The Christian Education of Youth

By Ulrich Zwingli

TRANSLATED FROM A REPRINT OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS EDITION OF 1526

BY ALCIDE REICHENBACH, A. M.

PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES IN URSINUS COLLEGE

WITH A BRIEF SKETCH OF ZWINGLI’S EDUCATIONAL CAREER, BY THE SAME AUTHOR

“Parents ought therefore to bestow great care on the right education of their children.”—Zwingli.

COLLEGEVILLE, PA.

THOMPSON BROTHERS

1899

COPYRIGHT 1899,

BY ALCIDE REICHENBACH.

dedicated

to the

friends of christian education.

ULRICH ZWINGLI.

Preface

Ulrichs Zwingli is well known as a reformer and theologian of the sixteenth century, but he is not so well known as an educator. Readers who have access to Zwingli’s complete works and have time to collect from them what belongs to his educational career, will feel rewarded for the time spent in such work; but most persons interested in Zwingli have no time for research of this kind, and all such will be glad to read this little book.

As a matter of fact, the educational side of some religious leaders has not been presented in the history of education, fully enough to do them justice. The religious activity of these men involves an educational activity which, in many cases, is truly remarkable.

Several years ago, we read a reprint of Zwingli’s educational treatise in the original dialect of Zurich. The peculiar charm of this dialect and the interest in the subject treated by Zwingli induced us to translate the treatise for our own satisfaction. Having been repeatedly advised to have this translation published, we finally proceeded to revise it for publication, and to write, also, as an introduction to it, a sketch of Zwingli’s life from an educational point of view.

Zwingli first wrote his treatise in Latin and it was printed at Basel, in 1523, under the title, “Quo pacto ingenui adolescentes informandi sint, Praeceptiones pauculae, Huldricho Zuinglio autore.” The Christian spirit of the treatise does not appear in this title, which means, “In what manner noble youth ought to be instructed; a few precepts. Ulrich Zwingli, the author.” What the language of heathen Rome omitted in the title, Zwingli inserted, in preparing an edition, in the dialect of Zurich, for his Christian countrymen. It was printed in 1526, by Christoffel Froschauer, at Zurich, under the title, “Wje man die jugendt in guoten sitten und, Christenlicher zucht vferziehen vnnd leeren soelle, ettliche kurtze vnderwysung, durch Huldrychen Zuinglin beschriben.” In English, this title reads thus: “How one ought to bring up aud instruct youth in good manners and Christian discipline; a few short precepts, written by Ulrich Zwingli.” That he prepared this text himself for the printer, is the opinion of Director Israel, Zschopau, Saxony, and of Professor Staehelin, Basel, Switzerland. The latter is the latest standard authority on Zwingli’s works, and the former selected this text, as the one from which to publish a reprint, for his collection of rare pedagogical works of the 16th ...