For centuries, prior to the invention of printing in the Western world, the text of the Bible was preserved in manuscript form. From the hand-copied manuscripts of the post New Testament and Medieval periods to the hand-copied Bibles of the early Reformation period, the text of Scripture was preserved by God to assure that the Words of God--his plan, principles, and purposes--would be accessible to man created in His image. This exhibit presents examples of manuscript portions of the Bible from the 4th to the 15th centuries, leading in 1455 to the production of the first printed Bible, the remarkable Gutenberg Bible, seen in the exhibit in facsimile form. Following that momentous event, the printed Bible could be distributed to the masses.

The Biblical Heritage Gallery where these items were exhibited closed in 2019 to make way for the Warren and Betty Wiersbe Library and Reading Room, which opened in the fall of 2019. The items in the on-line exhibit described below are housed in Special Collections at the Centennial Library at Cedarville University and are available for use by the public on request. Follow this link to contact the University Archivist.