Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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teacher,” f22 that he might study the New Testament in the original. f23 He
acquired considerable facility in Greek. The Hebrew language he studied at
a later period in Zurich, but with less zeal and success. He read with great
enthusiasm the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, orators, and
historians. He speaks in terms of admiration of Homer, Pindar,
Demosthenes, Cicero, Livy, Caesar, Seneca, Pliny, Tacitus, Plutarch. He
committed Valerius Maximus to memory for the historical examples. He
wrote comments on Lucian. He perceived, like Justin Martyr, the
Alexandrian Fathers, and Erasmus, in the lofty ideas of the heathen
philosophers and poets, the working of the Holy Spirit, which he thought
extended beyond Palestine throughout the world. He also studied the
writings of Picus della Mirandola (d. 1494), which influenced his views on
providence and predestination.
During his residence in Glarus he was brought into correspondence with
Erasmus through his friend Loreti of Glarus, called Glareanus, a learned
humanist and poet-laureate, who at that time resided in Basle, and
belonged to the court of admirers of the famous scholar. He paid him also
a visit in the spring of 1515, and found him a man in the prime of life, small
and delicate, but amiable and very polite. He addressed him as “the greatest
philosopher and theologian;” he praises his “boundless learning,” and says
that he read his books every night before going to sleep. Erasmus returned
the compliments with more moderation, and speaks of Zwingli’s previous
letter as being “full of wit and learned acumen.” In 1522 Zwingli invited
him to settle in Zurich; but Erasmus declined it, preferring to be a
cosmopolite. We have only one letter of Zwingli to Erasmus, but six of
Erasmus to Zwingli. f24 The influence of the great scholar on Zwingli was
emancipating and illuminating. Zwingli, although not exactly his pupil, was
no doubt confirmed by him in his high estimate of the heathen classics, his
opposition to ecclesiastical abuses, his devotion to the study of the
Scriptures, and may have derived from him his moderate view of hereditary
sin and guilt, and the first suggestion of the figurative interpretation of the
words of institution of the Lord’s Supper. f25 But he dissented from the
semi-Pelagianism of Erasmus, and was a firm believer in predestination.
During the progress of the Reformation they were gradually alienated,
although they did not get into a personal controversy. In a letter of Sept. 3,
1522, Erasmus gently warns Zwingli to fight not only bravely, but also
prudently, and Christ would give him the victory. f26 He did not regret his
early death. Glareanus also turned from him, and remained in the old