The Women of The Saint John’s Bible: Elaine Culver on Discovering Curiosity

Galveston, Texas – “What do you think?”

When Elaine Culver was asked this question, standing in a temperature-controlled vault admiring illuminations from the original manuscript of The Saint John’s Bible, she was stunned. She had just asked the question, “But what does it mean?” and was not expecting the very same question to be asked of her in return.

Culver grew up in a family and culture in which questions about the Bible were frowned upon. She decided not to bring up such questions until she could find a safe environment in which to ask them. She did eventually, but it was several years in coming.

“In my household, everything was either black or white, perfect or unacceptable,” said Culver. “I saw the unhappiness this rigid mindset fostered, so I have I spent much of my life trying to see the shades of gray and the stripes and the varieties of color in the world.”

Still, it is hard to shed childhood teachings, and the journey took time. Years passed as Culver learned as much about the world as she could, but she learned that some kinds of conditioning are harder to shed than others.

When she moved to Dallas, however, she began volunteering for an inquirer’s class at her church, which is of the Episcopalian tradition. One student walked in wearing a t-shirt that said, “Bad Theology Kills.” The slogan’s brazenness shocked and inspired her.

“I thought, where can I get one of those?’” said Culver. “I think she [the person wearing the shirt] was one of the members of the LGBT community. I grew up in a part of the country where that was frowned upon. It wasn’t until I moved to Dallas that I started seeing another way of looking at this. I’ve always believed that good people are good people regardless. So, I realized that that wasn’t the only area of life in which fundamentalism had done some damage.”

Thus, her journey continued. Culver loved God, loved the Word and the sacraments, and loved humanity. Those who know Culver know that her generous spirit has abounded since she was a young girl. She wanted to open the door for a more colorful, nuanced vision of spirituality in her life, but wasn’t exactly sure how.

Until one day, when she and other members of her parish were invited to Collegeville, Minnesota, to experience the original pages of The Saint John’s Bible. In a secure vault filled with delicate, ancient texts, Tim Ternes, Curator of The Saint John’s Bible, gently laid several of the original pages onto a long table for Culver and the others to see, touch, and interpret.

“What do you think?” asked Ternes.

It may seem like a small question, but for Culver, it sparked a seismic shift of inspiration.

“It was a complete reversal of all I ever knew,” said Culver. “And that’s when I decided my parish needed a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible.”

Healing After Tragedy

That first gift to the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas, ignited a years-long journey that Culver and her husband, Bruce, never could have anticipated. Since then, the Culvers have gifted editions of The Saint John’s Bible to 13 institutions total, including gifts to the Royal Library and Archives at Windsor Castle; Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; and Lambeth Palace Library in England.

Most recently, the Culvers gifted Heritage Editions to the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France in New Orleans, Louisiana and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. Both gifts were born out of deep, personal love for and connection to those places.

“I lived in New Orleans for a little while, and I love the people. They work hard, they play hard, they live for any excuse to eat, drink, be marry, but they’re very serious about their faith and families,” said Culver.

On January 1, 2025, a devastating terrorist attack sent the jubilant city into mourning. A man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 victims and leaving more than 50 others injured.

“When the tragedy happened, I knew I wanted to contribute to the healing of the city,” said Culver, who previously lived in New Orleans for several years. “The church that is synonymous with the city, of course, is the cathedral down on Jackson Square. We decided that this is where most people will have access to it. It’s a wonderful place for the Bible to be. They’re already planning how to use it and show it and teach it and so on. It’s amazing.”

A Gift to Last a Millennium

The Culvers’ other recent gift, to Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, is dedicated to Father Michael Patella, Professor Emeritus of Theology at Saint John’s University, the author of Word and Image, and chair of the Committee on Illumination and Texts for The Saint John’s Bible.

Father Patella has been a cornerstone of Saint John’s University and Abbey, and The Saint John’s Bible for years. So, when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2024, The Saint John’s Bible team knew they wanted to find a special way to honor and celebrate him. The Culvers stepped up to the plate, gifting a Heritage Edition to Saint John’s in honor of Father Patella.

“This gift is one of my personal favorites, because Father Michael’s work has had a profound impact on my life,” said Culver. “He’s a teacher, advisor and mentor, and he’s so loved and respected. Of all the people who don’t deserve anything bad, even a bad hangnail, he’s definitely one.”

Indeed, after Culver discovered The Saint John’s Bible, she dove into research on the subject. In her research, she came across Patella’s book about The Saint John’s Bible, Word and Image, where she read the following passage that left a permanent imprint on her relationship with theology.

“The Enlightenment’s greatest drawback, however, is that it destroyed that symbolic system that acted as the counterweight to an overly literalistic reading of the Bible,” writes Patella. “This legacy is the soil that has given rise to biblical fundamentalism. Whereas the agnostics and the atheists could manage in this universe without recourse to the world of either religious texts or metonyms, the believers could not. Christians, without the sensitivity to and awareness of the symbolic system (especially if they belonged to sects that had eradicated all symbols during the Reformation), had nothing left but the biblical text; as such, every word could only be taken as literal—not metaphorical—truth.”

As she dove deeper into the world of The Saint John’s Bible, Culver embraced symbolism, curiosity, grey areas, and a life full of color. She credits Patella as one of the catalysts of this new life.

The Global Impact of Gifting

Though not every gift shares this deeply personal significance, according to Culver, “Every donation has been a happy one.” She started her work as an anonymous donor, but changed her mind quickly after realizing how wonderful it was to not only anonymously gift editions of The Saint John’s Bible, but to immerse herself in each community she gifts.

“I want people to know that there is somebody who cared enough and was impressed enough to not only finance the acquisitions, but attend the dedication ceremonies, meet the people, and care about what they’re going to do,” said Culver. “I’ve found that some truly interesting things have been done with the Bible.”

Culver is particularly inspired by the work of Dr. Ellen Davis at Duke University, who has used illuminations from The Saint John’s Bible in Theology courses taught at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina. Her class, Theology from the Inside: Reading Psalms as Prayers of the Heart, includes both Duke Divinity campus students and incarcerated students. Together, they study and interpret the psalms in the context of their own lives and hearts.

Culver was also struck by the story of a blind pastor, Rev. Tripp Gulledge, who experienced The Saint John’s Bible alongside fellow scholars at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Together, the group started their analysis of the illuminations with the question posed by Tim Ternes, Curator of The Saint John’s Bible Project, “What do you see?” ensuring that each person shared an understanding of what was on the page before diving into interpretation.

Notably, Culver is in pursuit of a Doctor of Ministry (D. Min) from Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. Her thesis centers around how sacred art, The Saint John’s Bible in particular, can broaden our scope of theological understanding, and how leaving room for human interpretation invites God deeper into the Word – and the world.

“I don’t expect this Bible to fix everything or even anything, but I know it can certainly open our own minds and our own imaginations, to find a third way, or fourth way to work together,” said Culver. “I trust that if we’re well-meaning and willing to do the work, we’ll have help. There is room for all of us in the Bible.”

The Saint John’s Bible: Ignite the Spiritual Imagination

The Saint John’s Bible is blessed to have supporters and stewards around the world who tirelessly commit themselves to sharing the work of sacred art and scripture with a wider audience. Elaine Culver is, without a doubt, among the greatest and most generous facilitators of this commitment. The Heritage Program thanks Elaine and her husband, Bruce Culver for their momentous generosity and goodwill. 

To learn how you can gift an edition of The Saint John’s Bible to your community, click here.

To read more stories similar to this one, visit the blog or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, Sharing the Word.

To read Word and Image: The Hermeneutics of The Saint John’s Bible by Michael Patella, click here.