Have you heard the expression “knowledge is power”? We take for granted that we can read plenty of books in our native language. During the Reformation, however, a single printing of the Bible written in German caused some enormous changes.
Before the Reformation, most Bibles were written in Latin, which few regular people could read. So people generally had to believe whatever the Catholic Church taught them about Christianity. The pope could decide what was considered true and false within the Christian religion.
By printing the Bible in vernacular, or everyday German, Luther gave common people new power. No longer would priests stand between worshipers and their understanding of Christianity. For the first time, common people had the knowledge to think about religious issues for themselves. For example, was the pope following the Bible’s teachings incorrectly?
