This week in Christian history: McPherson dies, Gutenberg Bible, Whitefield’s final sermon

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, September 27, 2020

First section of Gutenberg Bible finished – Sept. 30, 1452

The Gutenberg Bible, first printed book. | Flikr Creative Commons

This week marks the anniversary of when the first section of the printing of the Holy Bible by Johannes Gutenberg was completed in Mainz, Germany.

Little is known about Gutenberg the man or when he decided to begin printing the Bible. It is estimated that he eventually published around 180 copies of the Good Book.

“Only four dozen Gutenberg Bibles remain, and of these only 21 are complete, but what Gutenberg created went far beyond the reach of those volumes,” noted The Writer’s Almanac in 2016.

“By beginning the European printing revolution, he forever changed how knowledge was spread, democratized learning, and allowed for thoughts and ideas to be widely disseminated throughout the known world.”