|
|
Saint John's News
-
April 4, 2008 - The most rare, full-sized reproduction of The Saint John’s Bible was presented to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today. As he turned the pages, the Holy Father described it as “a work of art, a great work of art.”
The presentation occurred at the Vatican in Rome during the annual meeting of the Papal Foundation. The Holy Father received the St. Peter Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible and a handwritten dedication page by Donald Jackson, the Bible’s artistic director.
- Presentation of St. Peter Apostles Edition of Wisdom Books
to Pope Benedict XVI. News Links:
Star Tribune,
St. Cloud Times.
-
Wisdom
Books: Exhibition at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library,
Collegeville, MN
-
Prophets: Word and Image Exhibition at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville, MN
-
Saint John's Bible Exhibition to go up at Naples Museum of Art
-
Saint John's Bible Exhibition Opens at Library of Congress
-
Opening Weekend Events a
Success at the Joslyn Museum in Omaha
-
The Saint John's Bible Inspires Children to Create Their
Own Hand-Written Works of Art
-
Liturgical Press Publishes the first
two books based on The Saint John’s Bible
-
The Art of The Saint John's
Bible is now available
-
Poetry and Illuminations
-
The
Saint John's Bible
featured in Christopher de Hamel's new book
Prophets: Word and Image Exhibition
at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville, MN
For
Immediate Release: February 12, 2007
Contact: Linda Orzechowski (320)363-3514 or
lorzechowsk@csbsju.edu
Prophets:
Word and Image
Exhibition
at the Hill
Museum & Manuscript Library
February 12, 2007 - December 28, 2007
Exhibition showcases the
largest number of original pages from
The Saint John’s Bible
ever to be displayed at
Saint John’s Abbey and University
Collegeville, Minnesota ...
The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML), located on the campus of Saint
John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., will present the
exhibition Prophets: Word and Image from The Saint
John’s Bible. This is the first time 28 original pages from Prophets
have been available for viewing in Minnesota, and the greatest number of
original pages ever displayed on campus. The exhibition begins February 12
and runs through December 28, 2007.
Word and Image
features pages from
Prophets, the fourth completed volume of The Saint John’s Bible.
Among the pages on view are Ezekiel’s Vision of the New Temple, Suffering
Servant, Valley of the Dry Bones, Daniel’s Vision of the Son of Man
and the jubilant Messianic Predictions. Also on view are artists’
sketches of the illuminations, as well as tools and materials from the
scriptorium such as quills, hand-ground pigments, gold leaf, calfskin
vellum, and ancient inks from China.
According to Carol Marrin,
the Executive Director of The Saint John’s Bible, “Prophets:
Word and Image
calls each of us to appreciate the beauty of this hand written and
illuminated text while listening to the challenge, the gut wrenching
questions that surface from these passages and accompanying images.”
- more -
Word and Image
presents the first
handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery
since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago. The Saint
John’s Bible, a richly ornamented masterwork hand-illustrated with gold
leaf on oversized vellum, is an unprecedented undertaking in contemporary
book arts and a major cultural and interfaith endeavor.
Commissioned by Saint John’s
Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., The Saint John’s Bible
is a contemporary work created in the tradition of handwritten medieval
manuscripts. The artistic director of the project, Donald Jackson, is one of
the world’s foremost Western calligraphers and scribe to Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of Lords. During the past nine years,
Jackson has worked in rural Wales, with scribes and artists to write and
illuminate The Saint John’s Bible entirely by hand, using quills and
paints hand-ground from precious minerals and stones such as lapis lazuli,
vermilion, malachite, silver, copper, and 24-karat gold.
The Saint John’s Bible,
consisting of 1,150 pages in seven volumes, will be completed in 2008. Then
it will be housed permanently at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Saint
John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., where it will be used in
worship and be available to scholars and the public. The Saint John’s
Bible will tour to libraries and museums worldwide, offering educational
and outreach initiatives for children and underserved communities.
(more)
Prophets,
a reproduction book released in January, is available for purchase at HMML.
HMML is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Guests are welcome
to view the exhibition at their leisure. There is no entrance fee.
