Blog | Jun 10, 2010 | 0 Comments

Getting the Bible to the Commoner

Reformation and the Printing Press

Through a virtual rabbit trail, I somehow got to researching the Diet of Worms and Martin Luther. I was probably more drawn to the name “Diet of Worms” at first but then it peaked my interest as it started talking about the controversy between Luther and the Catholic church and the power struggle between Germany and Italy. As I was reading more into it, I happened to notice the dates were close to the same time as the first printing press being developed by Johannas Gutenberg. Here’s a little Timeline:

• 1439 – Not the most business savvy guy, Gutenberg owing investors money for a project involving polished metal mirrors that caught “holy” light from relics, told the investors he’d let them in on a secret. He later said the idea of the printing press came to him “like a ray of light.” Gutenberg may actually have been inspired by Dutch Craftsman.
• 1454 – Gutenberg prints the 42-line Latin bible (not his first project but his first quality one not to mention his money maker for sure)
• 1466  - First German Bible, printed  by Johannes Mentelin in Strassburg, Germany;  it the first Bible printed in any modern language; folio, 406 leaves, double columns of 61 lines in black letter on heavy white paper;  about fifteen copies are known to exist.
• 1517 – Martin Luther writes the 95 Theses – one of the points made is the Bible should be translated into the language of the commoner.
• 1519-1522 – Martin Luther works on translating the Bible into German
• 1534 Luther Bible printed in German

My question is who is Johannes Mentelin? He actually was printing the bible in the modern language of German earlier than the Luther Bible, yet the Catholic Church didn’t do anything. I guess he didn’t nail 95 theses to the door of the church!

I love how during this 100 year span in history, the printing press is born and a reform is taking place that says among other things that all people should be able to read and interpret the bible through the Holy Spirit inside the individual. Where would Luther be without the printing press? He needed it. I see the fingerprint of God’s Will in all of this. It goes to show God will use anyone in His perfect timing and purposes—this is evident in this time of history where He orchestrates, for the first time, the ability to get the Bible into the hands of all.

Thank you Lord for the printing press!

(Photo at top: An old Finnish bible outside a church we partnered with)