How Did the Printing Press Change Christianity?

[Sunstone]

Historians often point out various ways that the European invention of the printing press (actually, movable type) around 1450 AD changed Christianity. Do you yourself subscribe to such a view? If so, in what ways do you believe the printing press changed Christianity? If not, why not?

(By the way, movable type had previously been invented in China by Bi Sheng sometime around 1000 AD, so Johannes Gutenberg was independently reinventing it. That is, there does not seem to be much evidence that he was copying the Chinese -- so far as I know, but I am not an historian.)



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And now, in an attempt to make it up to you for a boring OP, some music....

 

[BSM1]

Well, before the printing press (movable type) was fully employed, Christians had to hand out all those tracts chiseled in stone...just sayin'.

 

[Harel13]

Bible literacy became much more widespread. Literacy in general became more widespread because texts were much more available. No longer did Christians have to subscribe to whatever the only literate man in town, the local priest or monk, told them, whether this was true or not. Furthermore, Martin Luther's rebellion against the Catholic Church succeeded, at least in part, because printing spread the news and message of his doings quickly.

 

[Terry Sampson]

tracts chiseled in stone

???

 

[Sunstone]

Bible literacy became much more widespread. Literacy in general became more widespread because texts were much more available. No longer did Christians have to subscribe to whatever the only literate man in town, the local priest or monk, told them, whether this was true or not. Furthermore, Martin Luther's rebellion against the Catholic Church succeeded, at least in part, because printing spread the news and message of his doings quickly.

We're in substantial agreement. Thanks for your post! I would only add that the press seems to have created -- or at least encouraged -- a tendency towards Biblical literalism. The notion that the Bible was the literal word of God does not seem to have been popular with many Christian intellectuals before literacy took off.

 

[Harel13]

We're in substantial agreement. Thanks for your post!

This is basic stuff from my middle school history class.

 

[Sunstone]

This is basic stuff from my middle school history class.

I thought it was taught in grade school. Are you sure you only heard about it in Middle School?

 

[Terry Sampson]

Introduction of paper-making into Europe enabled paper makers to compete with parchment makers. However, until moveable type came into use, the principal means for getting words on paper was the time-consuming process of calligraphic writing. Moreover, reading skills were not common. The early reformers, of whom Martin Luther was only one, quickly took advantage of paper and presses. Luther's "big" contribution was the promotion of early education. More people reading increased demand for printed materials, fomenting religious and political changes, much to the chagrin of the wealthy and the religious elite.

 

[Sunstone]

Introduction of paper-making into Europe enabled paper makers to compete with parchment makers. However, until moveable type came into use, the principal means for getting words on paper was the time-consuming process of calligraphic writing. Moreover, reading skills were not common. The early reformers, of whom Martin Luther was only one, quickly took advantage of paper and presses. Luther's "big" contribution was the promotion of early education. More people reading increased demand for printed materials, shifting fomenting religious and political changes, much to the chagrin of the wealthy and the religious elite.

As a kind of side note, the Protestants even encouraged their daughters to become literate in order to read the newly affordable Bibles. Of course, the theory was their souls were at stake, hence they should be taught to read.

 

[Terry Sampson]

much to the chagrin of the wealthy and the religious elite.

Now, anybody with a Bible who can read can start their own religion, or trash it, as the case may be.

 

[Harel13]

I thought it was taught in grade school. Are you sure you only heard about it in Middle School?

Where I went to school, elementary school included 6th grade and we only started learning history that year, and we spent most of the year studying the Greeks and the Persian empire (including Jews under the control of those two). Martin Luther was way down the line, maybe 7th or 8th grade.

 

[exchemist]

Historians often point out various ways that the European invention of the printing press (actually, movable type) around 1450 AD changed Christianity. Do you yourself subscribe to such a view? If so, in what ways do you believe the printing press changed Christianity? If not, why not?

(By the way, movable type had previously been invented in China by Bi Sheng sometime around 1000 AD, so Johannes Gutenberg was independently reinventing it. That is, there does not seem to be much evidence that he was copying the Chinese -- so far as I know.)



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And now, in an attempt to make it up to you for a boring OP, some music....

It is a matter of historical record that the mass printing of the bible, in vernacular translation, was one of the forces that led to the Protestant Reformation.

It was the first of several step-changes in society that democratised information, thereby reducing the willingness of people to defer to specialist authority.

(We see the same process operating, for better or for worse, in the internet explosion today.)

 

[Augustus]

More people reading increased demand for printed materials, fomenting religious and political changes, much to the chagrin of the wealthy and the religious elite.

The idea that "the wealthy" were against this is not really accurate.

The were many wealthy supporters of the Reformation, whether for religious reasons and/or because they liked the idea of not having to send a load of money from their region off to fill the coffers in Rome.

 

[Rival]

The were many wealthy supporters of the Reformation, whether for religious reasons and/or because they liked the idea of not having to send a load of money from their region off to fill the coffers in Rome.

This reminds me of something, can't quite think...

Ah well.

 

[Augustus]

Historians often point out various ways that the European invention of the printing press (actually, movable type) around 1450 AD changed Christianity. Do you yourself subscribe to such a view? If so, in what ways do you believe the printing press changed Christianity? If not, why not?

One indirect way it might have impacted it:

IIRC the printing press meant the church could now print and sell loads more indulgences, the granting of indulgences made reformers , and the series of responses to them were a key driver of the Reformation.

 

[Sunstone]

This has very little to do with the impact of the press on Christianity, but for anyone who is interested in trivia, once the presses became widely available -- which happened in England by the 1600s -- they created something similar to what has happened with the internet today.

That is, the relative ease with which people could now publish things created a quality problem. A whole lot of lies were getting published! The quality of published information hit a record low and folks had a tough time sorting out truth from fiction.

Guess what the solution was?

Essentially, the 1600s saw rise to prominence and importance of the footnote! Put differently, people began the detailed sourcing of their facts. Instead of just saying "Aristotle said", they began saying exactly where Aristotle said it, and then precisely quoting him. This was all in response to the fact that there was no other effective quality control on published material due to so many presses being in operation.

Anyway, I thought maybe one or two people might be interested in a bit of trivia this morning.

 

[Harel13]

This reminds me of something, can't quite think...

Ah well.

Is this a dig at the US?

 

[Rival]

Is this a dig at the US?

No, it's a dig at Bruxelles

 

[exchemist]

This has very little to do with the impact of the press on Christianity, but for anyone who is interested in trivia, once the presses became widely available -- which happened in England by the 1600s -- they created something similar to what has happened with the internet today.

That is, the relative ease with which people could now publish things created a quality problem. A whole lot of lies were getting published! The quality of published information hit a record low and folks had a tough time sorting out truth from fiction.

Guess what the solution was?

Essentially, the 1600s saw rise to prominence and importance of the footnote! Put differently, people began the detailed sourcing of their facts. Instead of just saying "Aristotle said", they began saying exactly where Aristotle said it, and then precisely quoting him. This was all in response to the fact that there was no other effective quality control on published material due to so many presses being in operation.

Anyway, I thought maybe one or two people might be interested in a bit of trivia this morning.

Yes, and now we see the more assiduous posters on discussions forums supporting their claims with links to reference material.......

So where are yours, then?

 

[Terry Sampson]

The idea that "the wealthy" were against this is not really accurate.

I was hoping that no one would notice how broad each of my strokes were.