Heinrich Bullinger's Mariology? (Part One)

In Roman Catholic apologetics, Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575) is not primarily remembered for his historical Reformation role as Zwingli's successor, but rather, what he said about Mary. The irony is that it was probably a Protestant responsible for this.

Begin Excursion: Walter Tappolet, The Marian Praise of the Reformers
In 1962, German Protestant scholar, Walter Tappolet, produced a book highlighting Marian statements from 16th century Protestants: Das Marienlob der Reformatoren: Martin Luther, Johannes Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger. The title of this book translates to "The Marian Praise of the Reformers." Bridget Heal suggests that Tappolet had an "ecumenical desire to develop some Marian devotion within twentieth-century Protestantism." If indeed that's what motivated him, he in essence failed to solidify Marian devotion in subsequent Protestantism. Here we are, many years past Tappolet's study, and Rome's Marian dogmas and emphasis are still the characteristics of... Rome. What he did succeed at was to produce an anthology of material that eventually trickled down to Rome's modern-day cyber-defenders. The statements from the Reformers about Mary compiled by Tappolet often serve this typical argument:

Protestants believe in sola scriptura. The Reformers believed in sola scriptura. The original Reformers believed in Roman Catholic Marian doctrines. Therefore, Protestants today should believe in Marian doctrines.

Rome's modern cyber-defenders are probably not using Tappolet's book. What they're usually relying on is some other source that used Tappolet's book and translated this or that statement into English from Tappolet's German. This explains why their documentation is often spurious. Tappolet relied on primary sources written in a variety of non-English languages. Most of Rome's modern cyber-defenders have little idea what these sources are or where to find them. When I first began looking into this issue years ago, the typical "The Reformers believed in Mary" webpage had ridiculous documentation. Not a whole lot has changed, especially in regard to the quotes attributed to Bullinger.

It's been easier to go through Luther's writings and Calvin's writings to demonstrate that in some instances the quotes are being used out of context. In some instances (particularly with Luther), some of the earlier things said about Mary were later repudiated. In some instances, what the Reformers held about Mary isn't even what today's defenders of Rome hold about Mary. But fundamentally, sola scriptura does not claim that all people reading the Bible will necessarily arrive at the same conclusions. What it ultimately claims is that there is one divine infallible source of God's special revelation. If the original Reformers maintained something about Mary, this doesn't mean that the successors of the Reformers will also. It's not the Reformers that are the sole infallible authority, it's the Scriptures. End excursion.

Heinrich Bullinger, Devoted to Mary? Wikipedia Thinks So.
Now back to Heinrich Bullinger. Bullinger is not known for spending extraordinary efforts to write treatises about Mary. Yet, isn't it odd that if one consults his entry in Wikipedia, one of the last sections of the entry contains a treatment of his "Marian views"? Someone tacked it on sometime after May 2008. That someone is anonymous because "Work submitted to Wikipedia can be edited, used, and redistributed—by anyone...". Of all the facts one should know from a basic overview of Bullinger, someone thinks his Marian views needed to be mentioned! My guess is that someone with a Roman Catholic agenda had a hand in adding this section.

The wiki article rightly mentions Bullinger's importance for his writing of the Second Helvitic Confession. But the Wiki article also states, "Mary is mentioned several times in the Second Helvetic Confession, which expounds Bullinger's mariology." So according to Wikipedia, the very act of mentioning Mary is expounding Marian views! For the record, the word "Mary" is mentioned twice (as part of the phrase "Virgin Mary" and "ever virgin Mary").  Mary is referred to only one other time as "Blessed Virgin." Here's the alleged exposition of Bullinger's Mariology from these three isolated statements in the Second Helvitic Confession:

3,3. For Scripture has delivered to us a manifest distinction of persons, the angel saying, among other things, to the Blessed Virgin, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

6,1. CHRIST IS TRUE GOD. We further believe and teach that the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was predestinated or foreordained from eternity by the Father to be the Savior of the world. And we believe that he was born, not only when he assumed flesh of the Virgin Mary, and not only before the foundation of the world was laid, but by the Father before all eternity in an inexpressible manner.

6,3. CHRIST IS TRUE MAN, HAVING REAL FLESH. We also believe and teach that the eternal Son of the eternal God was made the Son of man, from the seed of Abraham and David, not from the coitus of a man, as the Ebionites said, but was most chastely conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the ever virgin Mary, as the evangelical history carefully explains to us (Matt., ch. 1). And Paul says: "he took not on him the nature of angels, but of the seed of Abraham." Also the apostle John says that woever does not believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God. Therefore, the flesh of Christ was neither imaginary not brought from heaven, as Valentinus and Marcion wrongly imagined.

