Rudolf Gwalther
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Gwalther was a Reformed Protestant pastor at who succeeded Heinrich Bullinger
as Antistes
of the Zurich
church.
assumed responsibility for Gwalther's upbringing. He attended schools in Kappel
, Basel
, Strasbourg
, Lausanne
and Marburg
and studied mathematics and poetry in addition to theology. He learned French and Italian in Lausanne
. Landgrave Philip of Hesse brought the gifted student along to the Regensburg Colloquy in 1541. When he returned to Zurich, he received the pastorate of St. Peter's Church
to replace Leo Jud
. He married Huldrych Zwingli’s
daughter Regula (1524-1565).
He was an inspiring and popular preacher. His sermons and biblical commentaries have been frequently printed and widely read. As Zwingli’s son-in-law, he sought to preserve the great reformer's heritage and remained true to his theological orientation. Gwalther's Latin translations of Zwingli's works helped disseminate his thought in the Romance language world.
For Bullinger, he was a valuable collaborator in the management of the Zurich church and in assisting with his widely dispersed correspondence network. Outside of historical narratives, he produced numerous translations, and composed Latin poems and spiritual songs. Following Bullinger’s wish, Gwalther was elected in 1575 as his successor as Antistes at the Grossmünster
. He held this difficult office until 1585, when his declining mental state forced him from the post. He was succeeded as head of the Zurich
church by his longtime colleague Ludwig Lavater
.
, in exile in Zurich in the 1550s. His works were one of the influences on the English vestments controversy
of the 1560s; and his sermons were translated by Robert Norton of Ipswich in the 1570s. His son Rudolf Gwalther the younger (1552-77) likewise enhanced his influence in England when he studied in Oxford in the early 1570s. Gwalther was in regular communication with English bishops. With Zwingli, Bullinger, Wolfgang Musculus
, and Thomas Erastus
, Gwalther was a prime advocate of the Swiss German single-sphere model of church-state relations, and was a significant influence on the evolution of a statist model of church organization within in the Church of England
.
Heinrich Bullinger
Heinrich Bullinger was a Swiss reformer, the successor of Huldrych Zwingli as head of the Zurich church and pastor at Grossmünster...
as Antistes
Antistes
Antistes was from the 16th to the 19th century the title of the head of the church in the Reformed Churches in Switzerland...
of the Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
church.
Life
Gwalther was born the son of a carpenter, who died when he was young. Heinrich BullingerHeinrich Bullinger
Heinrich Bullinger was a Swiss reformer, the successor of Huldrych Zwingli as head of the Zurich church and pastor at Grossmünster...
assumed responsibility for Gwalther's upbringing. He attended schools in Kappel
Kappel
Kappel is a municipality in the district of Olten in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.-History:Kappel is first mentioned in 1260 as Capella. In 1312 it was mentioned as Nydern Capellen to distinguish it from the village of Oberkappelen which it today Kestenholz.-Geography:Kappel has an area,...
, Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
and Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
and studied mathematics and poetry in addition to theology. He learned French and Italian in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. Landgrave Philip of Hesse brought the gifted student along to the Regensburg Colloquy in 1541. When he returned to Zurich, he received the pastorate of St. Peter's Church
St. Peter, Zürich
St. Peter is one of the four main churches of the old town of Zurich, besides Grossmünster, Fraumünster and Predigerkirche.Located next to the Lindenhof hill, site of the former Roman castle, it was built on the site of a temple to Iuppiter. An early church of 10 by 7 metres is archaeologically...
to replace Leo Jud
Leo Jud
Leo Jud , known to his contemporaries as Meister Leu, Swiss reformer, was born in Guémar, Alsace....
. He married Huldrych Zwingli’s
Huldrych Zwingli
Ulrich Zwingli was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system, he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly centre of humanism...
daughter Regula (1524-1565).
He was an inspiring and popular preacher. His sermons and biblical commentaries have been frequently printed and widely read. As Zwingli’s son-in-law, he sought to preserve the great reformer's heritage and remained true to his theological orientation. Gwalther's Latin translations of Zwingli's works helped disseminate his thought in the Romance language world.
For Bullinger, he was a valuable collaborator in the management of the Zurich church and in assisting with his widely dispersed correspondence network. Outside of historical narratives, he produced numerous translations, and composed Latin poems and spiritual songs. Following Bullinger’s wish, Gwalther was elected in 1575 as his successor as Antistes at the Grossmünster
Grossmünster
The Grossmünster is a Romanesque-style church in Zurich, Switzerland. It is one of the three major churches in the city . The core of the present building near the banks of the Limmat River was constructed on the site of a Carolingian church, which was, according to legend, originally commissioned...
. He held this difficult office until 1585, when his declining mental state forced him from the post. He was succeeded as head of the Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
church by his longtime colleague Ludwig Lavater
Ludwig Lavater
Ludwig Lavater was a Swiss Reformed theologian working in the circle of his father-in-law, Heinrich Bullinger...
.
Influence
He had contacts with English Calvinists through John ParkhurstJohn Parkhurst
John Parkhurst was an English Marian exile and from 1560 the Bishop of Norwich.-Early life:Born about 1512, he was son of George Parkhurst of Guildford, Surrey. He initially attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, before at an early age moving to Magdalen College School at Oxford...
, in exile in Zurich in the 1550s. His works were one of the influences on the English vestments controversy
Vestments controversy
The vestments controversy arose in the English Reformation, ostensibly concerning vestments, but more fundamentally concerned with English Protestant identity, doctrine, and various church practices...
of the 1560s; and his sermons were translated by Robert Norton of Ipswich in the 1570s. His son Rudolf Gwalther the younger (1552-77) likewise enhanced his influence in England when he studied in Oxford in the early 1570s. Gwalther was in regular communication with English bishops. With Zwingli, Bullinger, Wolfgang Musculus
Wolfgang Musculus
Wolfgang Musculus, born "Müslin" or "Mauslein", was a Protestant theologian of the Reformation.-Life:...
, and Thomas Erastus
Thomas Erastus
Thomas Erastus was a Swiss physician and theologian best known for a posthumously published work in which he argued that the sins of Christians should be punished by the state, and not by the church withholding the sacraments...
, Gwalther was a prime advocate of the Swiss German single-sphere model of church-state relations, and was a significant influence on the evolution of a statist model of church organization within in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
.