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 center of Renaissance humanism.
He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln , where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus. In his first public controversy in , he attacked the custom of fasting during Lent.
In his publications, he noted corruption in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, promoted clerical marriage , and attacked the use of images in places of worship. Among his most notable contributions to the Reformation was his expository preaching , starting in , through the Gospel of Matthew , before eventually using Biblical exegesis to go through the entire New Testament, a radical departure from the Catholic mass.
He also clashed with the Anabaptists , which resulted in their persecution. The Reformation spread to other parts of the Swiss Confederation , but several cantons resisted, preferring to remain Catholic. Zwingli formed an alliance of Reformed cantons which divided the Confederation along religious lines. In , a war was averted at the last moment between the two sides.
Meanwhile, Zwingli's ideas came to the attention of Martin Luther and other reformers. They met at the Marburg Colloquy and agreed on many points of doctrine, but they could not reach an accord on the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
