The Saint John's Bible - illuminating dark times

The Saint John's Bible is being handwritten using traditional calligraphy skills by artistic director Donald Jackson and a team of skilled scribes in Wales. The finished Bible will be two feet tall, three feet wide, and will comprise nearly 1,100 pages in seven volumes, with 160 illuminations. It is being written on calfskin vellum with goose and swan quills, using natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments and gold and silver leaf. The Bible should be completed in July 2007 after more than five years work, and here is one of the wonderful illuminations.

Saint John's was founded by Benedictine monks almost 150 years ago, and is now one of the leading Catholic universities in America. 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 a commitment to religion, the arts and education. In the present climate of religous conflict let's revel in this extraordinary and uplifting story, and let's feast our eyes on the superb illuminations.
Image credits from Saint John's Bible web site: Image owners - if you do not want your picture used in this article please contact me and it will be removed. Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
If you enjoyed this post take An Overgrown Path to L'Orgue Mystique' - the images
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