Luther and Zwingli’s Eucharistic Controversy: A Reflection on Nigerian Christianity

Abstract

This study, a descriptive survey research, presents the Eucharistic ideologies of Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli in respect to Nigerian Christianity. The conflict between Luther and Zwingli on Eucharist began in 1525, but it was not until 1527 that Zwingli engaged directly with Luther. For Luther, Eucharist is a ‘visible physical sign’ of the promises of God, while Zwingli understood it to mean a ‘sign of the believers’ faithfulness to each other. To Luther and Zwingli, there are two sacraments (baptism and Eucharist) whereas for the Roman Catholic Church, they are seven (baptism, Eucharist, Penance, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, and Extreme Unction). The Catholic Church transubstantiation of elements of the Eucharist and Luther’s doctrine of consubstantiation controversy are also areas of concern for this paper. The method of approach is dogmatic (especially descriptive) with the review of related literature.

UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities vol 14 (2) 2013