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INK IN THE DEVIL’S EYE !!
The Role of the Printing
Press in the Spread of the Christian Faith.
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It’s a good story......but is it true?
There, in the study at Wartburg Castle, Germany, “enthralled visitors
can see the spot behind the stove where the inkwell had hit the wall.” (
Hendrix. p.50) Indeed , some of those awe-stricken tourists have “cut away the
plaster and lathing, and even portions of the beam and studding, bit by bit, in
the hope of securing a memento of one of the splashes from Luther’s
ink-bottle.”( Palmer. p. 71)
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For it was Martin Luther, famous...or infamous depending upon one’s
theological leaning...who is reported to have
repulsed a midnight visit
of His Infernal Majesty in this curious
manner.
The
truth of the matter is , of course, that it is yet another of the legends that
has evolved around this, one of the most controversial figures in the history of Christendom. He it was who sparked off the Protestant Reformation ( some might
prefer to call it a Revolution...so be it !) in the early 1500’s. He ruthlessly
attacked the Roman Catholic Church and waged war on many of its doctrines.
As
one historian writes, “The greatest of all heretics, Luther was instrumental in
launching against the ( Roman Catholic) Church the most formidable and lasting
attack she has ever had to face in her history!” (Walker. Vol. 2 p. 43) And the
pulpit this “heretic” used was not only
to be found in the church....but in the print-shop. Perhaps this is the origin
of the story of the flying inkwell. For the weapon Luther used, to wage war on Catholicism, was the ink of the printer’s press.
MARTIN LUTHER !
Without
Gutenberg’s invention of movable type less than a century previous, Luther’s
message would have caused a mere ripple. Thousands would have remained in
ignorance of his protest. But from
1517, when he penned his initial
attack, German presses saw their output
multiply six-fold, “and without question this portentous growth arose in a very
large measure from this religious cataclysm.”( Dickens. p. 106) In four short
weeks his first tract had become a household book .... printing presses
multiplied copies and “sowed them like snowflakes over Saxony.” Then further
afield were they scattered until all Europe was ablaze with
these controversial writings.
They
were sold in market places and at fairs. Colporteurs hawked them door to door.
Nor
was Luther’s pen ever still. Four hundred pamphlets and books
came forth bearing his name. Despite
his undoubted scholarship he wrote in simple German, in the language of the
common people. Until this time printers had mainly
concerned themselves with Bibles and classical works...in Latin. And few could
read that ancient tongue. But here was something inexpensive, readable and relevant. And already a spirit of
dis-satisfaction with many of the Church’s
teachings had permeated the thinking of the masses.
MIXED REACTIONS.
“The
printing press,” Luther wrote, “is
God’s latest and best work to spread the true religion throughout the
world.” (Cowie. p. 111)
Before
long Englishman John Foxe would be echoing his words, giving thanks to God “for
the excellent art of printing, most happily of late found out, and now commonly
practiced everywhere to the singular benefit of Christ’s Church.”( Dickens p. 110)
Such
sentiments may not sit too easily on 20th century tongues ...there
is much spewed forth by some of today’s printing presses that is no longer to
the benefit of ‘true religion’!! For
that matter, not everyone in the 15th. century would have
shared Luther’s praise of the printed page. In May 1521
Emperor Charles V. of Germany banned Luther’s works. The Roman Catholic church
threatened excommunication to any found possessing these ‘heretical’ writings.
But
still they spread like a prairie fire. Thousands of copies continued to pour
from Europe’s increasing number of print-shops.
MERCENARY MOTIVES ...
Whether
the printer agreed with Luther’s teachings may well have been a secondary
consideration. The monetary incentive was great. The reformer even refered to some of these men as “greedy
mercenaries”....and “on one occasion was told of a certain Melchoir Lotther who
made a profit of 100 to 200 percent.” Elsewhere Adam Basle “acquired a great fortune by selling Lutheran
books.” Luther , however,
made no money from his own writings. ( Dickens. p. 113)
During
the years 1517 to 1525 Catholicism lagged behind. Historians tell us only a
score of anti-Lutheran writings can be found dating from these halcyon years.
What is found is fascinating to behold. For not only was it a war of
words...but of woodcuts, strange cartoons such as the Devil playing Luther’s nose like a flute...and those etched
by the Reformer’s friends poking savage
satire at the Pope of Rome.
MASTERPIECE !!