Interpretive tours and presentations are available for groups wishing to
book in advance. Information and booking requests may be directed to Linda
Orzechowski by calling 320-363-3514 or by email at
lorzechowsk@csbsju.edu. For more information about The Saint John’s
Bible visit
www.saintjohnsbible.org.
(end)
Other Exhibition Information
The Saint John’s Bible
began its national and international tour in April 2005 with the opening of
Illuminating the Word at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Since
then, The Saint John’s Bible has been exhibited at the Joslyn Museum
(Omaha), the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Tyler Museum of Art
(Tyler, TX), the Museum of Biblical Art (New York, NY) and the Library of
Congress (Washington, DC). Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible
exhibition will continue at the following venues: Naples Museum of Art
(Naples, FL), January 26 – April 6, 2007; Phoenix Art Museum (Phoenix, AZ),
December 9, 2007-March 7, 2008; Winnipeg Art Gallery (Winnipeg, Canada),
April 11-June 8, 2008; Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma, WA), July 11-September 5,
2008; Mobile Museum of Art (Mobile, AL), October 10, 2008-April 10, 2009.
About Saint John’s Abbey and University and the Hill Museum & Manuscript
Library (HMML)
Saint John’s Abbey is a
Benedictine monastic community of men who follow the 1500-year tradition of
worship and work through daily prayer and service. About two thirds of the
community live and work in Collegeville, Minn. The Abbey is located on 2,400
acres of woodland and lakes in Collegeville, 70 miles north of
Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Located on the campus of Saint John’s University,
the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library is dedicated to preservation of and
access to art, rare books, and manuscripts focused on how humans imagine the
sacred. HMML’s history of preserving rare and endangered handwritten works
from around the world by capturing them on microfilm, and now in digital
formats, began in earnest in 1965; the collection now totals 30 million
pages of manuscripts, the world’s largest collection of manuscript images.
For more information about the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library visit
www.hmml.org.
(end)
National
Exhibition Tour of The Saint John’s Bible, coming to Naples Museum of
Art, Naples, FL
For
Immediate Release: October 12, 2006 (update date)
Contact: Linda Orzechowski (320)363-3514 or
lorzechowsk@csbsju.edu
National Exhibition Tour of The Saint
John’s Bible,
the First Handwritten Bible in 500 Years,
Coming to Naples Museum of Art
21st Century Bible Uses a Medieval Tradition
to Interpret Scripture from a Contemporary Perspective
‘America’s Book of Kells’
– Newsweek
‘One of the extraordinary undertakings of our time.”
– Smithsonian
magazine
NAPLES, FLORIDA — The Naples Museum of Art will present the history
making exhibition Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible from
Friday, January 26 through Friday, April 6, 2007. This is the only showing
of this critically acclaimed exhibition in Florida.
Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible presents the first
handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned since the advent of the
printing press more than 500 years ago. The Saint John’s Bible, a
richly ornamented masterwork hand-illustrated with gold leaf on oversized
vellum, is an unprecedented undertaking in contemporary book arts and a
major cultural and interfaith endeavor. This exhibition is organized by The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Saint John’s University. It is made
possible by a grant from Target.
- more -
ILLUMINATING THE WORD: THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE/2
Commissioned by Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville,
Minnesota, The Saint John’s Bible is a contemporary work created in
the tradition of handwritten medieval manuscripts. The artistic director of
the project, Donald Jackson, is one of the world’s foremost calligraphers
and scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of
Lords. During the past four years, Jackson has worked in rural Wales, with
scribes and artists to write and illuminate The Saint John’s Bible
entirely by hand, using quills and paints hand-ground from precious minerals
and stones such as lapis lazuli, vermilion, malachite, silver, copper, and
24-karat gold.
Donald Jackson will be in Naples to give a lecture on the project on
Saturday, February 3 at 10 a.m. in Hayes Hall.
Illuminating the Word features pages from the first three completed
volumes of The Saint John’s Bible: Pentateuch (the first five books
of Jewish and Christian scripture), Gospels and Acts, and Psalms.
