Printing Press and Printed Word

Talk about desirable history and a yearning to learn more. There is one man in particular to whom the world owes more than much. How his invention impacted the world at that time pales in comparison to how his invention still impacts our ever-increasing internet crazed society. I’m talking about Johannes Gutenberg. A resident of Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg invented the printing press with one sole purpose in mind – to put the Bible in printable readable format for Christians to have. Trust me when I say this is no more small matter and is of über importance.

In 1440 Gutenberg created the printing press. This is huge. It was the standard of all printing until the 20th century where we ‘upgraded’ his system. But thanks to his invention, Christians were allowed to read the Bible and no longer be ‘catholicized’ by the popes of their day. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal to us today because there are thousands of publishing avenues available, but that were not the case in the 15th century. He was exiled and later died because of this work.

So why mention this man and his work? Because he paved the way with a heavy weight for countless generations. And God had a huge hand in this divine work for the whole world to reap from. And as Gutenberg wanted believers to be bibliophiles, God wants the same. A bibliophile is someone who loves to read books. This isn’t just about believers loving and reading their Bibles, it’s about appreciating the handiwork of God through a man who most have never heard of, namely Johannes Gutenberg.

Take advantage of this huge slice of grace afforded you by the God and creator of this world.