The Original Manuscript

A monumental masterpiece of calligraphy and art to mark the millennium

Creation (detail), Donald Jackson, © 2003 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

A masterpiece of Biblical Proportions

The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in over 500 years. Created to mark the Millennium, this wildly ambitious project was conceived of by Donald Jackson former Senior Scribe and Illuminator at the Crown Office in the House of Lords, who was commissioned by the Benedictine Monks of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. Under Jackson’s fastidious creative direction, The Saint John’s Bible was brought slowly and diligently into existence by a team of gifted scribes, artists, and assistants. Letter by letter, line by line, year by year, across an astonishing 1,100 gorgeous handwritten pages. All told, it took Jackson’s talented team 15 years to complete this colossal work. A moment in its presence, however, is all it takes to be deeply moved by its spiritual elegance, pristine craft, fine attention to detail, stunning artwork, gilded illuminations, and, of course, by the sacred words of the scriptures themselves.

The skilled hand of a calligrapher artfully infuses every letter and symbol on a page with signature style, flowing elegance, and powerful creative dynamism. Each arcing stroke and looping flourish serves to animate the language, excite the reader’s eye, and stir emotion. With advances in printing technologies, calligraphers today focus mainly on small-scale works such as invitations, typography design, and memorial documents; not large-format pieces like books, and certainly not one as formidable as the bible. In fact, not since the advent of the printing press had anyone dared to put quill to vellum, using ancient inks and hand-ground pigments to produce a handwritten bible. This is why the moment you lay eyes on The Saint John’s Bible for the very first time and behold the wondrous calligraphic artistry that dances across each page, it is eminently clear why this hasn’t been done in over 500 years: this is truly and quite literally a work of biblical proportions.

How It Was Created

Michael Freeman, Michael Freeman Photography, London

Written Page

In the Middle Ages, monasteries were leaven in both church and society. They were centers of culture and learning which kept the tradition of scriptural reading alive for the whole world. They helped preserve knowledge and culture for the sake of the larger human family. In commissioning this handwritten, illuminated Bible, Saint John’s Abbey revived a tradition that had been nearly absent from the Christian world since the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century.

The Text and Script

The Saint John’s Bible uses the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation of the Bible. This translation was chosen because it is theologically sound and because its predecessor, the Revised Standard Version, is officially authorized for use by most Christian Churches: Protestant, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.

The script used in The Saint John’s Bible was designed by Donald Jackson with three qualities in mind. The text had to be readable, modern, and appropriately dignified for the Bible. Subtle differences in the final script mark the work of the six individual scribes on the project.

The Ink

The black ink used for the primary lettering in The Saint John’s Bible was made in China in the 1870s. Donald Jackson purchased the ink sticks in the 1960’s and 70’s from Roberson and Company, Long Acre, London which has long since shut down. He was able to purchase dozens and dozens of the ink sticks for about 2 shillings a piece, or about 12 cents a stick. The inks are made from soot, or lamp black, and this pure carbon base produces a rich black and almost fade resistant letters that will grace the pages of the Bible for centuries to come.

The Quills

The best quills for the scribes to use are strong and supple, coming from mature turkeys, swans, and geese. Before they can be used for writing, the quills must be cured, or hardened, then cut, and trimmed.

Sarah Harris, studio assistant, began by removing the ends with a quill knife and leaving the quills to soak for twenty-four hours. The next day the internal membrane is taken out and before warm sand (heated in a frying pan) is poured over each quill while rotating it. When the barrel (shaft) of the quill turns from milky to clear, the sand is removed, and the hardened quills are stored in a jar. Next, the long barbs on one side of the quill are stripped away. A series of three scooping cuts with a quill knife, a slit, and a final trim to the point quickly turn the quill into a responsive writing tool. Now the quill is ready for writing.

The Vellum

The calfskin vellum used for The Saint John’s Bible were prepared by William Cowley Parchment Makers in the small market town of Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. After careful selection of the 285+ sheets of vellum used in the Bible project, studio assistant Sarah Harris prepared each one individually to create the perfect writing surface. The surface of each skin was sanded until the finish became soft and velvety. After a page of vellum was prepared, pencil lines were ruled on it for the scribes to follow. To mark the column widths, a ruling guide was centered on the page, and holes the correct distance apart were pricked at the bottom and the top. Vertical pencil lines were then drawn along a metal ruler laid between the holes.

Computer Graphics

Vin Godier, the project’s graphic designer/typesetter, devised the precise layout of every page. This allowed the scribes to work simultaneously, since they knew in advance exactly how each page would begin and end. Using a typeface that closely approximates the script Jackson designed for the Bible, Godier determined the space for each letter, beginning with raw digital text of the New Revised Standard Version. All editions of the NRSV, including this manuscript edition, followed prescribed guidelines. Paragraphing and spacing between paragraphs are integral parts of the translation. A special dictionary establishes acceptable word breaks. Godier’s printouts were used by the scribes, illuminators, and proofreaders.

The Illuminated Page

“The illuminations are not illustrations. They are spiritual meditations on a text. It is a very Benedictine approach to Scriptures.”

– Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, Chair of the Committee on Illumination and Text

The Saint John’s Bible is a work of art designed to ignite the spiritual imagination of people throughout the world. Over 160 works of art grace the pages of the Bible, but The Saint John’s Bible is not meant to be a picture book. The art in The Saint John’s Bible is meant to serve as an invitation into the scriptures. The works convey a sense of welcome and ask the viewer to question and explore further with others. Each artwork is designed to spark conversation and discussion and to engage people in the communal nature of the Word. A Biblical illumination takes the Word of God and glorifies it by transforming the Word into a complementary art form employing illustration, color and design. The Saint John’s Bible is a prophetic witness to the glory of the Word of God and to humankind’s God-given dignity.

