DAY 8 – SUN 27 JUN
ZURICH. EXCURSION TO KONSTANZ – BAPTIST CAVES.
Journey to Konstanz, situated on Lake Constance, which became a Protestant city during the Reformation in the 1520’s. Wander around to view the old city walls. Next, make a stop at the BAPTIST CAVE (Täuferhöhle). This cave became famous and named in the 16th century, when Täufer (Anabaptists) used the cave as a hiding place. The Anabaptists were a group of Christians that separated from the church in 1524 to follow their own beliefs. Return to Zurich in the afternoon for overnight. (B)
Journey to Konstanz, situated on Lake Constance, which became a Protestant city during the Reformation in the 1520’s. Wander around to view the old city walls. Next, make a stop at the BAPTIST CAVE (Täuferhöhle). This cave became famous and named in the 16th century, when Täufer (Anabaptists) used the cave as a hiding place. The Anabaptists were a group of Christians that separated from the church in 1524 to follow their own beliefs. Return to Zurich in the afternoon for overnight. (B)
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This morning’s leg of the tour began at the Anabaptist Caves which I found particularly breath-taking. We journeyed to a small town and then climbed up a cliff to see one of these caves, I have opted today for a bit of video footage to show how beautiful the cave and surrounding area was. Once again, we sang in the cave and I have included this in the video also. Regrettably, I was standing too close to the recorder, so perhaps keep the volume low. Sadly the history associated with these caves is not pleasant. The Anabaptists (ana meaning again), rejected infant baptism and believed that the reforms needed to be far more radical and immediate. The caves provided safety and protection, the water falls and altitude cut out the noise, so they would not have been heard and the water provided and excellent place for adult baptisms. The response of the more moderate reformers was to drown many Anabaptists as heretics.
This morning’s leg of the tour began at the Anabaptist Caves which I found particularly breath-taking. We journeyed to a small town and then climbed up a cliff to see one of these caves, I have opted today for a bit of video footage to show how beautiful the cave and surrounding area was. Once again, we sang in the cave and I have included this in the video also. Regrettably, I was standing too close to the recorder, so perhaps keep the volume low. Sadly the history associated with these caves is not pleasant. The Anabaptists (ana meaning again), rejected infant baptism and believed that the reforms needed to be far more radical and immediate. The caves provided safety and protection, the water falls and altitude cut out the noise, so they would not have been heard and the water provided and excellent place for adult baptisms. The response of the more moderate reformers was to drown many Anabaptists as heretics.
We then journeyed over the German border, once again, to Konstanz. This was a free afternoon, an absolutely gorgeous day, as well as the qualifying game for Germany in the World Cup – so there was great atmosphere all around. The significance for Konstanz to the reformation was the Council of Konstanz in 1415. This council invited reformer, Johann Hus, to come and address the council on how Reformation of the Church might be achieved, granting him safe passage to Konstanz. This is very significant, because like all great movements, the Reformation had its origins long before its official beginnings. Recall that Luther posted his 95 theses in Wittenberg in 1517. However, the council rejected Hus’ reforms and did not grant him safe passage home. He was burned to death by a group of people led by Johannes Zacharias.
Johannes Zacharias has an interesting link to Luther. He was the abbot of the Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt. When Luther had arrived at Erfurt, he had prostrated himself upon the tomb of Zacharias. Hus’ name means Goose and Luther later took the image of a Swan (from the Monastery windows at Erfurt) as his family crest. Legend has it that when Hus was executed he said: “Today you are burning a goose, but after a hundred years they will hear a swan sing, and him they will endure.”
Today’s focus question is: What is the true Church? and Where does one find the true Church? The traditional medieval view was that the Church was the Pope. And that clergy and lay people participate with the Pope. Zwingli’s view was that the Church was the Pope and the Clergy. And the lay people participate with them. Whilst the Anabaptists believed the Church to be all people and that there was to be no distinction between clergy and laity. Perhaps surprisingly, the Anabaptist view seems to have more consistency with the model of Church we derive from the New Testament. The Acts of the Apostles gives testament to the believers sharing all things together, seeing that no one went without, breaking the bread in one another’s homes (Acts 2).
From Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, his subsequent epistles espouse a theology of the ‘Body of Christ’ and promoting our membership to the body as being multi-faceted, differently gifted, but nonetheless all of vital importance if the body is to function effectively. Where does one find such a Church? It seems that these reformed times began to open up new ways of experiencing Church. Church had been homogenous and unquestionable in its ways for such a long time. Zwingli and Calvin were especially interested in reforming the Church, whilst Luther was primarily concerned with the justification by faith of each individual believer. The Swiss reforms seemed to be going in the right direction, however the Anabaptists, possibly understood that there was still quite a way to go.
