On The Road: A Traveling Gutenberg Press
Like a lot of people Rusty Maisel had questions about the Bible, so he went looking for answers. Along the way he collected several biblical artifacts some dating back to 3000 B.C. I went On the Road to meet Maisel and his traveling exhibit called the Enduring Word Museum.
The exhibit takes you from the very early years when there were only hand written manuscripts of the Bible. He shows the progression of how the Bible got from those hand written scrolls to the printed book that is considered the number one selling book in the world, the Holy Bible.
Having been a printer in his younger years, Maisel was interested in Johannes Gutenberg's press, which is credited with printing the first Bible. In the exhibit he has a replica of what he think is a Gutenberg press.
The large wooden device Maisel built himself is made of walnut and has a large screw that is attached to a handle, He puts ink on the printing plate and places a sheet of paper into a frame that slides under the press. When the handle is pulled it places 2000 pounds of pressure on the printing plate and prints out Psalms chapter 1 of the original King James Version of the Bible. Maisel wonders if Gutenberg knew how important his invention would be.
As for the Bible questions Maisel had, "I always wondered whether the Bible was true, whether you could believe it. I had been told it had been copied so many times it was just full of mistakes. I didn't know what to believe so I started investigating, and across 20 years of going out and really trying to talk to the experts. I found out the Bible is not full of mistakes." Maisel is convinced that the Bible, from early Greek and Hebrew manuscripts to the King James version to now, has not changed through the years.
Maisel takes his traveling museum around the country to churches and other groups who invite him to come speak and he tries to answer the question they have about the Bible. "This is my called personal ministry... I believe this is what I'm supposed to be doing." says Maisel.
The exhibit is full of ancient archeological and biblical artifact. It is quite a collection and an interesting look at the Bible and it significance.