Among the pages on view are The Seven Days of Creation, The Garden of
Eden, Jacob’s Ladder, The Ten Commandments, The Parable of the Loaves and
Fishes, The Sermon on the Mount, The Parable of the Sower and the Seed, The
Birth of Christ, Dinner at the Pharisee’s House, The Woman Accused of
Adultery, The Raising of Lazarus, The Death of Moses, The Crucifixion,
the frontispieces for the four Gospels, and images of flora and fauna
indigenous to Minnesota. Original artist sketches are on view, as is a
worktable from the scriptorium displaying materials such as quills,
hand-ground pigments, gold leaf, calfskin vellum, and ancient inks from
China. The exhibition also includes examples of sacred texts from
non-Christian religions and artwork from the special collections of Saint
John’s University.
“The Saint John’s Bible is an exquisite work of art, a
masterpiece of calligraphy,” said Myra Janco Daniels, founder and CEO of the
Naples Museum of Art. “We are honored to be bringing it to Naples and are
grateful to Target for their sponsorship.”
- more -
ILLUMINATING THE WORD: THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE/3
Theologians from Saint John’s Abbey and University and the College of
Saint Benedict, together with consultants from other faiths, have worked
with Jackson, providing theological briefs that direct the interpretation of
scripture in the illustrations. Based on these briefs, Jackson and his team
of scribes and artists have created illuminations reflecting a multicultural
world and humanity’s enormous strides in science, technology, and space
travel. Because the project is an interfaith undertaking, Jackson has
incorporated imagery from Eastern and Western religious traditions, as well
as influences from Native American cultures.
For example, an illumination in Gospels and Acts depicts the
Earth as seen from space, a contemporary interpretation of our place in the
universe. Illuminations throughout Psalms show artistic renderings of
digital voice prints of Saint John’s monks chanting the Psalms—intersected
with digital voice prints of calls to prayer in Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist,
Sufi, and Native American religious traditions.
“Illuminated manuscripts have always marked the time and place in which
they were created, and The Saint John’s Bible will reflect our world
at the beginning of the twenty-first century for future generations,” said
Brother Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, president of Saint John’s University.
“Today, through partnerships with museums and educational outreach, we hope
to touch people of all cultures and creeds with the spirit and beauty of
this book.”
The Saint John’s Bible, consisting of 1,150 pages in seven volumes, will
be completed in 2008. Then it will be housed permanently at the Hill Museum
and Manuscript Library, Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville,
Minnesota, where it will be used in worship and be available to scholars and
the public. The Saint John’s Bible will tour to libraries and museums
worldwide, offering educational and outreach initiatives for children and
underserved communities.
“The Saint John's Bible is a unique artistic undertaking, and Target is
proud to bring the ‘Illuminating the Word’ exhibition to the Naples
Museum of Art and other venues across the country,” said Laysha Ward, vice
president, community relations, Target Corporation. “Target believes in
making the arts accessible, and through our sponsorship of this exhibition,
we hope all audiences will enjoy the project’s contemporary and
multicultural nature.” (Molly—they pulled this quote from old materials;
would you like to update?)
Four exhibition-related books are available for purchase:
Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John’s Bible ($39.95),
Gospels and Acts ($64.95), Pentateuch ($69.95) and Psalms
($39.95). Prophets will be released in early 2007. For more
information visit the website at
www.saintjohnsbible.org
- more -
ILLUMINATING THE WORD: THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE/4
Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible will also be exhibited at
the following venues: Phoenix Art Museum (Phoenix, AZ), December 9,
2007-March 7, 2008; Winnipeg Art Gallery (Winnipeg, Canada), April 11-June
8, 2008; Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma, WA), July 11-September 5, 2008; Mobile
Museum of Art (Mobile, AL), October 10, 2008-April 10, 2009.
About Saint John’s Abbey and University and the Hill Museum & Manuscript
Library (HMML)
Saint John’s Abbey is a Benedictine monastic community of men who follow
the 1500-year tradition of worship and work through daily prayer and
service. About two thirds of the community live and work in Collegeville,
Minnesota. The Abbey is located on 2,400 acres of woodland and lakes in
Collegeville, 70 miles north of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Located on the
campus of Saint John’s University, the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library is
dedicated to preservation of and access to art, rare books, and manuscripts
focused on how humans imagine the sacred. HMML’s history of preserving rare
and endangered handwritten works from around the world by capturing them on
microfilm, and now in digital formats, began in earnest in 1965; the
collection now totals 30 million pages of manuscripts, the world’s largest
collection of manuscript images.
