Saint John's Bible
Encyclopedia
The Saint John's Bible is the first completely handwritten and illuminated
Bible
to have been commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey since the invention of the printing press.
Beginning in 1970, master calligrapher Donald Jackson
expressed in media interviews his lifelong 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 handwritten 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 2011.
The Saint John’s Bible is divided into seven volumes and is 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 Catholic Edition
(NRSV-CE).
The scriptorium of The Saint John's Bible is located in Monmouth
, Wales
.
, 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 ancient illuminated manuscript
s (handwritten with quills on calf-skin vellum
, gold and platinum leaf and hand-ground pigment
s, Chinese stick ink, and modern technology: computers used to plan the layout of the Bible, and line-breaks for the text).
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
to have been commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey since the invention of the printing press.
Beginning in 1970, master calligrapher Donald Jackson
Donald Jackson (calligrapher)
Donald Jackson, born in 1938 in Lancashire, England, is a British calligrapher, official scribe and calligrapher to the Crown Office of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Jackson is artistic director of The Saint John's Bible, a recent, hand-written and illuminated Grand Bible...
expressed in media interviews his lifelong dream of creating an illuminated Bible. Following a Saint John's-sponsored calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
presentation at the Newberry Library
Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...
in Chicago in 1995, Jackson discussed a handwritten Bible with Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
, former executive director of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library at St. John's University
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The College of Saint Benedict , for women, and Saint John's University , for men, are partnered liberal arts colleges respectively located in St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Students attend classes and activities together, and have access to the resources of both campuses...
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 2011.
The Saint John’s Bible is divided into seven volumes and is two feet tall by three feet wide when open. The Bible is made of vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
, with 160 illuminations, and has cost $4 million to produce. The version of the Bible used is the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition is a translation of the Bible adapted for the use of Catholics with the approval of the Catholic Church. It contains all the canonical books of Scripture accepted by the Catholic Church arranged in the traditional Catholic order...
(NRSV-CE).
The scriptorium of The Saint John's Bible is located in Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Techniques
Donald Jackson, official scribe of Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, 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 ancient illuminated manuscript
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
s (handwritten with quills on calf-skin vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
, gold and platinum leaf and hand-ground pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
s, Chinese stick ink, and modern technology: computers used to plan the layout of the Bible, and line-breaks for the text).
Volumes
The Saint John's Bible consists of seven volumes:- Gospels and Acts (completed in May 2002): 25+ illuminations, including opening illuminations to each gospel
- Pentateuch (completed in August 2003): Illuminated text from the first 5 books of the Old Testament
- Psalms (completed in April 2004): Illuminations include the digital voice prints of songs from various ethnicities/religious backgrounds
- Prophets (completed in April 2005): Includes Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos, Daniel, and Zechariah
- Wisdom Books (completed in July 2006): Includes Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and Job
- Historical Books (completed in March 2010): Largest page count, 25+ illuminations, includes Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Judith, Esther, Ruth, and Tobit
- Letters and Revelation (scheduled for completion in 2010–2011)
The Heritage Edition
The Heritage Edition of The Saint John's Bible is the full-size fine art reproduction of the original. Measuring two feet tall by three feet wide when open, it is the exact size of the original manuscript. Each volume of the Heritage Edition is 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 is currently available for subscription.Other Recently Produced Handwritten/Illuminated Bibles
Early in the marketing campaign, the commission responsible for The Saint John’s Bible made the claim that it would be the first handwritten 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. At least one other privately illuminated Bible – the Pepper Biblehttp://pepperbible.com/ – preceded The Saint John's Bible in this timeframe.The Saint John's Bible staff
- Artistic Director: Donald JacksonDonald Jackson (calligrapher)Donald Jackson, born in 1938 in Lancashire, England, is a British calligrapher, official scribe and calligrapher to the Crown Office of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Jackson is artistic director of The Saint John's Bible, a recent, hand-written and illuminated Grand Bible...
- Calligraphers: Sue Hufton, Sally Mae Joseph, Brian Simpson, Angela Swan, Susie Leiper
- Executive Director: Tim Ternes
- Director of the Heritage Edition: Jim Triggs
- Graphic Designer: Vin Godier
- Illuminators: Thomas Ingmire, Aidan Hart, Suzanne Moore, Diane von Arx, Sally Mae Joseph, Hazel Dolby, Andrew Stewart Jamieson
- Natural history illustrator: Chris Tomlin
- Project Coordinator: Rebecca Cherry, Rachel Collard
- Studio Assistant: Mark L'Argent, 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
External links
- The Saint John's Bible official page
- Heritage Edition of The Saint John's Bible
- The Saint John's Bible prints and books
- Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML)
- A 2003 one-hour documentary (also on DVD), showing the work in progress and many technical aspects. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/04_april/15/illuminator.shtml
- Inscribing the Word (Smithsonian Magazine)
- College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
- Saint John's School of Theology
- UK distribution partner