Rosslyn Chapel and the Gutenberg Revolution

I found a wonderful on the Rosslyn Chapel and did some extended work on it to share with you

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The symbols in Rosslyn Chapel can all be related to the Bible, in particular to the Old Testament and the Psalms. The Psalms were part of the Divine Office (known as the 'Opus Dei') sung by the canons and choirboys at Rosslyn at regular intervals throughout the day and night. Since Christianity was founded by Jews it is natural that it should continue to use the Hebrew Bible (even if translated into Greek or Latin). The Roman Catholic Mass and other services to this day contain many formulae, expressions and gestures that are characteristically Jewish.

Christianity shares with Judaism and Islam a belief in one God. The notion of salvation and mystery goes back to the book of Genesis and continues with events such as the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt and the wanderings of the People of God in the desert.

All this and more is dramatised in the carvings at Rosslyn Chapel. The Roman Catholic Church was never afraid of using Pagan symbols such as the Sun or the Moon. In fact the early missionaries sent to England with St Augustine in the sixth century were specifically told to destroy the Pagan shrines and build the Christian churches over the site!

The work on the Chapel began in 1446, and halted when the Gutenberg revolution or the first Gutenberg Bible came out in 1454 which became the official Bible version. The Rosslyn chapel is actually a just a bad "knock off", off the Rennes-le-Château in France.

Hope you enjoyed the reading!

originally posted by: Anansi
The work on the Chapel began in 1446, and halted when the Gutenberg revolution or the first Gutenberg Bible came out in 1454 which became the official Bible version.

Apart from the coincidence in date, what reason is there to see a connection? Lots of things happened in 1454.
I don't quite see the logic of "Now we've got a printed Bible, we don't need a chapel any more".

a reply to: DISRAELI

No not really, the reason is that the bible was until then in a few hands. The latest copy they had was the winchester bible.
And writing was a practice taught to a very few, however crafting was a trade handed to generation after generation.

January–December

February 4 – Beginning the Thirteen Years' War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master and the citizens of Toruń rebel against the Teutonic Knights.

March 6 – Casimir IV of Poland renounces allegiance to the Teutonic Knights.

March 27 – Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York becomes Protector for the insane King Henry VI of England.

April 9 – Treaty of Lodi: Francesco Sforza forms a triple alliance between the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence and Kingdom of Naples.

September 18 – Battle of Chojnice: The Polish army is defeated by a smaller but more professional Teutonic army during the Thirteen Years' War.

December – King Henry of England having regained his sanity, the Duke of York is dismissed as Protector.

Date unknown

The press of Johannes Gutenberg (at Mainz on the Rhine) produces the first printed documents bearing a date.

Isaac Zarfati sends a circular letter to Rhineland, Swabia, Moravia and Hungary, praising the happy conditions of the Jews under the crescent in contrast to the "great torture chamber" under the cross and urging them to come to Turkey.[1]

Statutes of Nieszawa enacted in Poland.

Famine One Rabbit in pre-columbian Mexico.

a reply to: Anansi
And you are positing this as a reason for stopping the building of the Rosslyn chapel?
Your thread title connects the two together, so what is the connection?

(And I think you underestimate the number of mediaeval Biblical manuscripts).

a reply to: DISRAELI

I think, you underestimate the significance of the Quran and Islam, and the middle ages in Europe..
It came a Bible called the Gaster bible, which i presume you know?

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Anansi
And you are positing this as a reason for stopping the building of the Rosslyn chapel?
Your thread title connects the two together, so what is the connection?

(And I think you underestimate the number of mediaeval Biblical manuscripts).

And now you show me one, mediaeval manuscript, its was only a handful of true Jews who actually could write, makes me imply maybe that the Jews living in Israel today just adopted a religion and claim heritage to something which isnt theirs?

I'be looked at all this since you posted it.

I'm still failing to see a connection. I'm also failing to see any connection you are trying to make between them.

Can you please be a bit more specific?

a reply to: TerryDon79

Christianity brought with it a lot, not just a dogma, but even tales on how to build a functioning society.. Our cultural revolution and building society structure came with adopting Christianity and denouncing the pagan sacrificial nature..
Which was handed by the word of god in the form of his sacred book the bible..

The bible teaches us many thing but foremost it is the only true book..

Or join freemasonry..

a reply to: Anansi

And now you show me one, mediaeval manuscript, its was only a handful of true Jews who actually could write,

Here's one, but I'm pretty sure Disraeli has the rest covered.


Book of Kells

originally posted by: Anansi
a reply to: TerryDon79

Christianity brought with it a lot, not just a dogma, but even tales on how to build a functioning society.. Our cultural revolution and building society structure came with adopting Christianity and denouncing the pagan sacrificial nature..
Which was handed by the word of god in the form of his sacred book the bible..

The bible teaches us many thing but foremost it is the only true book..

Or join freemasonry..

I'm pretty sure there are buildings pre-Christianity. And also buildings and structures built within the last 2000 years that had no inclination of Christianity.

Btw, Freemasons aren't just Christian.

originally posted by: Anansi
And now you show me one, mediaeval manuscript, its was only a handful of true Jews who actually could write, makes me imply maybe that the Jews living in Israel today just adopted a religion and claim heritage to something which isnt theirs?

You're not good at explaining how things are supposed to connect together.
All you're telling us at the moment is that they stopped buliding the chapel because the Gutenburg Bible had just been printed, and also because not many Jews could read.
I think it's more likely that they stopped building because the Peace of Lodi had been agreed. How could they possibly contemplate building a chapel when the Italian wars had been suspended?

a reply to: TerryDon79

Printing press, its was a printing press.. What does a war in Italy have to do with a Chapel in Scotland?

originally posted by: Anansi
Printing press, its was a printing press.. What does a war in Italy have to do with a Chapel in Scotland?

I was being sarcastic. The point is, we are asking the same question about your printing press, and you haven't given us an answer.

originally posted by: Anansi
a reply to: TerryDon79

Printing press, its was a printing press.. What does a war in Italy have to do with a Chapel in Scotland?

You mean the thing that was invented in the T'ang dynasty some 600 years before Gutenberg?

a reply to: TerryDon79

So why do you think the transcripts swapped to respective language ?

Greek, Italian.. Old testament.. New testament came about in the 5th century..

a reply to: TerryDon79

You do know most of the world was of as North Korea, or you think an invention in China will come to a foreigner half around the globe?

The trading routes, spice road and the silk road arab held those roads until the 15th century..

Does anyone of you even pick up a book?

originally posted by: Anansi
a reply to: TerryDon79

So why do you think the transcripts swapped to respective language ?

Greek, Italian.. Old testament.. New testament came about in the 5th century..

Why does any literature have multi lingual versions? Simply put, so other countries can read it. Especially with the spread of Christianity by the church movements.

a reply to: TerryDon79

There wasnt 5000 copies of it.. You had a few, reading was a privilege a few knew...

originally posted by: Anansi
a reply to: TerryDon79

There wasnt 5000 copies of it.. You had a few, reading was a privilege a few knew...

Where did you get that information from? Most civilisations could read (albeit a bit basic), in some language or another, a thousand years ago.

I still don't understand what a chapel and a printing press have in common.

a reply to: TerryDon79

what? You know they would execute you for high treason, which fairytale do you live in? Catch up on history will ya, only people allowed to read where clergy..