What is The Saint John’s Bible?

                        

    What is The Saint John’s Bible?

During the Middle Ages, monasteries preserved culture and knowledge for the sake of the greater community. Monasteries had rooms where monks meticulously copied Holy Scripture onto animal skin sheets.

The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century changed all that. In 1998, the Benedictine Monastery in Collegeville, MN, commissioned a handwritten Bible as a special endeavor for the new millennium. Eleven artists  and calligraphers labored over ten years to hand-produce 1150 pages of text and 160 major illuminations in seven volumes. In this recreation of the medieval tradition, the artists worked in media true to ancient forms. The Saint John’s Bible bible is the first handwritten bible produced in more than 500 years!

The vision of the project is multifaceted, remaining faithful to Benedictine tradition. The project is a work of sacred art, glorifying God’s Word in its beauty. It ignites the spiritual imagination in the modern viewer, as the concepts in the modern style illuminations are global and multicultural. The illuminations give voice to the underprivileged in unique form.

What is the Heritage Edition?

The seven volumes of the Heritage Edition  represent a commitment for many to explore the artistic and spiritual beauty of The Saint

John’s Bible. The Heritage Edition is a limited, signed and numbered fine art edition of the original work. Only 299 editions have been created and many are placed in religious, arts, academic, healing, and literary institutions around the world.

Donald Jackson, artistic director of The Saint John’s Bible, oversaw the printing of the Heritage Edition. Gold and silver treatments replicate the original, and many of these required hand finishing. No two sets of the Heritage Edition are identical.

The volume containing the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles visiting the Cathedral at this time is one of the Heritage Edition collection.

Why is this volume visiting the Cathedral-Basilica?

The Diocese of Saint Augustine is participating in a special program of the Heritage Edition: “A Year With The Saint John’s Bible.” The volume is touring various parishes throughout the diocese so that our own spiritual imaginations might be ignited by our interaction with this work of beauty.

During the time at the Cathedral-Basilica, the parish provides activities, which are planned to allow all in this area to interact with the beautiful volume. Upcoming activities include these:

Visits to Cathedral Parish School and Saint Joseph High School during Catholic Schools Week.
Presentation by professor Dr. Jack Daniels, Th.D., Wednesday, February 21, 6:15 at the Bishop Baker Center.
Iconography 101 a course in writing icons, Saturday, February 10, and Saturday, February 17.

How can I learn more?

Learn about the Saint John’s Bible Project

Reflect on the Word of God using the Saint John’s Bible

Visit the gallery of images

Shop for books and printed material

Contact Dr. Jack Daniels, Th.D., for more additional information DanielsJ@flagler.edu

 

Photos courtesy of Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. 2014