What do we actually learn about Bullinger's Mariology? The first thing that's apparent is he is not expounding on his Marian views, he's expounding on Jesus Christ, His incarnation, His deity, and His humanity. If one wanted to honestly expound on Bullinger's Mariology from this document, she's mentioned in passing with reference to her historical maternal role in the incarnation and the theological implications for the Deity and humanity of Christ. From these same statements, Here's how Wikipedia's explains how Bullinger's Mariology is "expounded":

Mary is mentioned several times in the Second Helvetic Confession, which expounds Bullinger's mariology. Chapter Three quotes the angel’s message to the Virgin Mary, " – the Holy Spirit will come over you " - as an indication of the existence of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity. The Latin text described Mary as diva, indicating her rank as a person, who dedicated herself to God. In Chapter Nine, the Virgin birth of Jesus is said to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born without the participation of any man. The Second Helvetic Confession accepted the "Ever Virgin" notion from John Calvin, which spread throughout much of Europe with the approbation of this document in the above-mentioned countries [Chavannes 426].

The documentation given is so vague that it's meaningless. Is it a reference to Alexander Chavannes? Earnst Chavannes? Who knows? Wiki states, "The Latin text described Mary as diva, indicating her rank as a person." This is in reference to the word "blessed." Here's a link to the Latin translation. The Latin phrase used is "divam virginem." The Latin word "diva" is a noun meaning either blessed, saint or divine. Wiki says that the word indicates "rank as a person, who dedicated herself to God." Is this sense in which Bullinger is using the words divam virginem? Where is the expounding of Bullinger's view?  Is Bullinger using the word in the sense of title or a description? Where does Bullinger say Mary was of a higher rank of person who dedicated herself to God? Then the Wiki article points out that Bullinger "accepted the 'Ever Virgin' notion from John Calvin, which spread throughout much of Europe..." In actuality, the idea of Mary being "ever Virgin" was already "spread throughout much of Europe" before either Calvin or Bullinger came on the scene! Also, Calvin rarely mentioned Mary's perpetual virginity. Calvin's basic position is that the gospel writers did not wish to record what happened afterwards to Mary. His is a position of silence in regard to the state of Mary's virginity after the birth of Christ.

Bullinger on The Assumption According to Wikipedia
The Wikipedia entry then shifts gears, leaving the Second Helvetic Confession behind, stating,

Bullinger's 1539 polemical treatise against idolatry[2] expressed his belief that Mary's "sacrosanctum corpus" ("sacrosanct body") had been assumed into heaven by angels:

Hac causa credimus et Deiparae virginis Mariae purissimum thalamum et spiritus sancti templum, hoc est, sacrosanctum corpus ejus deportatum esse ab angelis in coelum.[3]

For this reason we believe that the Virgin Mary, Begetter of God, the most pure bed and temple of the Holy Spirit, that is, her most holy body, was carried to heaven by angels.

[2]De origine erroris libri duo (On the Origin of Error, Two Books)
[3]De origine erroris, Caput XVI (Chapter 16), p. 70
[4]The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary (1996), George H. Tavard, Liturgical Press, p. 109.

This notion that Bullinger held a lifelong adherence to Mary's Assumption has been floating around the internet for years. It's certainly true that George Tavard gives the Latin text in his book, The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary (The English translation cited by Wikipedia is Tavard's as well). He says though (incorrectly) that the comment is according to Bullinger's "friend and disciple Froschauer" from his book De origine erroris libri duo:

Here's where Walter Tappolet comes in. This quote, in whatever form one may find it in, probably originates from Das Marienlob der Reformatoren, p 327. Tappolet treats Bullinger on the Assumption on pages 326-327. He first presents a few Bullinger quotes which say that the Scriptures don't say anything about Mary's death or Assumption and that it's dangerous to explore where Scripture is silent. Tappolet then presents what he says is "the strangest testimony" of Bullinger on the Assumption ("Das seltsamste Zeugnis Builingers über die Frage von Mariens Himmelfahrt"). The quote is authentic (here is the page in the 1568 edition). The interesting thing about the quote is that it wasn't written for publication in 1568 towards the end of his life. Bullinger composed this book much earlier (1529; it was the companion volume to a book he wrote in 1528). Bullinger was 25 when he originally wrote this book. He revised these two volumes into one volume in 1539. It is in this 1539 edition that the Marian statement in question appears to have originally been written (see page 45). I could not locate the quote it in the 1529 edition, nor do I know if he revised this book previous to the 1539 edition. I would argue that the quote represents a development in Bullinger. The other quotes against a blatant adherence to the Assumption cited by Tappolet (from 1552 and 1565)  were penned later. Certainly Rome's defenders could have a strong case if Bullinger wrote this statement at the end of life, but the evidence suggests that he actually moved away from this radical Marian position.


