April 7, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, April 7.
What’s the most expensive book in the world? Well, a few years ago, billionaire Bill Gates paid 30 million for the Leonardo da Vinci Codex. That’s a manuscript from the early 1500’s, written in the master’s mysterious hand - he famously wrote backwards from right to left. A nice little volume to have in your personal library.
But the most valuable book was not handwritten, and that is the very reason it is priceless. In 1545, a German printer named Gutenberg produced the first book made entirely by machine. He developed the process of moveable type and, in that moment, he changed the world. Before this invention, the written word was only available to the very wealthy. The printing press opened an information revolution. Imagine the impact of the internet... and then multiply that by a million.
For this momentous step in the history of man, Johannes Gutenberg chose the Word of God. In 1554 he printed 180 Bibles. Only 49 still exist. None are owned privately, but are found around the world in museums and libraries. Gutenberg’s homeland - Germany - boasts the most, with 13. We’ve got 11 here in America. Tokyo has one, so does Australia, and - a bit of a surprise - there are two Gutenberg Bibles in Russia. The last one went up for sale in 1978 and was purchased by the University of Texas. You can see it there today. It is reputed to be worth over 50 million dollars.
What is the Bible worth to you? What value would you place on the written Word of God? We find the answer in Psalm 19:7 - “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