In the Benedictine tradition of reverence for human thought and
creativity, the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) preserves
manuscripts, printed books and art at Saint John's University; undertakes
photographic preservation projects throughout the world; and makes these
resources available to students, researchers and visitors both onsite and
through advanced technology. HMML is the home of the world’s largest
collection of manuscript images and of The Saint John’s Bible, a
handwritten, illuminated Bible for the modern era. HMML is located on the
Saint John’s University campus, 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis on I-94
and can be found at www.hmml.org or
through the Saint John’s University Web site at
www.csbsju.edu.
-END-
Saint John's Bible Exhibition
Opens at Library of Congress on October 6th,
2006.
September 19, 2006
Press contacts:
Erin Allen, (202) 707-7302, eral@loc.gov
Amanda Domizio, Ruder Finn Arts & Communications Counselors,
(212) 583-2798,
domizioa@ruderfinn.com
Linda Orzechowski, Saint John’s University, (320) 363-3514,
lorzechowsk@csbsju.edu
SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE TRAVELING EXHIBITION
OPENS AT THE LIBRARY ON OCT. 6
“Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible,” will open at the Library of
Congress on Friday, Oct. 6, in the Northwest Gallery of the Thomas
Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The exhibition
was realized through the collaborative efforts of The Minneapolis Institute
of Arts, Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., and the
Library of Congress. The Library's Rare Book and Special Collections
Division and the Interpretive Programs Office cooperated in planning and
installing the exhibition in the Library of Congress, which will remain on
view through Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Saturday.
“As the home of the Gutenberg Bible – one of world’s three perfect copies on
vellum – and the Giant Bible of Mainz, both of which are on permanent
display in the Thomas Jefferson Building – the Library of Congress is
pleased to be a stop on the tour of The Saint John’s Bible,” said Librarian
of Congress James. H. Billington. “This contemporary work pays homage to the
medieval art form of manuscript illumination, which is richly represented in
the Library’s rare book collections.”
“The Saint John’s Bible makes a statement about faith, as well as the
importance of art and imagination,” said Brother Dietrich Reinhart, OSB,
president of Saint John’s University. “We are pleased to share our work and
introduce new elements of the project to audiences across the country
through this extended tour.”
Commissioned by Saint John’s Abbey and University, The Saint John’s Bible is
a contemporary work created in the tradition of medieval manuscripts and the
first handwritten, illuminated Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine
monastery since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago.
Working with a team of theologians and artists from Saint John’s Abbey and
University, Bible Artistic Director Donald Jackson has spent the last six
years working in Wales, scribing and illustrating the manuscript using
quills and paints hand-ground from minerals and stones such as lapis lazuli,
malachite, silver, copper and 24-karat gold.
The Library’s exhibition will feature selections from the first three
completed volumes of The Saint John’s Bible: Pentateuch, the first five
books of Jewish and Christian scripture; Gospels and Acts; and Psalms.
Highlights include folios of the Seven Days of Creation, Genesis, the Garden
of Eden, the Ten Commandments, the Birth of Christ, the Crucifixion and the
frontispieces for the four Gospels. Original artist tools, sketches and
materials from Jackson’s scriptorium will also be on view.
There will be an ancillary display of materials, illustrating the Library of
Congress’ holdings in this area. One case will present several priceless
volumes from the Library’s extraordinary collection of Bibles. The selection
will provide insight into the images, use and origins of Bibles that make
them, and other rare books, significant. A multimedia presentation will give
visitors a brief overview of illuminated Bibles and Bible-related works in
the Library’s Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Covering several
centuries and including a wide variety of styles and artistic achievements,
the presentation will include ornate Bibles from the Middle Ages, books of
hours used by royal personages, as well as volumes meant to be used in
religious settings. The selections in the presentation will show how these
works, from centuries ago, connect to the work that went into the creation
of the Saint John’s Bible.
