Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW016117A
00:00 [Upbeat Theme Music]
00:22 [ships horn blaring] 00:31 [Music] JB: This is It Is Written. 00:41 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me in 00:43 Mainz, Germany, the site of some of the most significant 00:48 developments in all of Christian history. 00:51 It was this city that gave rise to the Protestant Reformation 00:55 and to the development of Christian thought. 00:58 In fact, anyone who reads the Bible today 01:00 must be greatly indebted to events which occurred 01:04 in this very place several hundred years ago. 01:09 Less than 30 miles from Frankfurt, 01:11 where the Main River joins the Rhine River, 01:14 is the city of Mainz. People have been living here 01:18 for two thousand years, and today more than 01:21 200,000 people call Mainz home. 01:24 And it was here, almost 600 years ago, that something 01:29 was invented that has radically affected your world. 01:34 [Music] 01:39 It's considered to be the most important invention 01:41 of the last 1,000 years -- some say the most important 01:45 invention of all time. So what was it, do you think? 01:48 The wheel? Now, that was not invented 01:50 here in Mainz. Electricity? 01:52 No. The compass? 01:54 That wasn't invented here, and neither was the Internet. 01:57 For more than 1,400 years after Jesus walked the earth, the 02:02 Holy Scriptures were copied out entirely by hand. 02:07 Dedicated monks and scribes, often living in isolated 02:10 monasteries, copied the Bible out letter by letter, 02:14 page by page. They used quill pens 02:17 dipped in ink, often as many as a hundred 02:20 quills a day, because those things wore out rapidly. 02:23 And they wrote on parchment, often made from animal skins. 02:28 Six centuries ago, people weren't reading 02:30 newspapers or even books. In fact most people didn't 02:34 know how to read. If you wanted to read a Bible, 02:37 you couldn't. Finding one was next to 02:40 impossible. Bibles were few and far between. 02:44 They were locked up in monasteries or cathedrals. 02:49 The Dark Ages were dark because knowledge-- 02:52 and most importantly, the knowledge of the Bible 02:54 was kept from everyday people. 02:57 David wrote in the Psalms, the entrance of God's word 03:00 brings light. Wherever people don't have 03:03 access to the Bible, there is darkness. 03:07 Today we can get the Bible virtually anywhere and 03:09 anytime we want to. But before the Bible could be 03:12 mass produced, people simply couldn't access the Word of God. 03:18 Something was needed that would bring the Bible 03:21 out of the shadows. [Music] 03:39 When I was child I had a job delivering the morning 03:43 newspaper; 313 mornings a year I'd get on my bicycle, 03:47 ride around the streets of our little town and along the banks 03:51 of two rivers. [Music] 04:02 The first newspaper ever printed is said to be 'Relation aller 04:07 Furnemmen und gedenckw, rdigen Historien,' 04:10 printed here in Germany, in Strasbourg, in 1605. 04:14 In the Americas, the first newspaper 04:16 appeared in 1690: 'Publick Occurrences Both 04:19 Forreign and Domestick.' It didn't last long, 04:22 because after that first printing it was 04:24 suppressed by the government. 04:25 The first daily newspaper in the United States 04:28 appeared in 1783. Today, more and more people are 04:33 reading fewer and fewer actual newspapers, preferring instead 04:38 to get their information from devices like this. 04:42 However, today's flow of information and news simply 04:45 wouldn't be possible without Johannes Gutenberg's 04:48 gift to the world: the printing press. 04:53 Book publishing is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year 04:55 industry. UNESCO says about 2.2 million 04:59 new titles are produced worldwide annually. 05:04 We're awash in information. It's almost impossible to 05:09 imagine life without books. One hundred million Bibles 05:13 are produced each year, with 25 million a year 05:17 sold in the United States alone. 05:20 Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, 05:24 it's the bestseller of the year every year. 05:29 One survey revealed that 84% of Americans own a Bible, 05:33 while one-third say that they read it almost every day. 05:37 It's said that the average American home contains 05:39 four copies of the Bible. The American Bible Society did a 05:43 survey that showed 88% of Americans own a Bible, 05:47 while almost a quarter said that they read it regularly-- 05:51 that's four or more times in a week. 05:54 There was a time when the Bible was incredibly hard to come by, 05:59 largely because the church kept it from the people, and because 06:03 it simply hadn't been widely circulated. 06:07 But that was going to change, and people would have a chance 06:10 to read the Bible for themselves. 