Our study of the Middle Ages wound up with a look at Johann Gutenberg. While he wasn't a reformer (and our last week of study was mainly on Protestant Reformers), the beginnings of the Reformation were certainly helped by his invention, the printing press.
Before the printing press, it was quite a feat to get a book written at all. All books were copied down with pen and ink, sometimes a very long process. The writing was done on calf, sheep or goatskins called parchment or vellum. After the writing process, the loose sheets went to the rubricator. This person wrote in the chapter titles and section headings in red ink so they would stand out from the black letters of the text. Every inch of parchment was used, so the rubricator's job was very important to help people keep their place in their reading.
The pages then went to an illuminator. They would decorate the margins with scenes or perhaps paint brightly colored pictures or giant letters at the beginning of the chapters. Finally, the pages went to the bindery. Here the pages were sewn together and bound between wooden boards. A leather or cloth cover was put on the book. Fancier covers may have the title of the book stamped on, one letter at a time with brass punches.
Gutenberg was aware of all the steps it took to make a book and thought there had to be a better way. He learned all he could from goldsmiths and jewelers in his town. All of the information he learned plus all the experimenting he could do on his own would eventually help him invent the printing press. Gutenberg spent a lot of time figuring out ways to get money to buy supplies for his experiments. He tried to do as much as he could in secret because he didn't want someone to take away his ideas.
After many trials, Gutenberg finally had a working printing press and began printing the Bible. His invention would make books less expensive and more accessible to the general population. This invention would help spread the ideas of the Reformers as well as ideas of the Renaissance, our next unit of study.
Before the printing press, it was quite a feat to get a book written at all. All books were copied down with pen and ink, sometimes a very long process. The writing was done on calf, sheep or goatskins called parchment or vellum. After the writing process, the loose sheets went to the rubricator. This person wrote in the chapter titles and section headings in red ink so they would stand out from the black letters of the text. Every inch of parchment was used, so the rubricator's job was very important to help people keep their place in their reading.
The pages then went to an illuminator. They would decorate the margins with scenes or perhaps paint brightly colored pictures or giant letters at the beginning of the chapters. Finally, the pages went to the bindery. Here the pages were sewn together and bound between wooden boards. A leather or cloth cover was put on the book. Fancier covers may have the title of the book stamped on, one letter at a time with brass punches.
Gutenberg was aware of all the steps it took to make a book and thought there had to be a better way. He learned all he could from goldsmiths and jewelers in his town. All of the information he learned plus all the experimenting he could do on his own would eventually help him invent the printing press. Gutenberg spent a lot of time figuring out ways to get money to buy supplies for his experiments. He tried to do as much as he could in secret because he didn't want someone to take away his ideas.
After many trials, Gutenberg finally had a working printing press and began printing the Bible. His invention would make books less expensive and more accessible to the general population. This invention would help spread the ideas of the Reformers as well as ideas of the Renaissance, our next unit of study.
Gracen trying her hand at writing the first few verses of Genesis the way John Wycliffe would have probably written them.
The next Reformer that we talked about was John Wycliffe. Wycliffe was born in 1325 in England. He, like Huss, grew up in a spiritually dark time. Many people didn't have a personal relationship with Christ. All of the Bibles were written in Latin; so even if a person could read, they wouldn't have been able to read the Bible. The only people who knew how to read Latin were priests and some scholars.
Wycliffe wanted to help people learn. He studied and learned Latin. He was able to read the Bible for himself and learned of his need for Christ. He spoke openly about his personal relationship with Christ.
In 1365, Wycliffe became a teacher at Oxford. It was at this point that the Pope wanted to let foreign ministers run the Church of England. The Pope believed he had the power to control all the churches and that he was as important as Christ. Wycliffe spoke out against the Pope, saying that the Word of God was the only authority and that the Pope was a sinner in need of a Savior. Naturally, this got him into trouble! Wycliffe had a slight advantage because he had many important friends, so the church didn't come after him.
Wycliffe continued to educate his students, many of whom became evangelists. He also began a huge task. He began translating the Bible into English by hand. (This was, of course, well before Gutenberg's printing press) Wycliffe's first Bible was printed in 1377.
The translation of the Bible into English further angered the priests and other leaders. They tried to write a death sentence against Wycliffe, but there was a violent earthquake. They were afraid they were being punished by God so they dropped the charges against Wycliffe. God was with John Wycliffe. He was able to continue preaching and teaching. He wrote many books also. He was often quoted, "What! I should live and be silent...Never! Let the blow fall, I await its coming."
The blow never came. Wycliffe died in his own bed in 1384. Thirty one years after he died, the church dug up his bones, burned them and spread his ashes out over the River Swift because they were still angry with him for his translation of the Bible!
John Wycliffe is known as "The Morning Star of the Reformation" because he was one of the first stars of truth into a very dark world.
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