How long the Biblical oral tradition lasted until the Gutenberg press?

The biblical oral tradition lasted for about 1,500 years until the invention of the Gutenberg press.

The biblical oral tradition lasted for centuries before the invention of the Gutenberg press. The earliest parts of the Bible were likely passed down orally for hundreds of years before they were written down. The first written copies of the Bible date back to the 3rd century BC, but the oral tradition continued to be an important way of transmitting the Bible until the invention of the printing press in the 15th century.The Gutenberg press made it possible to mass-produce books, which led to a dramatic increase in the availability of the Bible. This had a profound impact on the way the Bible was read and understood. Before the printing press, the Bible was often read aloud in public, but the printing press made it possible for people to read the Bible privately. This led to a more individual and reflective approach to reading the Bible.The printing press also made it possible to translate the Bible into many different languages, which made it accessible to a wider audience. This had a significant impact on the spread of Christianity and the development of Western culture. 

++++

Reliability Of Oral Tradition

 src="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/?powerpress_embed=14707-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=mediaelement-audio" title="Blubrry Podcast Player" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

In the modern world, oral means of communication are deemed inherently unreliable as we’ve all heard of the game of telephone where a phrase is whispered around a circle and it comes out nothing like the original.But scholars have shown that in the ancient world, and to this day in some places, oral traditions were memorized and passed down to multiple generations without alteration.1
When the apostles went out to teach the Faith, they did not whisper it in secret, but proclaimed it publicly to the multitudes. Oral tradition was the normative means of passing on the faith, as St. Paul’s says in 2 Timothy 2:2, “what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”There is no evidence that a widespread change in belief took place among the early Christians. Quite the opposite, at the end of the second century St. Irenaeus wrote that while the Church had spread over the entire known world, the Faith had been maintained in tact everywhere,2 something only attributable to the Holy Spirit.
1 – e.g., . Kenneth Bailey, “Informal, Controlled, Oral Tradition and the Synoptic Gospels” Asia Journal of Theology, 5.1(1991)
2 – Against Heresies 1:10:2 [ca. A.D. 180]

How Orally the Bible was Presented

Listeners received the biblical oral tradition in a variety of ways. In many cases, they would hear the stories being told by a community elder or religious leader. The stories would often be accompanied by music, dance, and other forms of art. This made the stories more memorable and engaging for the listeners.The listeners would also participate in the telling of the stories. They would often ask questions, offer their own interpretations, and add their own stories to the mix. This helped to create a sense of community around the stories and to ensure that they were passed down accurately.The oral tradition was also a way for listeners to connect with their ancestors and with the divine. The stories often told of the creation of the world, the history of the people, and the relationship between God and humanity. By listening to these stories, listeners could gain a sense of their place in the world and their purpose in life.The oral tradition was a vital part of the transmission of the Bible for centuries. It helped to ensure that the stories were preserved and that they remained relevant to the people who heard them. The invention of the printing press did not completely replace the oral tradition, but it did make it possible for the Bible to be read by a wider audience.Here are some additional details about how listeners received the biblical oral tradition:

• The stories were often told in a repetitive and rhythmic way, which helped listeners to remember them.
• The stories were often accompanied by gestures and facial expressions, which helped to bring them to life.
• The stories were often told in a way that allowed listeners to participate. They might be asked to answer questions, offer their own interpretations, or even add their own stories to the mix.
• The stories were often told in a way that was relevant to the listeners' own lives. This helped them to connect with the stories and to see their own experiences reflected in them.

The oral tradition was a powerful way to transmit the Bible and to connect people with its message. It is a tradition that continues to this day, as people continue to tell and retell the stories of the Bible in their own words. 

it is generally believed that the Gospel of John has the most complete chiasmus in the New Testament. There are many different chiasms that have been identified in John's Gospel, but one of the most famous is the chiasm of John 1:1-18. This chiasm is often referred to as the "Johannine Prologue" and it is thought to be the key to understanding the entire Gospel of John.

