Emergence of new Reading Public 

• The invention of printing significantly reduced the cost of books.

•  As a result, books became widely available, flooding the market.

•  A growing reading public emerged, expanding literacy and access to knowledge.

•  Illustrated books helped attract illiterate individuals, who could engage with the content visually.

•  Oral transmission of knowledge remained common.

•  This created both a hearing public (relying on oral information) and a reading public (engaging with written texts). 

Reading Public 

• •Before the age of print, books were not only expensive, but they could not be produced in sufficient numbers.

• •Now books could reach out to wider sections of people.

• • If earlier there was a hearing public, now a reading public came into being.

• •But the transition was not so simple.

• •Books could be read only by the literate, and the rates of literacy in most European countries were very low till the twentieth century.

Ways to persuade common people to welcome the printed book

• Printers started publishing popular ballads and folk tales.

• These books were often profusely illustrated (lavishly or abundantly filled) with pictures.

• The content was sung and recited at village gatherings and town taverns.

• Oral culture merged with print, and printed material was shared through oral transmission.

• The distinction between oral culture and reading culture began to blur.

• As a result, the hearing and reading public became intertwined (closely connected or woven together).

Religious Debates and the Fear of Print 

• Print made it possible for ideas to circulate widely and reach a larger audience.

• It also encouraged debate and discussion by spreading diverse perspectives.

• However, not everyone welcomed the advent of print.

• There was a fear that printed materials might promote irreligious or rebellious ideas.

• The division of the Church was sparked by Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, which was widely circulated in print.

• The connection between print and dissent became clear, as printed materials fueled challenges to authority.

Implications of Print on religion in context of Christianity

• In 1517, Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, criticizing various practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

• A printed copy was posted on a church door in Wittenberg, challenging the Church to debate his ideas.

• Luther's writings were quickly reproduced in large numbers and widely read.

• This dissemination of ideas led to a division within the Church and initiated the Protestant Reformation.

• Luther’s translation of the New Testament sold 5,000 copies within a few weeks, with a second edition appearing within three months.

• Luther expressed his gratitude for print, stating, “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one.”

• Many scholars believe that print fostered a new intellectual atmosphere and facilitated the spread of ideas that contributed to the Reformation.

Some important terms 

•Protestant Reformation – A sixteenth-century movement to reform the Catholic Church dominated by Rome. Martin Luther was one of the main Protestant reformers. Several traditions of anti-Catholic Christianity developed out of the movement

•Inquisition –A former Roman Catholic court for identifying and punishing heretics.

• Heretical – Beliefs which do not follow the accepted teachings of the Church. In medieval times, heresy was a threat to the right of the Church to decide on what should be believed and what should not. Heretical beliefs were severely punished

•Satiety – The state of being fulfilled much beyond the point of satisfaction

•Seditious – Action, speech or writing that is seen as opposing the government

Actions taken by THE Roman Catholic Church to suppress dissent 

• Reinterpretation of religious texts

• Introduction of severe control over booksellers and publishers

• Maintaining index of prohibited books[1558]