The Saint John's Bible
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The Saint John's Bible one of the first completely hand-written and illuminated Bible to have been commissioned since the invention of the printing press. At least one other privately illuminated Bible - the Pepper Bible[1], preceded The Saint John's Bible in this timeframe.
- "At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Saint John's Abbey and University seek to ignite the spiritual imagination of believers throughout the world by commissioning a work of art that illuminates the Word of God for a new millennium."- Mission Statement of The Saint John's Bible Commission.
Beginning in 1970, master calligrapher Donald Jackson expressed in media interviews his lifetime dream of creating an illuminated Bible. Following a Saint John's-sponsored calligraphy presentation at the Newberry Library in Chicago in 1995, Jackson discussed a hand-written Bible with Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB, former executive director of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Between 1996 and 1997, Saint John's explored the feasibility of the Bible project, Jackson created first samples, and theologians developed the illumination schema. The Saint John’s Bible was officially commissioned in 1998 and funding opportunities were launched. The public was introduced to the project in 1999 and it is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
The Saint John’s Bible is seven volumes and two feet tall by three feet wide when open. The Bible is made of vellum, with 160 illuminations, and has cost $4 million to produce. The version of the Bible used is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
The scriptorium of the Saint John's Bible is located in Monmouth, Wales.
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[edit] Techniques used
Donald Jackson, official scribe of Queen Elizabeth II, created a new script specifically for this project.
The creators of The Saint John's Bible use a mixture of techniques used in the creation of older illuminated manuscripts (hand-written with quills on calf-skin vellum, gold and silver leaf and hand-ground pigments and inks) and modern technology (platinum leaf, and computers used to plan the layout of the bible, and line-breaks for the text).
[edit] Volumes
The Saint John's Bible consists of seven volumes:
- Gospels and Acts (completed in May 2002.)
- Pentateuch (completed in August 2003.)
- Psalms (completed in April 2004.)
- Prophets (completed in April 2005.)
- Wisdom Literature (completed in July 2006.)
- Historical Books (scheduled for completion in 2009)
- Letters and Revelation (scheduled for completion in 2010-2011)
[edit] The Heritage Edition
The Heritage Edition of The Saint John's Bible is the full-size reproduction of the original. Measuring two feet tall by three feet wide when open, it is the exact size of the original manuscript. Making this reproduction unique as a manuscript facsimile is the fact that it will be signed by the chief scribe and illuminator, Donald Jackson. The edition is limited to 360 signed and numbered sets and contains the same seven volumes as the original. In addition, an eighth volume of commentary that places The Saint John's Bible in its historical context and describes several of the illuminations will accompany the volumes. It was in pre-publication through June 30, 2008, and available for subscription.
[edit] Marketing Campaign Controversy
Early in the marketing campaign, the commission responsible for The Saint John’s Bible made the claim that it would be the first hand-written bible in 500 years to the best of their knowledge. The commission was then made aware that several other bibles had been completed within the time frame, and in Spring 2004 (between the April and May mailings of advertising for the Bible), the phrase “commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery” was added to the advertising and official website.
[edit] Saint John's Bible staff
- Artistic Director: Donald Jackson
- Calligraphers: Hazel Dolby, Sue Hufton, Sally Mae Joseph, Brian Simpson, Angela Swan, Susie Leiper
- Director of Public Programming and Educational Outreach: Tim Ternes
- Executive Director: Carol Marrin
- Director of the Heritage Edition: Craig Bruner
- Graphic Designer: Vin Godier
- Illuminators: Thomas Ingmire, Aidan Hart, Suzanne Moore, Diane von Arx, Sally Mae Joseph
- Natural history illustrator: Chris Tomlin
- Project Coordinator: Rebecca Cherry
- Studio Assistant: Sarah Harris
- The Saint John's Bible Committee on Illumination and Text: Johanna Becker, Irene Nowell, Michael Patella, Ellen Joyce, Nathanael Hauser, Susan Wood, Alan Reed, Columba Stewart
[edit] External links
- Official Saint John's Bible page
- Saint John's Bible prints and books
- Chronology of the Saint John's Bible
- Inscribing the Word (Smithsonian Magazine)
- "The Saint John's Bible". Prints & Books. Victoria and Albert Museum. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/prints_books/saintjohnsbible/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
- College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
- Saint John's School of Theology
