What Caused the Spread of Knowledge in Europe?

You’ve probably heard of Johannes Gutenberg, but you may not know William Tyndale. Yet both men played major roles in the spread of books, growth of literacy, and dissemination of knowledge.

Gutenberg’s printing press

The Invention of the Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. His invention of a printing press that used movable type to print books revolutionized the book world. It was a vehicle for the spread of books, growth of literacy, and dissemination of knowledge.

Gutenberg began his Christian Bible project in 1450. Three years later, Gutenberg printed about 200 copies of the Christian Bible. A small number of copies were printed on vellum. The expensive and beautiful Christian Bibles were sold at the 1455 Frankfurt Book Fair and cost the equivalent of three years’ pay for the average clerk.

• Before the invention of the printing press, books were rare because monks copied books by hand.

• The invention of the printing press led to books becoming more easily available.

• Literacy increased among people and knowledge spread.

The Translation of the Christian Bible into English

The printing press created a demand for Christian Bibles in the language spoken by ordinary people in various regions. The religious and governing authorities opposed the Christian Bible being translated into ordinary language. But that did not stop William Tyndale. Tyndale believed that the Christian Bible determined the practices and doctrines of the church and that every believer should be able to read the Christian Bible in his or her own language. He completed his English translation in 1525.

Tyndale’s work was significant. His version was the first one to be printed in English. It served as the model for the King James Version in 1611. In fact, much of Tyndale’s version became the King James Version. It was a profound force in the development of the Modern English Language. Tyndale’s Christian Bible would show that English was a suitable language for communicating important information. His work allowed common people to read, or at least hear, scripture in their own language and contributed to a rise in literacy.