Reading and writing was limited to an elite number of nobles or scribes. But in the 15th century, a literate middle class craving knowledge created an atmosphere for innovation in ways to mass produce the written word. Gutenberg’s system of movable type made it possible! When Johannes Gutenberg created his run of 200 gorgeously typeset Bibles in 1455, he unleashed an information epidemic that rages to this day.
Hard to imagine, but in the early 1500s, having an English Bible in England was illegal! William Tyndale, set out to correct this injustice by illegally printing portions of his English translation of the Greek text, and having them smuggled into England and Scotland.
Two brothers, Cyril and Methodius volunteered to translate the Gospels, the psalter, as well as Paul’s letters into the language of the people. Their missionary work continued for over 16 years, including developing the Cyrillic alphabet still in use today, allowing them to make the Bible transla...
Casiodoro de Reina was a Lutheran theologian and his translation was the first complete Bible to be printed in Spanish. And interestingly, first published in Basel, Switzerland! The Reina-Valera Bible today has become the common Bible of millions of Spanish-speaking protestants around the world.
