Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: Mr Rogers

***The problem of literacy was faced by all sides, as was the challenge of making copies prior to the printing press.

Had the response to Wycliffe been to distribute scripture in an approved English translation to the congregations and people, then I would concede your point. However, the response was to try to stop any unauthorized translation, and then either not make an authorized one, or not distribute it, thus preventing common men from reading scripture - if they could read, or knew someone who did.***

All 1 or 2 percent? Each church had Scripture, labouriously copied out by hand at that point. But again, I must come back to the idea that England was a minor backwater, much like, oh, say Bhutan or Togo today.

Now, with the luxury of eagle eyed hindsight, would I have handled it differently? Sure.

***FWIW - for Germany, I suspect the problem was the type of German, and Luther succeeded because he went for the vernacular instead of the higher German languages.***

Luther’s Bible went hand in hand with the Reformation, which owes its success to the German princes, out for secular power. Their success spilled out into neighbouring countries and north to Scandinavia.


134 posted on 10/28/2009 10:25:18 AM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies ]


To: MarkBsnr
...the Reformation, which owes its success to the German princes, out for secular power.

Secular power and material gain through wholesale theft.

143 posted on 10/28/2009 10:34:30 AM PDT by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 134 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson