close associate and successor as leader of the German Lutheran movement. Melanchthon was a brilliant scholar and linguist and something of a bridging figure between Luther and the Reformed tradition. (2) Huldrych Zwingli. Together with his successor, Heinrich Bullinger, Zwingli established a beachhead for the Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland. Zwingli pioneered distinctively Reformed patterns of preaching and education. An Erasmian by training, he incorporated more fully than Luther the insights of Renaissance philosophy.
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(3) Martin Bucer. A Dominican from Alsace, Bucer was converted to the Protestant cause when he heard Luther’s presentation at the Heidelberg Disputation in 1518. He soon became reformer of the church in Strasbourg. He was a prolific commentator on Scripture and had a great influence on the Swiss reformers, especially Calvin. (4) John Calvin. The great historian Karl Holl once described Calvin as “Luther’s best disciple.” Calvin wrote commentaries on nearly every book in the Bible and they remain one of the great exegetical masterpieces of the Reformation. (5) Menno Simons. Regrettably,
we have few commentaries from the Anabaptists largely due to the fact that they were constantly on the run from persecution. Menno was the leader of Dutch-speaking Anabaptists and his writings reveal a deep love for the Bible and a desire to follow Jesus in the way of discipleship. How did the reformers view the preaching of God’s Word and how did this differ from the Roman Catholic Church? There are three points to be made here. First, in the Middle Ages preaching was frequently done out of doors and in special seasons such