These chiasms have been used by scholars to argue that John's Gospel is a carefully crafted literary work that is designed to communicate its message in a powerful and memorable way.

CHIASMUS OF JOHN'S GOSPEL

Peter Ellis is a scholar who has argued that the Gospel of John is structured chiastically. He proposes a chiasm for the entire book of John, which can be summarized as follows:

When Jesus was on the Cross, Pirate challenged the people with a choice:

Chose the Son of Father God to be crucified or chose the son of the fathers (Barabbas).

When Jesus  called upon Father God (whose name is "I AM" in John 17 the truly Lord's Prayer) as Heavenly Father; Holy Father; and Righteous Father,  these addresses correspond to the earthly fathers; evil/world fathers; and unrighteous fathers, respectively (1:13). The verse is in the center of the Prologue chiasm and has structural significance. Combining the observations in the Prologue as well as the Lord's Prayer, the significance of the Fatherhood of God and the fatherhood of humankind as well as the Sonship of Jesus and the sonship / daughtership of the sons / daughters of the fathers. They all apply to the subsequent considerations on signs, narratives, monologues, dialogues, etc.

This theme of Fatherhood (of God) vs. fatherhood (of men) together with the Sonship of Jesus vs. the sonship/daughtership of believers. (We shall emphasize the daughtership in the discussions on the Circle of Women in the Spiral of Truth in details in another section)

The Circle of Women - the daughtership in the world

Most ancient writings in Bible time were written in chiasmus (See Article Section).  The structures of John's Gospel have been studied for centuries. The most complete one was offered by Ellis.

With the discipline of limiting to John's keywords, key phrases and key concepts, one can appreciate that the chiasmus' central themes and their interactions are more converged than the widely diversely opinionated commentaries.

By religiously following the actual words and wording as well as themes one can appreciate the original meaning by him or herself John's intentions readily.

Every believer should read John for him or herself at least once in this manner to figure out John's and therefore Jesus' message for now in one's own life.

As an reasonable example, I offer my own effort to inspire you to do the same.

I discover that as soon as I see the Original intentions of John, the messages in John are relevant to my daily life in the framework of the Gospel, namely the Family of God as the Trinity (Father, Son, & Spirit) embracing all believers. 

Also the two Pillars of the Prologue and the Lord's prayer that support the structure of the Gospel exude the beauty of the Trinity that lives within us materially.

I would ever be careful lest I should appear to differentiate between the value of one part of Holy Scripture and another, 

but no one will deny that when we come to this chapter (John 17) we are at the center of all the sanctities.

C. G. Morgan

The author herein considers that one of the most significant features of the prayer is the names of God. Morgan and a host of other scholars opined that God's name can only be "I AM." However, addressing God is another matter. In the Kingdom of God there are new names for God ".... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus Christ) and a new name for the people (Christians; Acts11:26)" - James B.Jorden.

Furthermore, Jesus prayed out loud  audibly for the benefit of the Apostles and addressed God intimately as Heavenly Father, Holy Father, and Righteous This is similar to how He taught  disciples to pray in the Lord's Prayer: 

"Our Father who art in heaven (i.e. Heavenly Father), hallowed be thy name (Holy Father). Thy (Righteous) kingdom (of the Father) come ........." (of course, since Jesus is sinless, He cannot pray the latter half of the prayer and He didn't).

These addresses also correspond with John 1:13b (the center of the Prologue's chiasm): "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. " which refers, in a negative sense, to the earthly fathers, the world/evil fathers, and the unrighteous fathers. 

It will be shown in another Tab, that John 1:12&13 have structural significance to the whole Gospel. We can also relate it to the center of John 17 chiasm, namely, sanctification in action means "going to the Father" by negating the fathers who are earthly, worldly and unrighteous (we shall elaborate in a separate section regarding how 1:13b, according to some scholars implies Jesus' virgin birth that analogous to every Christian rebirth). And indeed, many of narratives in John can be interpreted with the Father vs. the fathers delineation.