Johannes Zacharias has an interesting link to Luther. He was the abbot of the Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt. When Luther had arrived at Erfurt, he had prostrated himself upon the tomb of Zacharias. Hus’ name means Goose and Luther later took the image of a Swan (from the Monastery windows at Erfurt) as his family crest. Legend has it that when Hus was executed he said: “Today you are burning a goose, but after a hundred years they will hear a swan sing, and him they will endure.”Today’s focus question is: What is the true Church? and Where does one find the true Church? The traditional medieval view was that the Church was the Pope. And that clergy and lay people participate with the Pope. Zwingli’s view was that the Church was the Pope and the Clergy. And the lay people participate with them. Whilst the Anabaptists believed the Church to be all people and that there was to be no distinction between clergy and laity. Perhaps surprisingly, the Anabaptist view seems to have more consistency with the model of Church we derive from the New Testament. The Acts of the Apostles gives testament to the believers sharing all things together, seeing that no one went without, breaking the bread in one another’s homes (Acts 2).
From Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, his subsequent epistles espouse a theology of the ‘Body of Christ’ and promoting our membership to the body as being multi-faceted, differently gifted, but nonetheless all of vital importance if the body is to function effectively. Where does one find such a Church? It seems that these reformed times began to open up new ways of experiencing Church. Church had been homogenous and unquestionable in its ways for such a long time. Zwingli and Calvin were especially interested in reforming the Church, whilst Luther was primarily concerned with the justification by faith of each individual believer. The Swiss reforms seemed to be going in the right direction, however the Anabaptists, possibly understood that there was still quite a way to go.
For more Zurich and Konstanz photos, see below:
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DAY 9 – MON 28 JUN
ZURICH. EXCURSION TO WILDHAUS – EINSIEDELN.
A short drive brings you to the small town of Wildhaus am Toggenburg. Huldrych Zwingli, the leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, was born here in 1484 and you can visit his HOUSE which still stands. Continue to Einsiedeln and visit the ABBEY CHURCH for Vespers and Salve Regina. Overnight in Zurich. (B)
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ZURICH. EXCURSION TO WILDHAUS – EINSIEDELN.
A short drive brings you to the small town of Wildhaus am Toggenburg. Huldrych Zwingli, the leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, was born here in 1484 and you can visit his HOUSE which still stands. Continue to Einsiedeln and visit the ABBEY CHURCH for Vespers and Salve Regina. Overnight in Zurich. (B)
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For two completely contrasting experiences today we journeyed to the birth place of Zwingli (very understated and protestant) to the counter-Reformation Swiss city of Einsedeln. Zwingli’s house took us to Wildhaus am Toggenburg to a very Swiss looking village with alps and mountains all around. Pictured right is our Tour Group out the front of Zwingli’s birth house. We were not able to enter the house. It has been maintained as a place of historical significance but there are no tours or opportunities to enter the house. We reflected on how Luther’s birth house was quite wealthy as his father had been both a miner and owner of the mines. Zwingli’s house instead was quite modest and certainly if we had entered the house it would have been a short tour.
We then bussed to Einsideln to the Abbey Church which subsequently generated great discussion among the group. Even as a Catholic I can say that this Church is as Catholic as Catholic as Catholic as they come… but perhaps to use more historical/theological terminology, this Church is baroque in style and is a counter-reformation Church. In practice this means that the key things that the reformers rejected are prominent in this Church: scripture translated as imagery, Marian devotion, devotion to Saints, multiple altars, gates in front of altars, Gregorian chant, etc. A group of 71 men (brothers and priests) live monastic life in the Abby and pray daily devotions several times a day as well as having oversight over a school and various other duties. The patron of this Church is Mary as particular reflected in the Black Madonna. We stayed for afternoon Vespers. The first part of the Vespers are chanted/celebrated in the main sanctuary by the Monks (these can be heard but not seen), at the conclusion of Vespers, the Monks process to the Altar of the Black Madonna and chant the Salve Regina.
It is interesting that Protestant Churches of the 16th Century have Octagonal Fonts at the front door of the Church. The front of the Abbey Churchn is Octagonal but instead has the Altar of the Black Madonna. I believe that part of the intention of bringing the tour group to Einsideln and the Abbey Church was to get a sense of what Zwingli was reacting to. Whilst Luther believed that anything that was not expressly forbidden in the bible was permissible, Zwingli and the Swiss reformers believed that anything that was not expressly commanded in scripture was forbidden. We see a good example of this at the Abbey Church.
The Abbey Church was also part of the route of the famous pilgrimage of Compostella in Spain (which pilgrims still make today). Pilgrims would visit the Black Madonna on their way to Spain. Zwingli would have observed this in his time and would had rejected it. The reaction of our tour group participants to the Abbey Church expresses something of the distance between Protestant and Catholic expressions of faith. The two do not bear much resemblance to each other. Reactions ranged from tolerance of difference, to interpreting the experience as demonic. To Zwingli, this devotion to the Black Madonna was both expressly forbidden (by Scripture) and therefore against the new experience of Church which had developed in Switzerland. It was therefore necessary for him to rail against it and does provide a helpful context for protestant reform in sixteenth-century Switzerland.
This day was also our seventh Wedding Anniversary, so we respectively ditched the group and headed down to a restaurant that had been recommended to us, Aqua, and had a big decadent expensive meal to mark the occasion. Earlier in the day, Heather had led Morning Prayer and then expressed some very touching sentiments of love in honour of the day. Thanks Adam L for the restaurant recommendation, it was enjoyed thoroughly!
For more Wildhaus and Einsideln photos, see below:
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