Ebook St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans

This was once a plain letter concerned with a theme which plain men might understand. Why is it so far from plain now to many who in know ledge and even in spiritual discernment are at least the equals of the tradesmen, mechanics, and servants to whom it was immediately addressed? Some blame rests no doubt with Robert Estienne for the irritating innovation whereby each sentence of the Bible was turned into a numbered paragraph, and with Muret for lending the weight of his authority to another device Of the printing house, the dividing Of a page into narrow vertical columns. It was not without reason that Scaliger saw a menace to learning and to intelligence in such mechanical interference with the ordered march of thought upon the imprinted page.