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The Saint John’s Bible makes pilgrimage to the Vatican

With more than 1,150 pages and 160 illuminations, The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the invention of the printing press, reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

Commissioned by Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN, the handwritten, hand illuminated Bible is the first to be made in 500 years.

Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, has partnered with world-renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson, senior scribe to Her Majesty the Queen’s Crown Office at the House of Lords in London, England, to create this masterpiece.

The Saint John’s Bible will be presented to the Pope on Friday, April 4. This presentation will take place two weeks prior to Pope Benedict XVI’s first visit to the United States April 15-20, 2008. Please note for your files.

The most rare, full-size reproduction of The Saint John’s Bible will be presented to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI by the Papal Foundation on April 4, 2008.

The presentation will take place in Rome at the annual meeting of the Papal Foundation. The Holy Father will be presented the St. Peter Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible which includes a handwritten dedication page by Donald Jackson, the artistic director of The Saint John’s Bible. Only 12 sets of the Apostles Edition will be created.

On April 3, 2008, prior to the presentation to His Holiness, representatives of the Papal Foundation and Saint John’s community will speak about the St. Peter Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible.

The St. Peter Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible is a gift to Pope Benedict XVI from Saint John’s University and Abbey through the generosity of the Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst Foundation.

To spread its message of inclusion, The Saint John’s Bible is being written in English and includes powerful illuminations that place the manuscript clearly within our modern age.

Episcopalian, Protestant and Jewish advisors have helped to form the vision of The Saint John’s Bible, serving as consultants and as members of committees dedicated to assisting Donald Jackson in the creation of The Saint John’s Bible.

In the Middle Ages, monasteries helped preserve knowledge and culture for the sake of the greater community. By commissioning a handwritten Bible, Saint John’s revives a tradition and affirms its commitment to the study of scripture, to the book arts and to educational, artistic and spiritual pursuits.

The Saint John’s Bible, consistent with the educational mission, values and vision of Saint John's University, is a spiritual, educational and artistic endeavor and a significant contribution to the new millennium.

Beginning in 1970, 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 handwritten Bible with Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB, former executive director of the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library at Saint John's University.

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 the first words were written on vellum on Ash Wednesday of the year 2000.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) premiered Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible from April 10 through July 3, 2005. The MIA curated and helped organize the national and international tour. Following its debut, the exhibit travelled to major venues throughout the United States and internationally. A current outline of scheduled tour venues may be found at www.saintjohnsbible.org by clicking on “Exhibitions.”

Approximately 100 original pages from Gospels and Acts, Psalms and Pentateuch, the first three completed volumes of The Saint John’s Bible are on tour as part of the national exhibition. Items in the exhibition include original text and illuminated pages from the Bible, Donald Jackson’s process sketches, tools from Jackson’s scriptorium in Wales, as well as other manuscripts, Bibles and art from special collections at Saint John’s University. Target Corporation sponsored the national exhibition tour.

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[04/03/2008]

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