Johannes Trithemius: Preserving a Way of Life

Johannes Trithemius, in In Praise of Scribes, seems to be fearful of losing a way of life that he has become accustomed to. With technological advancements, there is always a sentiment of eliminating the old and ushering in the new. The fifteenth century introduced the printing age and presented a new challenge to the work of scribes. Printing posed the problem of eliminating the work of scribes for a more efficient, more productive way of doing things brought forth by printing from movable type. Trithemius desperately tries to be persuasive using a number of arguments to convince monks that the work of scribes is of great importance.

My problem with religion has always been that it relied heavily on instilling fear and guilt to win the devotion of its subjects. Trithemius' argument follows the same line of thinking. He starts off by invoking God claiming that scribes are promised "eternal life in glory" if their work is true. He goes on to elevate scribes and their work into glorious, even holy, status by referring to scribes as "heralds of God". Next, he claims that idle monks or those who don't fulfill their obligation of copying are acting against the injunctions of the apostle, the church, and God. He seems to be threatening to take away meal privileges and accusing idle monks of living "badly" challenging their identity and accusing them of dishonesty and insincerity. Just like good cop/bad cop, he reverts back to appealing to the senses of obligation to their work and devotion to God.

Trithemius goes on to spend some time attempting to convince his readers that the work of a scribe is worthwhile because it help to keep the mind off lustful desires. This would invariably anger God and go against his will. His will in turn would never be known if it wasn't for the work of scribes alluding to the importance of their work. It's very clear that Trithemius feels that monks are suited for such work. Their life and lifestyles are fitting for such work insisting that scribes are as, if not more important than preachers. He does make a good point here in that if it wasn't for the written word, the endurance of knowledge and information for future generations would not be possible. Trithemius closes his argument by insisting that scribes continue their work in spite of printing. He suggests that copying printed works helps in preserving them by guaranteeing their permanence since parchment is lasts longer than paper.

The traditionalist in me feels bad for Trithemius. The printing age threatened to make his way of life extinct. In Praise of Scribes is Trithemius' attempt to preserve this way of life, the only way he seems to know how to exist. I don't deny that scribes were important in helping us know about the past. I would even give credit to the aesthetic value of anything produced by hand rather than by machine. However, at the end of the day my practical side seems to prevail over my sentimental side. We are but too familiar with this concept in today’s world. We often see the work of man be replaced by machines in the industrial world taking away that personal touch. I guess that will always be a draw back and a price to pay in favor of advancement and moving forward.