06:13 I'll be right back. 06:16 [ethereal music] 06:25 The Bible records that in ancient times there were 06:28 prophets who brought messages from God to his people. 06:32 It also tells us there were those who claimed to be 06:34 prophets, but they weren't. So how were God's people 06:37 to tell the difference between the true and 06:40 the false? How would you tell 06:42 the difference? In every situation the Bible 06:44 is to be our safeguard. That's why it's so important 06:47 to understand what it says. Today, let me send you a free 06:50 booklet. It's called 06:51 "Prophets and Prophecy." It'll walk you through the 06:54 differences between the false and the genuine. 06:57 Simply call 800-253-3000 and ask for 07:01 "Prophets and Prophecy." If the line's busy, 07:04 please do keep on trying. Or you can write to: 07:07 It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, 07:09 Tennessee, 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your 07:13 address in North America. Again, our toll-free number is 07:17 800-253-3000, and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 07:25 It Is Written is a ministry dedicated to sharing the 07:28 Gospel around the world. God is using It Is Written 07:31 to impact the world. Our television program is only 07:34 one aspect of how we accomplish that goal. 07:37 To discover more about It Is Written, 07:39 visit our website, ItIsWritten.com. 07:42 Browse the dozens of pages that describe what we do and 07:45 how we're doing it. You'll find an archive of past 07:47 television programs in script form and as streaming video and 07:51 audio files, along with many other helpful inspirational 07:54 resources. Let's get to know each other 07:56 better. Visit our website, 07:58 ItIsWritten.com, today. And follow us online 08:02 at Facebook and Twitter. 08:06 [pipe organ music] This is It Is Written. 08:18 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me today on 08:21 the banks of the Rhine River, in Mainz, Germany. 08:25 Today, in the western world at least, the Bible is everywhere. 08:30 But that was not always the case. 08:33 Long ago, the Scriptures were copied out by hand. 08:36 The laborious, painstaking task of copying out all 66 books of 08:41 the Bible could take months and months. 08:44 But all of that changed when one man revolutionized printing. 08:50 He was born right here in Mainz, Germany 08:52 in around 1398. He trained as a goldsmith, 08:56 and when he became a partner in a print shop in Strasbourg, 08:59 he realized how slow and labor intensive printing was. 09:04 At that time, entire pages were printed from single incised 09:09 blocks of wood. Realizing that there had to be a 09:13 better way, Johannes Gutenberg developed an idea that would 09:16 revolutionize the world. His creation, movable type, led 09:22 to the development of the first printing press. 09:26 And things would never be the same again. 09:30 In fact, the printing press not only brought the Bible to the 09:33 people, but it enabled the Protestant Reformation to 09:36 take place; it sparked the Enlightenment and it's credited 09:41 with making possible modern democracy. 09:44 [organ music cont.] While moveable type had 09:48 been used before in China and in Korea, 09:50 Gutenberg's idea was to use moveable type in a 09:54 printing press. Entire pages of type could be 09:57 arranged by using individual letters. 10:00 They could be formed into words, the words into lines, 10:02 the lines into paragraphs, and so on. 10:06 One great advantage was that those individual letters could 10:08 be used again, and again, and again--unlike wooden block cuts, 10:13 which were only good for a single use. 10:17 That same year, 1454, Gutenberg exhibited several 10:21 pages of his Gutenberg Bible at a trade fair in Frankfurt. 10:26 Among those at the trade fair was a future pope, Pius II, 10:31 who said he was impressed by the new Bible. 10:33 He said he could read it without using his glasses. 10:37 One hundred and eighty Gutenberg Bibles were sold; 48 of those 10:40 original Bibles survive today. [Music] 10:48 [Sounds of children] Suddenly the world began to 10:53 change as the Bible became accessible and common people 10:57 could find out for themselves what the Bible said. 11:00 Until now, it was the priests and the religious leaders who 11:03 interpreted for the people what was written in the Word of God. 11:08 But now, because of Gutenberg's invention, those who wanted to, 11:11 those who could afford to, could read and interpret for 11:16 themselves what the Bible said. Gutenberg himself was motivated 11:21 to put the Bible in the hands of the people. 