What if Yehoshua ben Gamla invents printing press?

While looking for a good natural way to introduce the printing press into the roman empire I stumbled upon this guy:

Yehoshua ben Gamla

Yehoshua ben Gamla, or Joshua son of Gamla (Hebrew: יהושע בן גמלא), was a Jewish high priest who officiated in about 64 CE. He married the rich widow Martha of the high-priestly family Boethos, and she by bribing Jannai secured for him the office of high priest (according to Talmudic sources;Josephus. says he was appointed by Herod Agrippa II). Although Yehoshua himself was not a scholar, he was solicitous for the instruction of the young, and provided schools in every town for children over five years of age, earning thereby the praises of posterity.

The Talmud states; "Joshua b. Gamala came and ordained that teachers of young children should be appointed in each district and each town, and that children should enter school at the age of six or seven." He is therefore regarded as the founder of the institution of formal Jewish education.

Although no longer High Priest, Yehoshua remained one of the leaders of Jerusalem. Yehoshua attempted peaceably to prevent the fanatic and pugnacious Idumeans from entering Jerusalem during the Zealot Temple Siege. After they had come into possession of the city, these fanatics took bloody vengeance on him, by executing him, as well as Ananus, as traitors to their country

Printing Press
Now the intersting thing behind Gamla's introduction is his movivation, discussed at length for example in

Reviving Yehoshua ben Gamla’s Visionfor Torah Education∗
by AARON LEVINE

Basically he wanted to make sure that Toraheducation was so wide spread that no disaster could wipe out the small educated elite that had the knowledge monopole over Judaism at the time. In my oppinion it wouldn't be a stretch to invent and finance the development of a Torah "printing industry" to ensure that the physical books and written comments aren't lost as well. What do you think?
 
There's some interesting new research regarding literacy in ancient Israel. Several hundred years before your period but it does indicate that literacy among Israelites was reasonably common. If that trend lasted it would indicate that there might be a pretty wide and immediate audience for written material.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/w...-was-written-ancient-shopping-lists.html?_r=0

Second, will he be inventing movable type or just the press and woodblock printing? Either way I think it's a basis for a very good timeline.
 
One problem you're going to have is that he'd have to invent EVERYTHING.

No paper.
No mechanical press (AFAIK)
movable type
ink
etc.

Gutenberg had it relatively easy because paper and various agricultural presses already existed.


I'm afraid this is close to ASB.
 
One problem you're going to have is that he'd have to invent EVERYTHING.

No paper.
No mechanical press (AFAIK)
movable type
ink
etc.

Gutenberg had it relatively easy because paper and various agricultural presses already existed.


I'm afraid this is close to ASB.

Paper there certainly was, and arguably in great supply - just north is the Phoenician city of Byblos, whose great export market in books makes its name literally the word for book in Greek and Latin, and ink as well.

A mechanical press is more questionable. The Hebrews at the time certainly had presses in a number of formats that they used for olive oil and wine. Screw presses, wheel presses, and simpler, lever-based ones - though I guess the last is actually more likely for a printing press.

Movable type I think is very clearly not existent, though seals have been recovered.

Theoretically, the leap could be made. It's very unlikely, but from a strict standpoint of "pre-existing technologies". some primitive printing press is not impossible.
 
No, there was no paper. There was papyrus and parchment. The advantage of paper is that it drastically reduced the time and cost of production of your material. Which removed the bottleneck in production before you even get to writing. Having printting without paper does little to help.
 
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