The popular view that the Church in the Middle Ages forbade the distribution and translation of the Bible into the vernacular is wrong. Particularly in urban areas, folk bibles circulated among all walks of life. Even cobblers and tailors often had a Bible in their own language at home.
This is apparent from the first results of a large-scale study at European level into the culture of Bible reading and interpretation before the Reformation. The research was conducted by the University of Groningen. According to Dr. Sabrina Corbellini, who leads the research, vernacular Bibles are not a Protestant invention, but a phenomenon that characterized the late Middle Ages.
The widespread view that the Word of God should only be read by priests and pastors, and that ordinary churchgoers should make do with unintelligible Latin murmurs, was successful propaganda of the Protestant reform movement, according to Corbellini. “Luther himself gave birth to this myth during the many 'table conversations' held in his home,” Corbellini said.
For the research ‘Holy write and lay readers. A social history of vernacular Bible translations in the late middle ages' dozens of Sacred Books in the vernacular and from all corners of Europe have been carefully analysed. All sources date from before 1525. The researchers not only wanted to know what was being translated and by whom, but also the question of who the readers were and how they dealt with the texts is central.
Until now, historians have believed that due to a general ban on the translation and distribution of the Holy Scriptures, possession of vernacular Bibles in the Middle Ages was very limited. They based this mainly on ecclesiastical sources. According to the Groningen research group, this gives an incorrect picture of historical reality.
Corbellini and her colleagues found evidence that Bibles in languages other than Latin were widespread during the late Middle Ages. Vernacular Bibles were owned not only by kings and scholars, but also by professional groups within the lower bourgeoisie. Shoemakers, tailors and merchants owned vernacular Bibles. Owners and readers gathered regularly to read, meditate, or memorize the Bible. There was also a lively commercial trade in mutual sale and copying of the manuscripts.
In the Middle Ages there was therefore no question of a total ban on the translation and distribution of the Bible. The rule that the Bible should only be read in Latin came into existence at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) when the Reformation was already in full swing in Europe. Before that time, prohibitions of this kind were local phenomena, especially in areas where heretical movements were active.
Contrary to the prevailing image, Bibles were thus produced and traded in the vernacular in Europe long before Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517.
However, the distribution of vernacular Bibles varied greatly from region to region. Most widespread were the Bibles in urbanized areas such as northern Italy, the Netherlands, areas in France and southwest Germany.
According to Corbellini, the success of Martin Luther's reform movement is therefore not due to his being seen as a 'biblical liberator'. Rather, it is exactly the other way around:it was precisely because so many 'ordinary' people were already reading the Bible in their own language that Luther's efforts to reform Christianity could be successful.
- Religion is political