11:24 He said, "God suffers in the multitude of souls whom 11:28 His word cannot reach. Religious truth is imprisoned in 11:32 a small number of manuscript books which confine instead of 11:36 spread the public treasure. Let us break the seal which 11:40 seals up holy things and give wings to Truth, in order that 11:44 she may win every soul that comes into the world by her 11:48 word, no longer written at great expense by hands easily palsied, 11:53 but multiplied like the wind by an untiring machine." 12:00 [Music] The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz 12:11 was founded in the year 1900, five hundred years after 12:14 Gutenberg was born. And even though there are many 12:17 magnificent museums all throughout Germany, 12:19 there are few museums that attract as many visitors 12:22 in a year as this one: the Gutenberg Museum. 12:27 Now, there are other places in the world where you can view a 12:30 Gutenberg Bible, but here you can see two. 12:33 And here you get to see Gutenberg Bibles in the very 12:36 town in which they were created. Today, the Gutenberg Bible 12:41 is over 560 years old. 12:47 [Music] 13:01 Gutenberg didn't invent the idea of printing itself. 13:05 It's believed that wood block printing originated in China 13:08 around 200 A.D. Wooden blocks would be carved. 13:12 Ink would be applied to the raised area of the wooden block. 13:16 The wood block, or wood cut, would then be pressed 13:19 into paper. It worked in much the same way 13:22 as a rubber stamp. You press that on an ink pad, 13:24 and then on the paper. It worked, but it was really 13:28 inefficient. [Music] 13:31 But this new printing process was tricky. 13:34 Typesetters would have to learn to read backwards and 13:37 in reverse, because in order for a 13:39 printed page to be printed, and for the lines of type 13:41 to be read correctly, the block or page of metal type 13:45 would have to be set like a mirror image. 13:50 When not in use, the type, or the metal or lead letters were 13:55 stored in a type case. Keep in mind that all the 13:58 letters are reversed. So a lowercase "p" would 14:02 actually look like a "q" backwards. 14:05 Which is where the phrase "Mind your p's and q's" 14:08 comes from. It was a comment made to 14:10 typesetters who were putting letters back into the type case, 14:13 to be careful to not mix up the letters. 14:16 Now, there were two different type cases: 14:19 one for capital letters, which was referred to as the 14:23 upper case, and another case for small 14:26 letters, which were stored in the lower case. 14:30 And that's where we get the terms uppercase and lowercase. 14:34 Once the first copies of the Bible were printed, 14:37 the technology of printing with moveable type spread quickly. 14:42 By the turn of the century (the year 1500), 14:44 a thousand printing presses throughout Western Europe 14:48 had produced eight million books and 30,000 different 14:52 titles. Germany and Italy were the 14:55 two main printing centers. And this was at a time of global 14:59 expansion and exploration. Columbus sailed in 1492, 15:06 Vasco Da Gama in 1498, and ideas set sail with them. 15:13 The first print shop in North America was established 15:15 in Mexico City in 1544. Jesuit missionaries set up 15:20 printing in Asia in 1556. Printing with movable type 15:26 really did change the world. Now, that's not to say that 15:30 after Gutenberg printed the Bible, everyday people 15:33 were buying them. That's not what was happening. 15:36 They were still expensive, even though they cost only a quarter 15:39 of what a hand-copied Bible cost. 15:41 And they were printed in Latin, and everyday people certainly 15:44 couldn't read Latin. But not long after Gutenberg 15:48 invented the printing press, millions of books were 15:52 in circulation. By the time we got to the early 15:55 1800s, steam-powered presses had replaced hand-powered presses 16:00 like the one Gutenberg used. Printing became even more 16:03 effective and even more efficient. 16:06 No wonder Gutenberg was described as 16:08 "the man of the millennium." And the practice of using 16:12 movable metal letters continued well into the 20th century. 16:16 I'll be back with more in just a moment. 16:19 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 16:22 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 16:25 for busy people like you. Look for "Every Word" on 16:29 selected networks, or watch it online every day on our website: 16:32 itiswritten.com. 16:37 [Music] 16:42 JB: When someone tells you to do something that seems 16:44 unlikely, what's your reaction? Now, if it's your child telling 16:48 you that you should smear peanut butter all over 16:50 the mashed potatoes, you may not go there. 16:52 But when the doctor tells you you need a life-saving 16:55 medication, for example, you listen to the expert. 16:58 Jesus' disciples had been fishing all night without 17:00 catching anything. When Jesus tells them to 17:02 throw out their nets again, Peter says in Luke 5, verse 5, 17:05 "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. 17:08 Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net." 17:12 Now, did you catch that? "Nevertheless, at your word" 17:15 I do it. God has given us the Bible. 17:18 And when we follow His word-- and doing that is what you call 17:21 faith-- it always works out best. 17:24 They caught so many fish their net broke. 17:26 God's waiting to bless you too, and the blessings come when 17:29 you lean on His Word. I'm John Bradshaw for 17:32 It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 17:37 [Music] Planning for your financial 17:41 future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 17:45 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned 17:48 giving and estate services. For information on how we can 17:51 help you, please call (800) 992-2219. 17:56 To receive additional material on the advantages of life income 17:59 plans such as a charitable gift annuity, which can provide you 18:03 with tax benefits and income for life, call today, or visit our 18:08 special website, www.HisLegacy.com. 18:13 You could also write to: It Is Written, 18:15 Planned Giving and Trust Services, 18:18 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. 18:23 Our toll-free number, again, is (800) 992-2219, and our web 18:28 address is HisLegacy.com. [Music] 18:39 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 18:42 I'm in Mainz, Germany, where Johannes Gutenberg invented 18:46 the printing press. An interesting historical aside: 18:50 Mainz was very involved in another event that helped propel 18:54 the Protestant Reformation. 18:59 One of the things that spurred Martin Luther to nail his 95 19:02 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg 19:04 was the practice of selling indulgences. 19:09 A man named Johannes Tetzel was traveling throughout Germany 19:12 claiming that he had the right and the authority to sell the 19:17 forgiveness of sins--even sins not yet committed. 19:21 Now, it was said that the money raised from the selling of 19:23 indulgences was going to go to fund the building of St. Peter's 19:27 Basilica in the Vatican City. But, a significant amount of 19:31 that money was going to be kept by the man who commissioned 19:34 Tetzel and sent him out into the field. 19:37 That man was Albert of Brandenburg. 19:40 He was the archbishop of Mainz. Tetzel was sent from here, 19:47 from the cathedral directly behind me. 19:50 It could be said that it was Tetzel who, to a great degree, 19:54 brought the Protestant Reformation into existence. 19:58 It can certainly be said that the work of another man from 20:01 Mainz did exactly the same. [Music] 20:08 Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press 20:10 in 1454 has repeatedly been called the most significant, 20:14 most important invention of the previous one thousand years. 20:19 It isn't an exaggeration to say it altered the course of human 20:23 history. But back in the 1400s, 20:26 translating the Bible could be a very dangerous business. 20:30 The Reformers wanted to see the Bible placed in the hands of 20:33 as many people as possible, so that everybody who 20:36 wanted to, could read and understand the Bible for 20:38 themselves. But people like William Tyndale, 20:42 the Englishman who translated the New Testament into English, 20:45 and many others, were burned at the stake by a church desperate 20:50 to retain its power over the minds of people. 20:54 [Music] When Gutenberg's invention 20:57 arrived, the Bible became more accessible to people than ever 21:00 before. The printing of Bibles led 21:04 directly to the Protestant Reformation, as people could 21:07 read for themselves what the Bible says, and see how God's 21:10 word exposed the errors of the teachings of the ruling church. 21:14 Gutenberg's method of printing was the first example 21:18 of mass media. In 1999 Time Magazine named 21:24 Gutenberg the "Man of the Millennium." 21:29 [Music] Gutenberg found a new way 21:33 to put ink on paper. But the Bible is much more than 21:37 ink on paper. The Bible is the word of God; 21:41 it's living and it's dynamic. One of the Bible writers, 21:46 the Apostle Paul, had this to say about the 21:49 power of the Bible. Listen carefully to these words: 21:53 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper 21:57 than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division 22:01 of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, 22:04 and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents 22:07 of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 David said the Bible lights 22:12 our way in Psalm 119, verse 105. 22:17 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." 