Page 7 - Priorities #31 2005-July

Ancient Craftsmanship
As the first major manuscript Bible to be commissioned in nearly five centuries, the Saint John’s Bible intentionally hearkens back to ancient techniques. Sheets of calfskin are carefully treated and scraped to make the purest white vellum.
The purest ink pigments—some produced over a century ago—are mixed with egg yolk, then applied using goose quills. Gold leaf is hammered thin and affixed to a base of gesso made from sugar, fish glue, white lead powder, and slate plaster. Any writing mistakes must be fixed by gently scraping off the top layer of vellum with a penknife and re- treating the surface.
Yet this Bible is no relic of the past. Jackson and his team are using sophisticated layout software to map out each page, combining ancient techniques with cutting-edge technology. The illuminations are carried out in a modern artistic idiom which uses vibrant colors and unusual perspectives to explore Scripture from new angles. The text uses fonts specially designed by Jackson to be reverent yet distinctive and, above all, readable. Moreover, their interpretative approach is decidedly contemporary. A group of scholars from Saint John’s, the Committee on Illumination and Text (CIT), provides Jackson with a background of exegesis and commentary for each illustration, taking account of historical-critical scholarship
and ecumenical thought. The CIT places special emphasis on the Benedictine values of hospitality, personal transformation, and justice for all of God’s people.
Christian, Hebrew, Islamic Links
The focus of the project is ecumenical as well. The CIT chose to use the New Revised Standard Version, the translation most widely used across the denominational spectrum of Christianity, for the text of the Bible. The NRSV, which employs gender-inclusive language as much as possible, has been approved for use by the Roman Catholic
church and over thirty Protestant churches, as well as some Eastern Orthodox leaders. Also, many of Jackson’s illuminations explicitly invoke different religious traditions: Buddhist mandalas and Jewish menorahs combine with Christian symbols like fishes, bread, and wine. The first illumination
to be completed, the frontispiece to the Gospel
of Matthew, names Jesus’ ancestors in English, Hebrew, and Arabic to illustrate the many historical links between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Completion Date in 2007
At present, the Saint John’s Bible is just over
half complete. The fourth volume, containing
the prophetic writings of the Hebrew Bible, was finished in April. The last volume is scheduled for completion in 2007, after which the entire Bible will be bound in a specially constructed wood and leather cover. The original Bible will be kept at Saint John’s, where it will be displayed and used liturgically. Prints of individual pages and facsimiles of the entire Bible will also be available for sale to the public.
Woodside Priory School’s faculty enjoyed a slide presentation and lecture with Father Eric as part of their annual Benedictine retreat last spring. Father Eric said a public showing of the complete facsimile (exact copy) of the Bible could probably be arranged when the project is complete in about four years.
Five hundred years after the production of
the last handwritten Bibles, Saint John’s is hoping this Bible will provide a lasting legacy well into
the new millennium. According to Fr. Hollas, “It’s the one thing we’ll probably be remembered for five hundred years from now. The buildings will go. Most of the buildings that all of us see today are going to be gone five hundred years from now. And oddly enough, this one piece of human artistic achievement will probably still be here.” If it is, the world will have Donald Jackson, his team, and the community of Saint John’s to thank.
Five hundred years from now.
this one piece of human artistic achievement will probably still be here. Everything else we see around us will probably be gone.
Father Eric Hollas, WPS Trustee Senior Associate for
Arts and Cultural Affairs,
St John’s University (MN)
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Photographs showing the dazzling color
of the illuminations are available on the Web site—www. saintjohnsbible.org