Jackson will give a presentation titled “Illuminating the Word,” discussing
the process of creating a Bible for the 21st century at noon on Tuesday,
Oct. 3, in the Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor, Jefferson Building.
The lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
One of the world’s leading calligraphers, Jackson is senior scribe to Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of Lords in the United
Kingdom, a position in which he is responsible for the creation of official
state documents. He is an elected fellow and past chairman of the Society of
Scribes and Illuminators. His 30-year retrospective exhibition, “Painting
with Words,” premiered at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts in August 1988
and traveled to 13 museums and galleries.
Consisting of 1,150 pages in seven volumes, The Saint John’s Bible will be
completed in 2008. It will then be housed permanently at the Hill
Museum and Manuscript Library at Saint John’s Abbey and University. For more
information on the project, visit
www.saintjohnsbible.org
Organized by The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Saint John’s University,
the exhibition and its national tour are made possible by Target. The
Library of Congress exhibition of “Illuminating the Word” is made possible
by the Allbritton Foundation.
The Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress
holds the most comprehensive and universal rare book collection in the
United States. Numbering nearly 800,000 items, its holdings include numerous
books produced during the earliest period of printing, 5,700 incunabula
(books printed before 1501), Thomas Jefferson's library, the largest
collection of early American imprints in the country, the magnificent
Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection of Illustrated Books, the libraries of czars
of Russia and countless other rare and unique materials.
Tour Schedule:
• Museum of Biblical Art (New York, N.Y.)
through Nov. 26, 2006
• Naples Art Museum (Naples, Fla.)
Jan. 26 – April 6, 2007
• “Dead Sea Scrolls,” with selections from “Prophets,” the fourth volume of
the “Saint John’s Bible”
San Diego Natural History Museum (San Diego, Calif.)
June 29 – Dec. 31, 2007
• Phoenix Art Museum (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Dec. 9, 2007 – March 7, 2008
• Winnipeg Art Gallery (Winnipeg, Canada)
April 11 – June 8, 2008
• Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma, Wash.)
July 11 – Sept. 5, 2008
• Mobile Museum of Art (Mobile, Ala.)
Oct. 10, 2008 – April 10, 2009
“THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE” EXHIBIT OPENS OCT. 6
PR 06-161
09/19/06
ISSN 0731-3527
Opening Weekend
Events a Success at the Joslyn Museum in Omaha: January 19th - January 21st,
2006.
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director of The Saint
John's Bible, returned from Wales to be present for opening events at
the Joslyn Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Drawing a crowd of over 1700
people for Saturday evening's "member's only" program, the Joslyn was
greeted with its highest attendance for the opening of an exhibition.
With standing room only in a room which holds 1200 people, guests were
forced to retreat to the foyers and courtyards and listen quietly to Donald
Jackson via loudspeakers.
Illuminating the Word: The Saint John's Bible
officially opened to the public on Sunday, January 21st.
The Joslyn offers a wide range of educational
programming for a variety of age groups and interests from now until the
close of the exhibition on April 16th, 2006. Docent-led public tours
are available on specific dates. Visit their
website
for more information on programming and tours.
Illuminating the Word:
The Saint John’s Bible is organized by The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
and Saint John’s University. The exhibition and its national tour are made
possible by Target Stores. Joslyn is the second venue on the national tour
which began at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) (April 10-July 3,
2005). The exhibition at MIA, Joslyn, and other U.S. venues features
selections from the first three completed volumes of The Saint John’s Bible
(Gospels and Acts, Pentateuch, and Psalms). Throughout
the next three years, the exhibition will travel to London and several
museums throughout the U.S.
The Saint John's Bible Inspires Children to Create Their Own
Hand-Written Work of Art
Students at Holy Spirit
Catholic School in Saint Paul received a close-up look and hands on
experience of history-making calligraphy this past school year - turkey
feathers and all.
