Marburg Colloquy, a colored woodcut, 1557

The Marburg Colloquy was a meeting which attempted to solve a dispute between Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli over the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. It took place between October 1 and October 4, 1529. The leading Protestant reformers of the time attended at the behest of Philipp I of Hessen. Philipp's primary motivation for this conference was political; he wished to unite the Protestant states in political alliance, and to this end, religious harmony was an important constituent. Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli or Ulricus Zuinglius (January 1, 1484 – October 11, 1531) was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. ... The Real Presence is the term various Christian traditions use to express their belief that, in the Eucharist, Jesus the Christ is really (and not merely symbolically, figuratively or by his power) present in what was previously just bread and wine. ... The Lords Supper is a variation of the name and the service of The Last Supper or Eucharist. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Philipp I of Hesse Philipp I, Landgraf von Hessen, the Magnanimous (13 November 1504 - 31 March 1567), was a leading champion of the Reformation and one of the most important German rulers of the Renaissance. ...

After the Diet of Speyer had confirmed the edict of Worms, the need was felt to reconcile the diverging views in particular of Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli to have a unified Protestant theology. Besides these two, the reformers Johannes Agricola, Johannes Brenz, Martin Bucer, Caspar Hedio, Justus Jonas, Philipp Melanchthon, Johannes Oecolampadius, and Andreas Osiander participated in the disputation. The term Diet of Speyer refers to any of several sessions of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire when it chose to meet in the city of Speyer, Germany. ... This article or section should be merged with Diet of Worms The Edict of Worms was issued by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor on May 25, 1521 at Worms, at the end of the Diet of Worms. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli or Ulricus Zuinglius (January 1, 1484 – October 11, 1531) was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. ... Johannes Agricola (originally Schneider, then Schnitter) (April 20, 1494 - September 22, 1566) was a German Protestant reformer. ... Johann Brenz (1499-1570) was a German church reformer. ... Martin Bucer Martin Bucer (or Butzer, Latin Martinus Buccer, Martinus Bucerus ) (November 11, 1491 – February 28, 1551) was a German Protestant reformer. ... Justus Jonas (5 June 1493 - 9 October 1555) was a German Protestant reformer. ... Portrait of Philipp Melanchthon, by Lucas Cranach the Elder. ... Johannes Oecolampadius or Oekolampad (1482 - November 24, 1531) was a German religious reformer, whose real name was Hussgen or Heussgen (changed to Hausschein and then into the Greek equivalent). ... Andreas Osiander (Andreas Hosemann) (1498 - 1552) was a German Protestant theologian. ...

Background

Philipp hoped that rapport with Luther would lead to an alliance with Protestant princes and so strengthen his position against the Roman Catholic forces threatening him.

The Colloquy

Although the two prominent reformers, Luther and Zwingli, found a consensus on fourteen points, they kept differing on the last one on the Eucharist: Luther maintained that by Sacramental Union, the consecrated bread and wine in the Lord's Supper were united to the true body and blood of Christ for all communicants to eat and drink; whereas, Zwingli considered bread and wine only symbols of the body and blood of Christ. On this issue they parted without having reached an agreement. The Protestant Reformation, begun 1517 with the nailing of Martin Luthers 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, divided the Roman Catholic Church and created the Protestant branch of churches. ... For other uses, see Eucharist (disambiguation). ... Sacramental Union (Latin, unio sacramentalis; German, sacramentlich Einigkeit) is the Lutheran theological view of the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Christian Eucharist. ... The Lords Supper is a variation of the name and the service of The Last Supper or Eucharist. ...

Underlying this disagreement was their theology of Christ. Luther believed the human body of Christ at the right hand of God was ubiquitous (present in all places) and so present in the bread and wine. This was possible because the attributes of God infused Christ's human nature. Luther emphasizing the oneness of Christ's person. Zwingli who emphasized the distinction of the natures, believed that Christ in his deity was omnipresent, Christ's human body could only be present in one place.^[1] Because of the differences Luther refused to acknowledge Zwingli and his followers as Christian^[2].

At the later Diet of Augsburg the Zwinglians and Lutherans again explored the same territory as that covered in the Marburg Colloquy, and presented separate statements which showed the differences in opinion. Reading of the Confessio Augustana by Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg, 1530 The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire in the German city of Augsburg. ...

References

1. ^ Phillip Cary, Luther: Gospel, Law and Reformation, [sound recording], Lecture 14
2. ^ Huldreich Zwingli, the Reformer of German Switzerland edited by Samuel Macauley Jackson et al, 1903, page 316

External links

• Huldreich Zwingli, the Reformer of German Switzerland edited by Samuel Macauley Jackson et al, 1903. Online from Google Books

• Phillip Cary. Luther: Gospel, Law and Reformation, [sound recording], Lecture 14. 2004, The Teaching Company Limited Partnership

• First war of Kappel (1529)
• Huldrych Zwingli