Several approaches were taken to representing the divine in the pages of The Saint John’s Bible. Reading the Gospels, you will see the images of Jesus range from representational to abstract. In Prophets, the rainbow, that sign of God’s enduring promise to Noah, is used to show the presence of God. Gold leaf is used throughout, from Creation to Apocalypse, to direct the reader to the divine throughout scripture and in oneself.

Sketch Collection, The Saint John's Bible Archive

A process sketch for the Birth of Christ illumination by Donald Jackson.

Ruth and Naomi , Suzanne Moore, © 2010 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Architecture
of a Page

Each page has two 4 ¾ inch columns. Prose text in each column is justified left and right, with 54 lines per column, and an average of 10.5 words per line. Poetry is written in a slightly smaller variant of the main Bible script. This allows a slightly longer word count per line and avoids broken lines.
Each of the 73 books of the Bible begins with a decorative book heading with the book title written in raised gold.
The “x” height describes the size of the script. The small letters are about two millimeters tall. The height of the script is directly proportional to the size of the quill.

Volumes

There are seven distinct volumes in The Saint John’s Bible each with their own illuminations or special treatments and characteristics. These seven volumes contain the 73 books of the Old and New Testaments.

VOLUME 1 – PENTATEUCH

Creation , Donald Jackson, © 2003 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Beginning with the books of Genesis and Exodus, the narratives of God’s chosen people unfold as these first five books open with the primeval history of the universe, human encounter between good and evil and God’s redemptive nature, before giving insights into cultic legislation for temple priesthood, and the stories of the desert wanderings of the Israelites, Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, writes in his book Word and Image: The Hermeneutics of The Saint John’s Bible.

Unique Stats

164 pages of writing on 41 bifolia (skin with writing on both sides, for four pages total)
8 illuminations
8 special treatments
7 marginal decorations
193 large capitals (187 written by Donald)

VOLUME 2 – HISTORICAL BOOKS

Joshua Anthology , Donald Jackson, © 2010 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Christopher Calderhead, in Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John’s Bible, explains that in a Roman Catholic Bible, the historical books are all grouped together, telling the whole sweep of the history of the Israelites in one collection. The story begins where the Pentateuch leaves off, with entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land. Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, writes in Word and Image that when “reading the Historical Books, we should always be aware that what we are perusing is a snapshot of an overly zealous people who are growing in their relationship with God.”

Unique Stats

276 pages of writing on 69 bifolia
24 illuminations
3 special treatments
7 marginal decorations
306 large capitals
3 small capitals

VOLUME 3 – WISDOM BOOKS

Pillars of Wisdom , Donald Jackson, © 2006 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

This collection of texts weaves together themes of creation, practical wisdom, and the practical nature of the divine. Wisdom, traditionally personified here as a woman, is God’s way of interacting with the created world as “Wisdom Woman,” present with God from the very beginning of creation (Gen 1:2), explains Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, in Word and Image.

Unique Stats

140 pages of writing on 33 bifolia
11 illuminations
10 special treatments
13 marginal decorations
157 small capitals

VOLUME 4 – PSALMS

Psalms Frontispiece , Donald Jackson, © 2004 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

The hymnbook of ancient Israel, the Psalms are the people’s response to God’s presence in their lives, featuring “the full gamut of human emotion,” Fr. Michael Patella explains in Word and Image. An essential piece of monastic life, this volume is graced with digital prints of the monks at Saint John’s Abbey chanting their daily prayer, as well as representations of other chant traditions throughout the world.

Unique Stats

88 pages of writing on 22 bifolia
6 illuminations
1 special treatments
81 marginal decorations
143 small capitals

VOLUME 5 – PROPHETS

Isaiah’s Vision , Donald Jackson, © 2005 The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved

The role of the prophet, Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, writes in Word and Image, was to speak in the name of the Lord, speaking truthfully when they saw injustice, greed, violence, or social inequity. While the people of ancient Israel were often confused about how to determine a true prophet, the visions of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others during the Babylonian Captivity fill the pages of this volume.

Unique Stats

228 pages of writing on 57 bifolia
9 illuminations
8 special treatments
13 marginal decorations
257 small capitals

VOLUME 6 – GOSPELS & ACTS

Birth of Christ , Donald Jackson, © 2002, The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Historically and theologically, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ separates the Old from the New Testament, writes Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, in Word and Image. The first volume completed for The Saint John’s Bible project, the pages of Gospels and Acts abound with significant illuminations and text treatments. The life of Christ and the journey of the early church are explored in theologically rich and startling new ways that reward ongoing reflection.

Unique Stats

139 pages of writing on 34 bifolia plus 2 singletons
27 illuminations
9 special treatments
17 marginal decorations
111 large capitals

VOLUME 7 – LETTERS & REVELATION

Vision of the New Jerusalem , Donald Jackson, © 2011 The Saint John’s Bible , Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Beginning with the collection of epistles and letters widely attributed to the apostle Paul, theological questions and answers give insight into the challenges of the early Christian church issues that demand new responses in light of Christ’s resurrection, Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, explains in Word and Image. He continues, writing how the New Testament ends with the book of Revelation—a vivid, energetic, and hopeful vision on the end of time.

Unique Stats

100 pages of writing on 26 bifolium
12 interpretive illuminations
20 special treatments
8 marginal decorations
131 large capitals