#the reformation and the invention of the printing press enabled people to start spreading bootleg vernacular translations of the bible

[canisalbus]

as a 16th century clergyman what does machete think of the printing press

I think by the time he was born the printing press had been around for almost a century and a half, so I'd reckon the society as a whole was largely past it's initial novelty and controversy. Machete himself is bookish and nerdy, he's very invested in gathering knowledge about various topics and trying to piece together a good picture of how the world works. Getting access to reading material would be a lot harder if every book was still copied individually by hand. His standards are pretty high though, there's a lot of poorly translated, shoddily printed and flimsily bound books around and he's prone to scrunching his nose at them.

#his relationship with faith is kind of fraught and unhealthy #but as a top ranking cleric he's nonetheless fiercely protective of the church's interests that's his job #the reformation and the invention of the printing press enabled people to start spreading bootleg vernacular translations of the bible #suddenly folks had a chance to read the holy book in a language they could understand (if you were lucky enough to be literate at least) #this was a big deal remember it used to be only in latin and essentially gatekept by priests #not to mention you could now buy a copy of your own the cost of books had crashed they weren't necessarily rare luxury items anymore #you don't just go and cut out the middleman that's not how this is supposed to work #distressing times in the catholic church #answered #anonymous