The Protestant Reformers on Mary
Some of Bullinger's Marian quotes have been floating around cyber-space for years. Let's consider the following Bullinger statements from the anonymous web page, Behold Thy Mother: The Protestant Reformers on Mary. This webpage asserts: "The Reformers accepted almost every major Marian doctrine and considered these doctrines to be both scriptural and fundamental to the historic Christian Faith." That's a form of the exact argument I outline above. Here's how this webpage quotes Bullinger:

Heinrich Bullinger, Cranmer's brother-in-law, Zwingli's successor said:

'In Mary everything is extraordinary and all the more glorious as it has sprung from pure faith and burning love of God.' She is 'the most unique and the noblest member' of the Christian community . . .'The Virgin Mary . . . completely sanctified by the grace and blood of her only Son and abundantly endowed by the gift of the Holy Spirit and preferred to all . . . now lives happily with Christ in heaven and is called and remains ever-Virgin and Mother of God.'

{In Hilda Graef, Mary: A history of Doctrine and Devotion, combined ed. of vols. 1 and 2, London: Sheed and Ward, 1965, vol.2, pp.14-5}

"What pre-eminence in the eyes of God the Virgin Mary had on account of her piety, her faith, her purity, her saintliness and all her virtues, so that she can hardly be compared with any of the other saints, but should by rights be rather elevated above all of them..."; "...And if she who was wholly pure from her birth did not disdain to be purified, that is to say to receive the blessing of purification, is this not all the more reason why those who fall under the yoke of the law by reason of their real impurity should observe the same?"; "...we believe, that the pure and immaculate embodiment of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that is to say her saintly body, was carried up into heaven by the angels..." (cited in Thurian, page 89, 197, 198)

 Let's work through these quotes and see how they stand up to scrutiny.

1. 'In Mary everything is extraordinary and all the more glorious as it has sprung from pure faith and burning love of God.' She is 'the most unique and the noblest member' of the Christian community . . . 'The Virgin Mary . . . completely sanctified by the grace and blood of her only Son and abundantly endowed by the gift of the Holy Spirit and preferred to all . . . now lives happily with Christ in heaven and is called and remains ever-Virgin and Mother of God.' {In Hilda Graef, Mary: A history of Doctrine and Devotion, combined ed. of vols. 1 and 2, London: Sheed and Ward, 1965, vol.2, pp.14-5}

I have the source cited. Hilda Graef says, "Bullinger's Mariology is nearer to Catholic beliefs than that of the other Reformers" (p.14). That's a tacit admission from this Roman Catholic writer that the Reformers are not on the exact page as Rome. Graef also notes her source for these quotes: William Tappolet. He was utilized because she says of Bullinger's actual writings, "the original work being inaccessible to me" (p.14). In other words, Graef doesn't give any references to actual contextual sources for these quotes. The quote being cited above is actually on page 15, not page 14. It turns out, it isn't one quote, it's three.  Here's how Graef cites Bullinger:

He defends Mary's perpetual virginity, including the virginity in partu and inveighs against the false Christians (Scheinchristen) who defraud her of her rightful praise: "In Mary everything is extraordinary and all the more glorious as it has sprung from pure faith and burning love of God."1 She is "the most unique and the noblest member" of the Christian community, not, however, its head or mistress.2 He will not pronounce either on her Immaculate Conception or her bodily Assumption: "Let it suffice us", he says, "simply to believe and confess that the Virgin Mary... completely sanctified by the grace and blood of her only Son and abundantly endowed by the gift of the Holy Spirit and preferred to all... now lives happily with Christ in heaven and is called and remains ever-Virgin and Mother of God... ."3

Note some of the words left out by Rome's anonymous defender. Bullinger is cited saying, "She is 'the most unique and the noblest member' of the Christian community," but Graef continues the sentence with, "not, however, its head or mistress." Why was this left out?  Then notice Rome's defender leaves out "He will not pronounce either on her Immaculate Conception or her bodily Assumption," and picks up the quote with "The Virgin Mary"! After these Bullinger snippets, Graef goes on to say, "But despite his sincere veneration for her, Bullinger rejects her invocation and mediation, though this does not mean that he is hostile to her, else he would also be an enemy of Christ." So the aspects of Bullinger that speak against Rome's Mary are left out. Why?