Tim Ternes of the Hill Museum
& Manuscript Library at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN
began the experience this past February with a three day long residency
at the school and parish. During that time, Tim shared the amazing and
inspirational artwork and story behind The Saint John’s Bible, the first
monumental, fully illuminated handwritten Bible commissioned by a
Benedictine monastery in almost five hundred years. Students and
parishioners of all ages were given the opportunity to learn about the
materials, planning, process and theology behind the seven year
project. Local scribes and artists were also included in the three days
to give participants live demonstrations of the many processes involved
in the making of the book.
The initial residency became
the catalyst for a school-wide project that would last until the last
day of the school year. Working with parishioners and scribes, Joanne
Schulte and Mary Scott, the Holy Spirit students and teachers began to
explore and learn about calligraphy. With the support of local
calligraphers, Joanne and Mary worked with each class and student in
teaching this ancient and beautiful art. The walls of the school were
soon filled with all the student names in graceful script and
illuminated letters and teachers were commenting on how student homework
papers had never looked so elegant. Children could even be seen using
sticks to craft large calligraphic letters in the snow banks outside the
school windows. Calligraphy had infected the school and would soon be
put to use.
With calligraphy skills in
tow, the students now began the most challenging of their work. Using
The Saint John’s Bible as inspiration, the school began the process of
creating its own book of hand-written, fully illuminated sacred texts.
Working in small teams, just like the scribal team for The Saint John’s
Bible, sacred texts were read, studied and discussed. Each text was
imagined visually and soon plans began to take shape. Dividing the work
much in the same manner as artists in an ancient scriptorium, students
soon found their own special niches. Some became scribes carefully
copying the selected texts. Others found themselves illuminators,
colorists or proofreaders. Students quickly took pride and ownership in
not only the physical work, but in the scripture passages as well. The
depth of understanding that each child exhibited as pages and
illuminations were explained was impressive and humbling. In the end
the working teams created over 100 original inspirational pages which
would later come together as their sacred book.
Local book binder, Georgia
Greeley offered her services to the project by beautifully binding the
finished pages into a large book complete with gilded cover and rich
green binding. As students filed past their book for the first time,
many could not believe that the magnificent manuscript before them was
theirs. Wide eyes and cries of recognition, however, soon proved
otherwise.
At the final mass of the
school year, the Holy Spirit Book of Sacred Text took its place along
side a full-size reproduction of The Saint John’s Bible. Both
impressive books gleamed as students and proud parents looked on. It
was a humbling moment, however, for The Saint John’s Bible as it soon
took second place to its impressive partner on the table. As mass
began, the Holy Spirit Book of Sacred Text received its first blessing
and incense and then was held high as it led the procession down the
isle with The Saint John’s Bible following closely behind. The pride
and attention given by the students was evident as the text came down
the isle, but it was nothing in comparison to the gleaming faces that
came from the congregation as when the sacred Scriptures were proclaimed
for the first time from their own text.
With the completion of the Holy Spirit Book of
Sacred Text, The Saint John’s Bible project seems to have come full
circle. From its inception, it was hoped that the Bible project would
serve as in inspiration for others to make the scriptures their own.
The students and teachers of Holy Spirit definitely took that hope to
heart and made it a reality. One student summed up the project best
when he observed, “I won’t ever think about a book in the same way
again, and I know I won’t ever forget these amazing stories. I really
know them.” What a true gift these students, teachers and parents
have given themselves and the world.
Liturgical Press Publishes the first
two books based on The Saint John’s Bible
Gospels and Acts Donald Jackson,
Artistic Director and Illuminator
The first
in a seven-volume series of full-color, page-by-page reproductions from
The Saint John’s Bible, Gospels and Acts has more than 25
illuminations, including full-page opening illuminations for each of the
four gospels. Some of the prominent illuminations include the Genealogy
of Jesus, the Birth of Christ, the Raising of Lazarus, the Crucifixion,
Christ Our Light, the Last Supper, the Road to Emmaus, and Pentecost.
The Word of God, hand-illuminated through ancient methods by a
contemporary master, brings the reader to an epiphany of the sacred.
Those who allow themselves to savor the experience unfolding before them
will come to see how Gospels and Acts beautifully marries text and image
to serve the Word.
