The printing press and Catholic Church help Luther spread GermanConversely, Luther wrote in the language of the people. Johannes Gutenberg had introduced the printing press to Europe some 70 years previously, so Luther was writing at a time of rising demand for German language publications. Within a year of its publication, there had been 12 more authorized editions; each edition gave Luther the opportunity to refine and modify the language he used. Two Catholic translations of the Bible, for instance, were hurried out, both written in the language developed by Luther. It was thus that Luther’s language became the format through which the ensuing religious debates were carried out, and the language itself spread throughout the German-speaking lands.

Source: The Local September 17, 2018 13:07 UTC