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Luther and Zwingli - the Eucharistic Controversy

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV)

How does the Eucharist function in Christian worship? This question points to a compelling relationship between the Lord's Supper and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and reminds us of what Jesus has done for us. Christ is revealed in the Eucharist making atonement for our sin, reinstating the privilege of a relationship with God, making intercession on our behalf, and preparing a home that will endure forever. Communion is a reminder that Christianity is not only a religion but also a relationship with the Divine. The Eucharist is a celebration and reminder of the grace of God given in Christ.

Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, two giants of the Reformation, had differing beliefs about the Lord's Supper.

Their views on the meaning of Communion continue to influence the beliefs of people to this day. The purpose of this paper is to explore what each man believed about the Lord's Supper, how each one's view differed from the other, and to "attend" the meeting of the two at the Marburg Colloquy where each man asserted his ideas and convictions.

Both men were brilliant, articulate, steadfast in their beliefs concerning the Lord's Supper, and staunch defenders of their positions.

The goals of this paper are threefold. The first is to learn what Luther and Zwingli believed about the Lord's Supper and to gain an enlarged understanding of the sacrament. A second goal is to gain a greater appreciation of community in the sharing of Lord's Supper. Finally, a third goal is to gain insight into how two people with strong -- in fact, unshakable -- convictions handled their differences.

The Eucharist, Communion, the Last Supper, and the Lord's Supper are synonymous terms that will be used interchangeably in this paper. All these terms refer to the ongoing celebration and commemoration of the time Jesus spent with His disciples prior to His crucifixion and His finished work on the cross. Much of Luther and Zwingli's debate centered on the meaning of the bread and the wine, integral elements of Communion, and this paper will explore their concepts.

The paper will focus on Luther and Zwingli and their views of the Lord's Supper. It will not cover the views of other reformers though they may be mentioned briefly because of their relationships to Luther and Zwingli. The Catholic Church's view of Transubstantiation will not be covered in depth though it must be discussed in relation to the theology of Luther and Zwingli.

Martin Luther

Luther was and is to the Church of the Reformation: the great theologian of the Sacrament of the Altar"

Martin Luther's doctrine of the Lord's Supper was built on his strong belief in the Word of God. As a young man struggling with what today we would call depression, his professor directed him to an extensive study of Scripture. Luther began to study Augustine and the other church fathers, but once Luther moved beyond the writings and commentaries of others to the biblical text, he began to experience difficulty. He could not reconcile the practices of the church (especially in the Mass and the sacraments) with Scripture.

He began to question everything in light of Scripture. Though he still appreciated the writings of church fathers, nothing was more important than the Word of God. As Luther moved deeper into his study, the scriptures strongly impacted his view of the Lord's Supper.