0-8146-9051-3 Hardcover with dust jacket, 136 pp., 9 3/4 x 15, $64.95
Rights: World, English except Australia, New Zealand and the European
Union.
Illuminating
the Word: The Making of The Saint John’s Bible
Christopher Calderhead, author; Jerry Kelly, Designer
In this companion volume to The Saint John’s
Bible, Christopher Calderhead takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of
this extraordinary project. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews,
this book tells the story of the makers of the Bible and the community
at Saint John’s Abbey and University. The day-to-day struggles of such a
monumental undertaking included challenges such as the selection and
preparation of more than 250 calf skins. The formation of a team of
calligraphers accustomed to working independently and communicating the
concerns of the advisory council in Minnesota with the artists in Wales.
Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John’s Bible explores a
modern version of an age-old relationship between patron and sponsor,
and the artistic director, scribes and artists producing this monumental
artwork. It describes lectio divina, the unique method the Benedictine
monks use to read the Bible, in which the Holy Scriptures come alive
through the power of imagination. It explores the challenge of creating
new images for ancient stories. It chronicles the artistic techniques,
the tools and materials and workshop practices Donald Jackson used to
create his lifetime masterpiece. Illuminating the Word reveals the
working process behind one of the greatest undertakings of our time and
vividly brings to life its challenges and triumphs.
0-8146-9050-5 Hardcover with dust jacket, 240 pp., 9 5/8 x 11 3/8,
$39.95
Rights: World, English
Available Now: to order visit our online
gift shop
or call 1-800-654-0476
The Art of The Saint John's
Bible is now available
Saint John's University introduces a variety of
ways you can bring this monumental achievement into your daily life.
The highest quality giclée prints are now available. You can
choose your own special page from the Bible or choose from the favorite
illuminations. visit the online
gift shop or call 1-800 -654-0476
Poetry and Illuminations
Kilian McDonnell, OSB, has been writing poetry based on his meditation of
scripture for some time. Several of his poems connect to
illuminations from The Saint John's Bible. See how Father Kilian
uses Word and Image to create poetry.

Patience and Fortitude
A new book written by Nicholas A. Basbanes, entitled Patience and
Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book
Culture, explores the world of books and the people who love them.
Much of the focus centers on the evolution of the book throughout
history, from the times of ancient scribes to the present, as well
as chronicling the libraries and institutions that treasure them.
In
his chapter called "Profiles in Bibliophagia," which is a
detailed look at the lives and natures of many specific book loving people
and institutions, Basbanes includes Saint John's Abbey and Saint
John's University with a discussion of their choice to take on the
wonderful task of making The Saint John's Bible.
The
following excerpt is from Patience and Fortitude, describing the
project:
"In
Collegeville, Minnesota, meanwhile, the Benedictine monks of Saint John's
Abbey and Saint John's University announced in the spring of 1999 that
they had commissioned Donald Jackson, the official scribe to Queen
Elizabeth II and one of the foremost calligraphers in the Western world,
to create a seven-volume manuscript version of the Old Testament and New
Testament entirely on vellum, complete with hand- painted illustrations
and illuminations prepared by a team of artisans working in his
scriptorium in Monmouth, England. Because it uses language that is
gender inclusive and nonintrusive to contemporary sensibilities, and is
"multicultural," "ecumenical," and
"prophetic" in its approach, the monks also chose the New
Standard Revised Version as their text. Executing every letter with
goose-quill pens on calfskin sheets, Jackson's group is expected to finish
the $3 million project in 2004. When it is completed, the Saint
John's Bible will be sent out on a worldwide exhibition tour and be made
available to the general public on CD-ROM, over the Internet, and in a
facsimile trade edition."
Patience and Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book
Culture by Nicholas A. Basbanes is published by HarperCollins
Publishers of New York, NY, 2001.
The
Saint John's Bible
featured in Christopher de Hamel's new book
The Saint John's Bible is featured
in the introduction of Christopher de
Hamel's new book, The
Book: A History of the Bible, Phaidon Press, 2001. Christopher de Hamel is the Fellow
Librarian of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, UK, and is recognized as
an international expert of manuscripts.
|