What was the Gutenberg Bible? This fun Christian history book for kids will help your kids (ages 8-11) learn about the Gutenberg Bible and why it matters.
Of the printing press, South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang (1963-present) stated:
The invention of the printing press was one of the most important events in human history.
The ability to print multiple copies quickly allowed major events in human history–like the Reformation and the American Revolution–to take place. The printing press also enabled the printing of the most important book in human history, God’s Word–the Bible.
What Was the Gutenberg Bible?
Just fifty years after twelve Death Ships pulled into the harbor in Sicily, and a decade after an English professor secretly translated Latin words into English, a man named after his house defied all odds and created a machine that would spread words across the world like dandelion seeds. The interesting thing about history is it is like a line of dominoes standing on end. Every event is a result of things that happened before. Once things happen, they impact what comes next–just like dominoes knocking each other over.
What Was the Gutenberg Bible?, Danika Cooley (Christian Focus Publications, 2021), page 6
The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455 by Johann Gutenberg.
The Gutenberg Bible, named after the inventor of the printing press but also known as the Forty-Two Line Bible, was the first major work to be effectively mass-produced in the history of the world. The reproduction of God’s Word was a significant leap forward, and it brought about major changes in the Church as well.
History of the Gutenberg Bible
Your kids need to know the answer to What Was the Gutenberg Bible?. The printing of Scripture changed everything.
Take a look at some of the impact the Gutenberg Bible had on both secular and Christian history:
- Printing Scripture allowed Bible to be available in places they previously were not, like churches and seminaries. Eventually, private homes had them as well.
- Both priests (and then preachers) and common people were able to read God’s Word for themselves.
- The reading of the gospel from Scripture helped bring about the Protestant Reformation.
- The printing press allowed people to quickly disseminate ideas through books, pamphlets, and tracts or flyers.
- Today, the Bible is translated into many languages–including English–because individuals were able to quickly distribute copies.
The Gutenberg Bible is a vital advancement in technological history. The printing press changed the world and the way information spread. The fact that the Bible was the first work to be mass produced and distributed significantly changed the course of world history and the Church.
In learning about the Gutenberg Bible, our kids can see God’s hand in history.
Learn more about the Who What Why series and get your FREE Reformation Lapbooks here.
Gutenberg Bible | History for Kids
In a fun and engaging tone, the narrative Christian history book What Was the Gutenberg Bible? will help your kids see how God sovereignly arranged the development of technology that allowed for the distribution of his Word in the heart languages of the world, and that led to the Reformation.
What Was the Gutenberg Bible? chapters:
- Introduction: The Most Important Book
- Chapter One: Words Across the World
- Chapter Two: A Restless Inventor
- Chapter Three: Johann’s Marvelous Machine
- Chapter Four: The Gutenberg Bible
- Chapter Five: Road to the Reformation
- Chapter Six: The Bible in Latin
- Chapter Seven: The Language of Your Heart
- Timeline
Slowly but surely, as the people of the Holy Roman Empire read, wrote, and read some more, they shared their ideas with one another. It turns out, many of their ideas pointed to the Word of God as our authority. It seems God sent his Word out, rolling on merchant carts loaded with books and pamphlets, pulled along by donkeys, printed by the marvelous machine invented by a man named after his house.
What Was the Gutenberg Bible?, Danika Cooley (Christian Focus Publications, 2021), page 54
Fabulously illustrated by Martyn Smith, the Who What Why series books are each 95 pages long with 8-9 chapters, perfect for your middle grade (ages 8-11) readers. The fun narrative makes each book an engaging family read aloud, but kids will love, too, that they can read the books on their own.
In fun sidebars, your kids will also learn about:
- Who Wrote the Bible?
- Scribes in Europe
- Why the Bible?
- The Work of Printing
- A Crafty Investor
- The Renaissance
- Jerome’s Strange Ideas
- The Bible Today
What Was the Gutenberg Bible? is a fun way for kids to learn about a technology which changed history and helped the Church be able to read God’s Word in the language of their own heart.
Purchase What Was the Gutenberg Bible?
Learn more about the Who What Why series and get your FREE Abolition Lapbooks here.
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Christian Biographies for Kids | Christian History for Kids | Theology for Kids
Christian History Matters for Our Kids.
History matters. Now, more than ever, we see how important it is for our children to know and understand history and the Bible.
Here’s why:
- God is the sovereign ruler of all things. It’s important for our kids to see his hand in the history of nations and in the lives of both peasants and kings.
- Christian history is the story of our family history. Our kids get to see how people who love Jesus follow him.
- Understanding history can help our kids learn historic and biblical theology. They learn what the Bible says and what that means for us. They also see when the study of Scripture has taken important turns that have changed the Church.
- Reading Christian biographies and history can be a wonderful way for kids to think outside their own time and culture. God’s Church spans centuries and includes people from every nation.
- Christian biographies help kids consider their own faith, walk with Jesus, and the impact their witness may one day have on others–and on history.
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