Among
Luther’s most important writings was his translation of the Bible into the
German language. It has been described as “his greatest achievement.” Prior to
this various dialects were spoken throughout Germany. But this translation
“formed a linguistic rallying point for the formation of the modern German
language. Its phrasing became the
people’s phrasing, its speech patterns their speech patterns.... Because it
sounded natural when spoken as well as read, its cadence and readability have
made it a popular Bible in Germany to this day.” ( Zecher. p. 37)
At
the time this masterpiece was being published we meet an Englishman, William Tyndale, who has fled to the continent to escape persecution. There, influenced by Luther’s example and
teachings, he devotes himself to the
task of translating the Bible into his mother tongue , printing it, and
smuggling thousands of copies back
across the English Channel. Until, that
is, he was betrayed by a friend, strangled,
and burned at the stake. ( October 6th. 1536)
Since
that time Christians have continued to utilise the printed page for the spread
of their beliefs. Hundreds...nay, thousands of pioneer missionaries have made
it a top priority to translate the Bible into the language of the peoples among
whom they laboured...and get it printed !
MISSION TO MADAGASCAR !
The
story of Welshman, David Jones, is
typical......
In
1818 he sailed for Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa. Progress was made under the rule of King
Ramada who welcomed the missionary party.
Translation of the Bible into the Malagasy tongue was soon under way.
And a printing press...in bits and pieces...was shipped in crates from England
to the mission station.
Charles
Hovenden, a printer, arrived to oversee
the construction of the press and print the Bible. Alas! Fever strikes and he
is dead within a month. The crates are
stowed away, unopened, for a year. And then David Jones “with the aid of an
instruction book” decides to tackle the problem and get the press in working
order.
Fellow
missionary, James Cameron, later described what followed.......
“The various timbers with their bolts and screws; the
platten, the great screw, the stone bed, the compositor’s frames and cases for
letters all came together piece by piece, or dropped into their places without
much trouble, and the printing press stood upright before a score of delighted
eyes.
David Jones now became the chief manipulator. The frame was
furnished with type...the first twenty three verses of the first chapter of
Genesis were put together, wedged in the iron frame and laid on the smooth flat
stone.
What next? The leather balls, the printing ink put on the
iron plate, the stone muller to rub up the ink, the balls well smeared over
with the prepared ink, then rolled and rubbed and patted together with
trembling anxiety – a little more ink added – then the types inked, or rather
well anointed with ink for some time.
Stop, now, that will do!
Down went the screw with force, and the first page was
printed !
It was a perfect blur !!” ( Hayes. p. 76)
Not
to be discouraged ! Adjustments were made. Experiments were tried. By December
4th. 1827 the press was working perfectly. David Jones was “tossing the inkwell” at the Evil One who had so
long bound these people in pagan superstition, a superstition,
incidentally, that had involved
incredible cruelty , slavery and human sacrifice.
MORRISON OF CHINA.
Or
we could turn to the heroic saga of Robert
Morrison, pioneer missionary to China. In 1807 he “was smuggled ashore” at
Canton, found shelter in an abandoned
warehouse and lived in hiding. As a further precaution he dressed in the
Chinese fashion complete with pigtail
and long fingernails.
The
story is too long to tell here. Suffice to say by 1810 he had translated some
of the Bible into classical Chinese and “printed 1000 copies by means of hand-made
wooden blocks...”( Chirgwin. p. 41) A volume before me, published by the Hong
Kong University Press,
acknowledges Morrison to be “the
greatest European scholar of Chinese in his day.”( Ride p.1) This incredible missionary set up a printing
press in Macao from whence issued “his
translation of the Bible, prayers, psalms, hymns and religious tracts.” And he found time , before his death at the
age of 52, to compile a Chinese-English
dictionary !( ibid. pp 64; .72,)
MASTERING BURMESE !
In
Burma (in 1813) we find Adoniram Judson and his young bride, Ann,, neither of them yet twenty-five
years of age, toiling over this
difficult language, learning by “pointing and grunting” until it is possible
for him to translate the Bible into the tongue of this people. And then, in October 1816, fellow American George Hough, a printer,
arrives in Rangoon with a printing
press !!
