The Press Behind the Reformation Season 1 | Episode 17
Every so often a technological invention comes along
that changes everything about the way we live.
If you were born in this millennium, it's likely you only know a world
where there have been smartphones, the internet, and satellite TV.
These things are as much a part of life today
as putting our shoes on in the morning when we leave the house
or eating breakfast first thing in the day.
Those who are little older, though, will remember a world
where there was no social media,
where the internet was very slow or non-existent,
and the idea of taking a photograph on your mobile phone was mind-boggling.
Video chat seemed way distant in the future,
and yet today these things are considered normal and a part of life.
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There was a time when if you wanted to read something,
then it would have been hand-written by someone else.
Books were expensive and hard to come by.
The materials were costly.
Monks would write on treated skins called vellum
and a single copy of the Bible
would require 300 sheepskins or 170 calf skins.
Most people could not read, and the majority of books were in Latin,
a language that only the most educated could understand.
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In the 15th century the printing press came along
and revolutionized the world of literature,
fundamentally changing the way that we communicate,
as it enabled the fast flow of information
and led to the quick spread of new ideas.
Once text could be reproduced quickly,
people had access to read books that they didn't have before.
A previously illiterate populace
now turned into a more educated and inquisitive one.
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The printing press was invented by a German goldsmith
by the name of Johannes Gutenberg.
The exact date of his birth is not known
as he was not a famous man during his lifetime,
but it is believed he finished working on the printing press
at around the year 1440.
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The first book to be published in several volumes and multiple copies
was the Bible, in 1452.
The Gutenberg Bibles would prove to be immensely popular,
with all 200 copies of them being sold before the copying was even complete.
This was 65 years before Martin Luther published his ninety-five theses,
and while he was able to preach to only a relatively small number of people,
The printed page would reach thousands of people
in a short space of time and across national borders.
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With books being translated from Latin into other languages,
people naturally began to ask
why was mass still being conducted in Latin.
People began to ask why church services
were not conducted in the language that members of society,
regardless of their wealth or education, could actually understand.
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Gutenberg's printing press meant more access to information,
more detailed discussion, and more widespread criticism of the authorities.
As such, the printing press popularized ideas
associated with the Protestant faith during the Reformation,
allowing the press to shape and channel a mass movement.
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The printing press removed control of written material from the Catholic Church,
and made it difficult for the church
to inhibit the spread of ideas that they regarded as heretical.
Had it not been for Gutenberg's invention, the news of Luther's revolutionary ideas
would not have spread as quickly as they did.
Today God have given us technology
that we can use to spread ideas very quickly.
May we use the talents we have,
the gifts we have, and the technology we have
to spread the news of Jesus to the world today.