The printing press & the Protestant Reformation

An invention by a German goldsmith played a prominent role in the Protestant Reformation. Johannes Gutenberg is the inventor of the Gutenberg press, an innovative printing machine that used movable type. Gutenberg was born between 1394 and 1400 and died in 1468. His invention helped spread the ideas and beliefs of the Protestant Reformers fifty years after his death.

Prior to the printing press, books had to be painstakingly copied and illustrated by hand. The majority of classical texts we possess today (Plato, Aristotle, Ovid, Homer, Euclid’s geometry, the Bible, ancient Christian histories and writings, etc.) were preserved through the centuries by monks working by candlelight in scriptoria rooms.

The Gutenberg printing press can be credited not only for a revolution in the production of books, but also for fostering rapid development in the sciences, arts and religion through the transmission of texts. Before the printing press people learned craftsmanship from their parents or served an apprenticeship under a skilled craftsman. The Gutenberg press allowed people to learn skills without the benefit of skilled instruction. For this reason the most popular early printed books were “how to” books.

Gutenberg published his first book, the Johann Gutenberg Bible, on September 30, 1452. Sixty-five years later, Martin Luther nailed The Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation.

The Gutenberg press was an indispensible tool of the Reformers. For instance, Luther’s doctrine sola scriptura would have been unintelligible in a Europe where the vast majority of people had no access to a Bible and didn’t even know how to read. The Gutenberg press gave Luther’s 15th century doctrinal innovation credibility.

Later, in 1534, Luther published his translation of the Bible into the German language, making it more accessible to the German people. But still, most people couldn’t yet read, so the Protestant Reformers resorted to the same teaching tools the ancient Church (Catholic Church) had used for the previous 1500 years – they used preaching and artwork to convey their messages.

There are a few interesting points concerning Luther’s translation of the Bible:

First, the seven books of the Old Testiment (the Deuterocanonicals) that Catholics are accused of adding to the Bible in support of their doctrines, were also included in both Guttenber’s and Luther’s first Bibles. Luther removed the seven books later.

Second, scholars agree Luther added the word "alone" (allein in German) to Romans 3:28, so that it read: "thus, we hold, then, that man is justified without the works of the law to do, alone through faith." The word "alone" does not appear in the original Greek text. Luther defended his translation by maintaining that the adverb "alone" was required both by idiomatic German and the apostle Paul's intended meaning.

Luther’s alteration of Romans 3:28 is contrary to all other references in the Bible, especially the Epistle of James. Luther understood that the Epistle of James contradicted his doctrine of sola fide (faith alone), so he refered to James as “an epistle of straw.” By altering Romans 3:28 Luther sought to support his saved through faith alone doctrine.

The Gutenberg press was an indispensible tool of the Protestant Reformers. The Reformation would have taken place without the Gutenberg press, but books and publications added momentum to the cause. Also, Luther’s sola scriptura (scripture alone) doctrine was able to maintain credibility and spread rapidly.

If you like this article and would like to be notified of future Spokane Catholic Examiner articles, please click the confidential “Subscribe” button above this article. Enter your email address and upcoming article links will be sent to you at no cost.