All
seemed to go well for a time , a small
tract was produced, ...but then came a
cholera epidemic and war broke out between Burma and England. Adoniram was arrested as a spy and thrown into the Death House at
Ava.... So Mr. Hough decides it is time
to head back to the land of the Stars
and Stripes...and take his printing press
with him !! But Judson eventually
got his translation into print , in
1840 , ....and “it still stands today as the best Burmese Bible in existence !”
(Bailey. p. 106)
MOFFAT OF AFRICA.
Scottish
missionary, Robert Moffat, sailed for Africa in 1816. There he
translated the Bible into the native tongue, journeyed 400 miles south to Capetown where he learned
the printing trade, then back to his mission
base taking a printing press
with him. ( Palmer. p.
98) He records the delight of the
Sechuana tribesmen as they watch this ‘magic’ machine in operation...
“Although many of the natives had been informed how books
were printed, nothing could exceed their surprise when they saw a white sheet,
after disappearing for a moment, emerge spangled with letters.
After a few noisy exclamations , one obtained a sheet with
which he bounded into the village showing it to everyone he met, and asserting
Mr. Edwards and I had made it in a moment, with a round black hammer and a
shake of the arm. The description of such a juggling process brought a crowd to
see the press which has since proved an auxiliary of vast importance to our
cause.” (
Smith .p. 174)
MISSIONARY TO THE INDIANS.
Or turn to the story of James Evans , an Englisman, who became missionary to the Red
Indians of Canada in
1828. After breaking down the
Cree language into thirty-six principal sounds, he then invented an
alphabet...taught them to read... and translated the Bible . And printed it !!
Of course “there was no ink or paper or press or even a building in which such
work could be done...” ( McLean .p 246)
But such ‘minor’ problems did not stand in his way.
Fur
traders supplied him with thin sheets of lead that lined their tea chests. In
these he carved out little models of the characters he needed, made casts in
soft clay, and then poured in molten lead to make the type he needed. “He took soot and fish-oil and mixed them
together to make ink., and they certainly made a very good ink ! Then he asked
the Indians to help him with paper.....they took the soft white inner lining of
the birch tree and pressed it and dried it....and made a rough, strong paper !”
( Blyton. p.41) A jack-screw served as
a press. When the printing was finished the pages were sewn together and bound
in “the softest deer-skin.”
Evan’s
biographer tells that a century later the Cree Syllabic Characters he had created
were still in use.
MANIFOLD EXAMPLES...
So
many examples could be cited. ....an incessant stream of Bibles have poured
forth from thousands of printing
presses until it is the world’s
most translated, most printed volume.
It
is probably true to say that since Martin Luther “threw his inkwell at the
Devil” no other world religion has used the printing press to spread their
message as much as Christianity.
And
it continues to do so to this day.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE GERMAN NATION AND
MARTIN LUTHER ...by Prof. A.G. Dickens; Professor of History at Kings College ;
London ( 1962-1967) Director of
Institute of Historical Research in the University of London, ( 1968-1974) Published by Fontana. 1974.
Paperback. 254pp.
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LUTHER: FATHER OF THE
REFORMATION....by L. Cowie . Pathfinder
Biog.1968.
Cloth. 126pp.
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THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE
GOSPEL .... by E.Palmer. Review &
Herald Pub. 1912. Paperback. 224pp.
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OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH.....by Rev. R. Walker.
Two Volumes. M.H. Gill & Son
Pub. 1958
( 9th.
edition) Cloth. 560pp.
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CHRISTIAN HISTORY MAGAZINE
....Articles by H. Zecher and Dr. S.
Hendrix.
Issue 34. 1993.
60pp.
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THEY TRANSLATED THE BIBLE
...by A. Chirgwin NSSU Pub.
1964. Paper. 80pp.
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DAVID JONES by . E. Hayes. Pilgrim Press. 1923. Cloth. 128pp.
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ADONIRAM JUDSON by F.C. Bailey. Moody Press 1955. Paper.
128pp.
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ROBERT MOFFAT...by E.
Smith... SCM Pub. 1925. Cloth
256pp.
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ROBERT MORRISON by Lindsay Ride, Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Hong Kong. Published by
the University to commemorate the 150th.
anniversary of Robert Morrison’s arrival in China.
( 1957) Paper. 76pp.
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EPOCH MAKERS OF MODERN
MISSIONS by A. McLean. Fleming Revell pub. 1912. Cloth. 302pp.
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THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE
WORLD ...by Enid Blyton. Published by
the British & Foreign Bible Society in 1954. Cloth. . 62pp.
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