Review of God's Word and Gutenberg's Press

[Merits Anih]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "God's Word and Gutenberg's Press" by Cynthia Kirchner.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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In the early years of Christianity, access to the Bible was limited, as only the clergy had the privilege of reading it aloud to the congregations. However, a growing desire for a more personal connection with God emerged, challenging the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church's doctrine. In England, John Wycliffe took a bold step by translating the Latin Vulgate Bible into the English language. Despite the ecclesiastical authorities' efforts to ban many of Wycliffe's writings in 1403, his work found its way into the hands of John Huss, who translated Trialogus into Czech and facilitated its distribution.

In an era predating the invention of the printing press, Wycliffe's translation had to be painstakingly copied by hand, a process that could take many months for a single copy. The demand for Bibles continued to spread, and it was Gutenberg's revolutionary printing press that ultimately made them accessible to the common people. Gutenberg's groundbreaking printing press and the Bible it birthed established an indelible foundation for the widespread dissemination of God's Word.

I love how the author arranged the book under different topics with images. This arrangement made reading this book easy and fun. God's Word and Gutenberg's Press by Cynthia Kirchner started with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, feudalism, distortion of Christianity, the rise of Islam, the crusades, and how people began desiring to read the scriptures for themselves. Then, the author talked about the different materials used for writing (like vellum, papyrus, etc.) before papers came into use and how printing with materials like paper began in China. Then, the author explained in detail the life of Johannes Gutenberg, his achievements in the printing press and the printing of the Bible.

What I love most about this book are the colorful images that were shared. There are images of ancient texts, the church, the Roman Empire, etc., which help me understand this book more. Also, the author occasionally shared excerpts from things written by Johannes Gutenberg, sometimes from the Gutenberg Bible. I also love that the author even went into detail to explain how the printing press works. It was well-detailed and easy to understand.

God's Word and Gutenberg's Press represents the culmination of years dedicated to meticulous research. Its pages bear witness to the impact that Gutenberg's revolutionary invention exerted upon the dissemination and proliferation of information in society, with particular reverberations within the realm of Christianity. There was nothing about this book that I disliked, which is why I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars. The book was professionally edited, and I recommend it to readers who would like to find out more about the Bible and how it has transformed with time.

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God's Word and Gutenberg's Press
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[Ubong Emmanuel]

Good book that educate about the word of god