22:21 John wrote in John 17:17 that the Bible is the 22:26 source of truth. Jesus said, 22:29 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." 22:35 And the more you read the Bible, the better acquainted you'll 22:38 become with who God is. The Bible transforms lives. 22:42 David wrote in Psalm 119, verse 11, "Your word I have 22:47 hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you." 22:52 The Bible contains blessings from the heart of God. 22:55 In the Bible there are hundreds of promises made by God that 22:58 underscore the fact that God loves us and only desires 23:02 the very best for us. Philippians 4:19 says that God 23:06 will supply all your needs. In Hebrews 13:5 God says He will 23:12 never leave you or forsake you. Jeremiah 31:3 promises us God 23:18 loves us with an everlasting love. 23:22 And two chapters earlier, in Jeremiah 29:13, 23:25 God promises us that we'll find Him when we search for Him 23:29 with all our heart. Now, let me ask you a 23:33 personal question. Do you truly value the Bible? 23:38 Is the Bible your daily guide, your daily companion, or is it 23:42 simply gathering dust on a shelf? 23:44 There's no question that God was responsible for bringing the 23:47 Bible to the world at exactly the right time. 23:51 God led in the printing of the Bible. 23:54 And He did so so that you and I could read the Bible. 23:58 What a great loss, to have a Bible and not be internalizing 24:02 the saving principles found written in the Bible. 24:06 For centuries the Bible was obscured. 24:09 But now the Bible is freely available almost all over 24:13 the world. Unfortunately, the polls show 24:16 that while most people do own a Bible, few people are really 24:20 reading it and discovering for themselves what it says. 24:25 So I want to encourage you to pick up the Bible. 24:27 Read the Bible. Become familiar with 24:29 its promises. Hear the voice of God, and 24:32 experience more of God's presence in your life. 24:36 [Music] 24:46 The Bible records that in ancient times there were 24:49 prophets who brought messages from God to his people. 24:53 It also tells us there were those who claimed to be 24:55 prophets, but they weren't. So how were God's people to tell 24:59 the difference between the true and the false? 25:02 How would you tell the difference? 25:05 In every situation the Bible is to be our safeguard. 25:08 That's why it's so important to understand what it says. 25:10 Today, let me send you a free booklet. 25:12 It's called "Prophets and Prophecy." 25:14 It'll walk you through the differences between the 25:16 false and the genuine. Simply call 800-253-3000 25:21 and ask for "Prophets and Prophecy." 25:24 If the line's busy, please do keep on trying. 25:27 Or you can write to: It Is Written, 25:29 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37401. 25:33 We'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 25:37 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 25:41 it possible for us to share God's Good News with the world. 25:44 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 25:47 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 25:51 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 25:54 Again, our toll-free number is 800-253-3000, and our web 25:59 address is ItIsWritten.com. 26:05 Let's pray together. Our Father in Heaven, 26:08 we thank you today for your word. 26:10 And we thank you for Jesus, the Word made flesh. 26:16 Lord, we are grateful that, long ago, you saw that 26:19 it was time for your Word to be published, 26:23 to be printed, to be distributed so that everyone could have 26:27 access to you, to the story of the Gospel, to your Word, 26:32 in the Bible. We thank you that you moved upon 26:34 the heart of a man, that at just the right time your Word broke 26:38 forth, enabling the Protestant Reformation to come into 26:42 existence, enabling people all over the world to know Jesus 26:46 closely and personally. But Lord, I want to pray for us 26:51 who now have your Word. Don't let us neglect it. 26:55 Give us grace to read it, to hide it in our hearts. 27:00 Friend, do you need to commit today again to hiding God's Word 27:04 in your heart, to reading His Word, to studying the Bible, 27:08 even to opening your heart up to Jesus, that He might live His 27:13 life in you with power? Lord, do your will. 27:17 And again, let your Word be powerful and central 27:22 in our lives. Give us grace to live according 27:25 to your principles. In Jesus' name, Amen. 27:30 [Music] 27:55 Thanks for joining me today. I'll look forward to seeing 27:58 you again next time. Until then, remember, 28:00 "It is written, Man shall not live by 28:03 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 28:07 of God.'" [Music] |
Revised 2018-08-29