Providence and the Colloquy of Marburg.” The Westminster Theological Journal 56 (1994): 399-407. Examines the events surrounding the Marburg Colloquy and their reflection in Zwingli’s treatise.

Stephens, W. Peter. Zwingli: An Introduction to His Thought. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1992. Discusses Zwingli’s stance on central issues, including baptism, the Eucharist, salvation, works, and the respective roles of church and state.