The Printing Press, Vernacular Bibles and the Reformation

[Kaka Tim]

The Printing Press, Vernacular Bibles and the Reformation

Im looking for any interesting books, articles and opinion on the above. Seems to me that it was the mass availability of vernacular bibles (through the new fangled printing press) was the key factor in breaking the catholic churches authority - as it fundamentally undermined their claim to be the sole authority of religious truth. Now the bible was open to anybody who could read it to come up with their own interpretations - cue a fracturing of religious consensus, two centuries of turmoil across europe and then on to the enlightenment, development of the scientific method, gradual secularisation of society etc etc.
I see a strong parallel with the impact of the internet today in undermining the authority of traditional media, governments and other sources of information/"truth" etc with regards to trust in their credibility - and - like the reformation - this is a very mixed blessing.

anyway - kind of freewheeling here - so more enlightenment welcomed.

 

[Argonia]

I love the Reformation, love the democratising of the vernacular Bible so that people could access religion without recourse to a priestly intermediary. Studied it at A-level and have loved it ever since.

There's Elizabeth Eisenstein on the printing press: Elizabeth Eisenstein - Wikipedia

And Marshall McLuhan on the Gutenberg Galaxy: The Gutenberg Galaxy - Wikipedia.

 

[Pickman's model]

The Printing Press, Vernacular Bibles and the Reformation

Im looking for any interesting books, articles and opinion on the above. Seems to me that it was the mass availability of vernacular bibles (through the new fangled printing press) was the key factor in breaking the catholic churches authority - as it fundamentally undermined their claim to be the sole authority of religious truth. Now the bible was open to anybody who could read it to come up with their own interpretations - cue a fracturing of religious consensus, two centuries of turmoil across europe and then on to the enlightenment, development of the scientific method, gradual secularisation of society etc etc.
I see a strong parallel with the impact of the internet today in undermining the authority of traditional media, governments and other sources of information/"truth" etc with regards to trust in their credibility - and - like the reformation - this is a very mixed blessing.

anyway - kind of freewheeling here - so more enlightenment welcomed.

you might find this interesting http://library.mibckerala.org/lms_f...ompanion to the Bible and Culture.pdf#page=81

 

[JuanTwoThree]

Article 24 of the39 Articles

IT is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the Primitive Church, to have publick Prayer in the Church, or to minister the Sacraments in a tongue not understanded of the people.

The two books of Anglican homilies

http://prayerbook.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TwoBooksofHomilies.pdf

deal with this (at length!)

 

[yield]

The Printing Press, Vernacular Bibles and the Reformation

Im looking for any interesting books, articles and opinion on the above. Seems to me that it was the mass availability of vernacular bibles (through the new fangled printing press) was the key factor in breaking the catholic churches authority - as it fundamentally undermined their claim to be the sole authority of religious truth. Now the bible was open to anybody who could read it to come up with their own interpretations - cue a fracturing of religious consensus, two centuries of turmoil across europe and then on to the enlightenment, development of the scientific method, gradual secularisation of society etc etc.
I see a strong parallel with the impact of the internet today in undermining the authority of traditional media, governments and other sources of information/"truth" etc with regards to trust in their credibility - and - like the reformation - this is a very mixed blessing.

anyway - kind of freewheeling here - so more enlightenment welcomed.

Kaka Tim you've read Q by Luther Blissett?

 

[hitmouse]

Been ages since I read it so can't remember too much, but you might find The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution by Christopher Hill to be of interest?