. xxxx

1. Chiasm (Objections in Tab Chiasm)

2. The Lord's Prayer in John 17

3. The two pillars of John

4. Taking the common key words/ key concepts/ key visions in the Prologue and the Lord's Prayer in John 17

5. Postulating the themes that have structural significance in the Gospel's narrative

6. Borrowing other scholars' findings

"The prologue and the high priestly prayer are the two pillars on which the Gospel of John rests. They provide the key to understanding the whole of the gospel, and they reveal the central themes of John's theology. The prologue tells us who Jesus is, and the high priestly prayer tells us what he has come to do. Together, they present a comprehensive picture of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to save the world."

   German theologian Ulrich Wilckens 

Many scholars agree with Wilckens that the prologue and the high priestly prayer are essential for understanding the meaning of John's Gospel. Some of these scholars include:
C. H. Dodd, Rudolf Bultmann, Raymond Brown, Wayne Meeks, and Craig Keener.

According to Wilckens, the two pillars of John's Gospel are the prologue (John 1:1-18) and the high priestly prayer (John 17). The prologue sets forth the central themes of the gospel, including the identity of Jesus as the Word of God, the Son of God, and the one who brings salvation to the world. The high priestly prayer, on the other hand, reveals Jesus' love for his disciples and his desire for their unity. Wilckens argues that these two passages provide the foundation for the entire gospel and that they help us to understand the meaning of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

In this study we shall pay special attention to the interactions of the chiasmus of these two pillars, exhausting all probable thematic features relevant to unlocking the meaning in John's  narratives.

The Lord's Prayer Chiasm

The Key To John’s Gospel. The first eighteen verses of John’s… | by Philip Eapen | AriseAndEat | Medium 

My New Header

FROM WEDNESDAY IN THE WORD

https://www.wednesdayintheword.com/john-resources/ 

Unbound Bible

https://www.biola.edu/talbot/unbound

The Johannine Bibliography WebPages
compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. 

Johannine Bibliography: Commentaries on the Gospel (catholic-resources.org) 

BIBLEHUB BIBLES & COMMENTARIES

https://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/john/1-1.htm

STUDY LIGHT COMMENARY

https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/1-1.html

RESOURCES FROM PRECEPTS AUSTIN

https://www.preceptaustin.org/verse_by_verse#book_43

BIBLEGATEWAY

https://www.biblegateway.com/

This is a content page where you can freely add any content such as text, images, links, etc. You can edit all of this text and replace it with what you want to write. Use the advanced editor to design this content page. 

Edit your content page from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button. This is a content page where you can freely add any content such as text, images, links, etc. You can edit all of this text and replace it with what you want to write. Use the advanced editor to design this content page. Edit your content page from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.

This is a content page where you can freely add any content such as text, images, links, etc. You can edit all of this text and replace it with what you want to write. Use the advanced editor to design this content page. 

Edit your content page from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.
This is a content page where you can freely add any content such as text, images, links, etc. You can edit all of this text and replace it with what you want to write. Use the advanced editor to design this content page. 

Edit your content page from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.

You can edit all of this text and replace it with what you want to write. Use the advanced editor to design this content page. Edit your content page from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.

This is a content page where you can freely add any content such as text, images, links, etc.

The other Gospels begin with Bethlehem; John begins with ‘the bosom of the Father.’ Luke dates his narrative by Roman emperors and Jewish high-priests; John dates his ‘in the beginning.’ To attempt adequate exposition of these verses in our narrow limits is absurd; we can only note the salient points of this, the profoundest page in the New Testament.

MACLAREN 

For the readers of the Old Testaments, the New Testaments are before Genesis. 

Would that proves that Creation is for the sake of Salvation?

IN THE BEGINNING....