2. "What pre-eminence in the eyes of God the Virgin Mary had on account of her piety, her faith, her purity, her saintliness and all her virtues, so that she can hardly be compared with any of the other saints, but should by rights be rather elevated above all of them..."; "...And if she who was wholly pure from her birth did not disdain to be purified, that is to say to receive the blessing of purification, is this not all the more reason why those who fall under the yoke of the law by reason of their real impurity should observe the same?"; "...we believe, that the pure and immaculate embodiment of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that is to say her saintly body, was carried up into heaven by the angels..." (cited in Thurian, page 89, 197, 198)

The reference here is to Max Thurian. The book being cited is Mary: Mother of the Lord Figure of the Church (1963), or perhaps Mary, Mother of All Christians. Thurian was an ecumenical Protestant at the writing of this book and not long thereafter went on to become Roman Catholic. Of Reformation Mariology, Thurian states, "One should not normally embark on this subject until one has read the magnificent book Das Marienlob der Reformatoren of W. TAPPOLET" (pp. 196-197). Like the previous quote, this offering consists of multiple quotes put together. Except for the quotes from page 89 (see ** below), all the quotes Thurian uses are from Tappolet. Like Graef, Thurian does not give any references to actual contextual sources for these quotes.  Here's what Thurian says on pages 89, 196-197:

Bullinger, the balanced Reformer, wrote: "What pre-eminence in the eyes of God the Virgin Mary had on account of her piety, her faith, her purity, her saintliness and all her virtues, so that she can hardly be compared with any of the other saints, but should by rights be rather elevated above all of them, appears very clearly in the first chapters of the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, and particularly in her "Magnificat." ... If Mary really is the Mother of the Lord, as the blessed Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, so explicitly named her, then it is altogether just that she should be named by the Fathers of the Church "theotokos," that is to say Mother of God (Gottesgebarerin or Muttergottes). Nestorius denied that in the most infamous manner. All the same, if women of the Old Testament like Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Esther, Susannah, Judith and others were notable and excellent women how much more notable and worthy of praise is she who surpasses with distinction all women, the blessed Virgin Mother! ' [Translation of G. DUMEIGE, The Catholic Faith, L'Orante, Paris 1961, p. 191.]**

In connection with the purification according to the Law of Mary in the Temple, Bullinger, the successor of Zwingli, wrote: "And if she who was wholly pure from her birth did not disdain to be purified, that is to say to receive the blessing of purification, is this not all the more reason why those who fall under the yoke of the law by reason of their real impurity should observe the same" (ibid., p. 282).

Bullinger wrote in 1565: "The most learned theologians say that one cannot assert anything on the matter of the death or the assumption of the virgin. To wish to unearth or clarify certain facts on which scripture is silent is not without its dangers. Let us content ourselves with believing that the Virgin Mary is indeed active in heaven and has received every beatitude after her." However, in 1568, he wrote on the same subject- "Elijah was transported body and soul in a chariot of fire; he was not buried in any Church bearing his name, but mounted up to heaven, so that on the one hand we might know what immortality and recompense God prepares for his faithful prophets and for his most outstanding and incomparable creatures, and on the other hand in order to withdraw from men the possibility of venerating the human body of the saint. It is for this reason, we believe, that the pure and immaculate embodiment of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that is to say her saintly body, was carried up into heaven by the angels' (ibid., p. 327).

Once again we see information left out, Bullinger's 1565 comment that one should be silent on the Assumption. The more interesting part of this section from Thurian is Bullinger's 1568 apparent about face on Mary's Assumption, but as demonstrated above, the quote wasn't originally from 1568, but from 1539. Hilda Graef makes the same error:

In his work De engine erroris, 16 (1568), he even professes the belief that the body of the Virgin Mother of God has been taken up to heaven by the angels, because he does not think that Elijah can have been superior to her in this respect. As Tappolet points out, this sentence, still retained in the Dutch edition of 1602, was eliminated in the French edition of 1549 (Geneva).

Conclusion
In part two, I'm going to attempt to present a more balanced view of Bullinger's Mariology. It is the case that he held to notions about Mary that modern Protestants do not. However, he was not on the same page as Rome, both then and now. The goal is not to make Bullinger sound either Roman Catholic or Protestant, but to let him be who was.

It could very well be that Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and  Bullinger's views on Mary were as Rome's defenders claim. If they were, then so be it. The entire sixteenth century church was bathed in Mariology, so it would not be surprising to discover the Reformers didn't necessarily repudiate every aspect of it immediately. It would not be surprising as well to discover that as church history progressed from the Reformation, the bath water of Mariology gradually disappears, and I would argue, this is indeed what happened.

**Addendum
Thurian claims the citations on page 89 come from a "Translation of G. DUMEIGE, The Catholic Faith, L'Orante, Paris 1961, p. 191." This refers to the French version of this book, La foi catholique. I don't have this source to check, but these quotes are on pages 284 and 285 of Tappolet. I would not be surprised to find out that Thurian actually got these quotes from Tappolet rather than Dumeige.