The 563th anniversary of when the Gutenberg Bible was first printed is Feb. 23. The Gutenberg Bible was the first book printed using the printing press in 1455.
Johannes Gutenberg invented the revolutionary Gutenberg printing press in 1436. The new invention of the printing press enabled written materials to be produced faster using a series of movable type instead of copying materials by hand.
“Though its printing had begun several years earlier, the Gutenberg Bible was completed in 1455,” said Biblical Perspectives professor Catherine Lawrence.
The Bible was a book not usually read or readily available to common people, but only to members of the clergy.
“When the printing revolution began, the Bible was one of the first books to be mass produced. This allowed regular people to have access to the Bible to a degree previously unknown” said Lawrence, regarding the importance of the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
The Gutenberg Bible allowed people who were not clergy members to be able to read the Word of God. People could see the Bible for themselves without the aid of the Church.
“Gutenberg’s achievement started a revolution in book publishing and printing. This invention had an incalculable impact on the development of western thought and culture,” said Lawrence.
The Bible would further create opportunities for common people to have access to printed materials and new thoughts.
Clare Weigel, Features Writer
[photo courtesy of Creative Commons]
