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News & Events >
News Archive > Easter Celebration of a Major
Milestone for The Saint John's Bible, The First Handwritten and
Illuminated Bible in 500 Years
For Immediate Release
EASTER CELEBRATION OF A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR
THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE,
THE FIRST HANDWRITTEN AND ILLUMINATED BIBLE IN 500 YEARS
More than One Hundred Handwritten and Illuminated Pages Unveiled
In April 20 Ceremony at Saint John’s Abbey
COLLEGEVILLE, MINN., April 11, 2001 – In celebration of the First Volume
of The Saint John’s Bible, the first handwritten and illuminated
Bible to be commissioned in 500 years, Saint John’s Abbey and Saint John’s
University will unveil the newly illuminated pages in an April 20 ceremony,
coinciding with the Easter season. The pages depict The Gospels and
the Acts of the Apostles, to which the First Volume is dedicated. The
completed pages are the culmination of three years of preparation and work
by theologians and scripture scholars at Saint John’s and calligraphers at
the Bible scriptorium in Wales, United Kingdom.
The First Volume of The Saint John’s Bible contains 129 pages and
includes more than 20 illuminations. Five of these illuminations and the
sketches that led up to them will be on display at Saint John’s: the
genealogy of Jesus, the birth of Christ, the raising of Lazarus, the
Crucifixion and the Road to Emmaus.
The unveiling of the pages from the First Volume will take place in a
liturgical ceremony in the Saint John’s Abbey Church. The Saint John’s
Bible Artistic Director Donald Jackson, who also serves as Scribe to Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of Lords, will be in
attendance. The new Abbot at Saint John’s, Abbot John Klassen, will preside
at the ceremony, which will feature readings from The Saint John’s Bible
as well as specially commissioned music.
The Saint John’s Bible, commissioned by Saint John’s Abbey, a
Benedictine monastery, and Saint John’s University, both in Collegeville,
Minnesota, is an historic undertaking. Blessed by His Holiness Pope John
Paul II, the project is an ecumenical undertaking that revives the monastic
tradition of handwriting the Bible and also incorporates modern themes into
the illuminations. Donald Jackson is creating illuminations that depict
traditional scriptures in the context of modern advances in technology,
science and space travel. The text is taken from the New Revised Standard
Version, a modern translation used widely by Protestants and Catholics. The
subsequent six volumes of The Saint John’s Bible will be written over
the course of the next five years.
“Now, as we enter the third millennium, a great Bible is being written by
hand, laboriously, joyfully, over many years, and under Saint John’s aegis,”
said Brother Dietrich Reinhart, president of Saint John’s University. “The
Saint John’s Bible draws attention to the core inspiration of
Benedictine monasticism — its relationship to the Word of God. And it
creates for all of us wider and more comprehensive contact with the
spiritual riches which are the common heritage of all humankind.”
Project Background
With this historic project, Saint John’s Abbey and Saint John’s University
seek to mark the turn of the century by creating a contemporary work of art
that illuminates scripture for the new millennium and provides a focal point
for art, education, and spirituality. The Saint John’s Bible
continues the 1500-year-old Benedictine tradition of producing and
preserving manuscripts.
The Saint John’s Bible will be composed of seven 15 7/8” by 24 ½”
volumes: The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, The Book of
Psalms, The Pentateuch, The Wisdom and Poetic Books, The Prophets, The
Historical Books, and The Letters and The Book of Revelation. The
seven volumes are expected to be completed in 2006.
Using a unique script created by Jackson, The Saint John’s Bible
is being written by hand with quills on calfskin vellum. Illustrations will
be illuminated with gold, silver and platinum. Consulting scribes from
around the world will assist Jackson in his scriptorium in Wales.
An exhibition tour of pages from the first three volumes of The Saint
John’s Bible will travel the country beginning in 2003. The Saint
John’s Bible is being underwritten by private support from individuals,
families, foundations and corporations.
For more information, please visit The Saint John’s Bible on the
Internet at www.saintjohnsbible.org
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