THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE

“The calligrapher does well what many do heedlessly and hastily, what machines do mindlessly, and by cultivating the art of writing reminds us all of the pure joy of a creation good in all its designs.”

— Fr. Hilary Thimmesh (1928-2019), President of St. John’s University (1982-91)

THE SAINT JOHN’S BIBLE AT TRANSFIGURATION

by David Flick

When, earlier this year, Elaine Culver first encountered the illuminations of The Saint John’s Bible, it reminded her of the first stunning pictures from the Webb Space Telescope. “The illuminations suggested that God was starting a conversation with me. He was asking what do you think?” she said. “The pictures of the universe from the Webb Telescope were so stunning, and I thought, ‘The creator of those things wants my opinion.’ It was such a different way of looking at it.”

Through the generosity of long-time parishioners Frances & Bob Martin and Elaine & Bruce Culver, the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration now possesses a Heritage Edition copy of The Saint John’s Bible, one of fewer than 300 that will ever be produced.

The Bible was commissioned by Saint John’s Abbey and University, a 168-year-old institution located in Collegeville, Minnesota. The original manuscript, believed to be the first illuminated handwritten Bible commissioned in 500 years, was the idea of Donald Jackson, senior scribe to the British Crown. Jackson, born in Lancashire, England, conceived the idea as a child, publicly proposed it in 1970 and persuaded Saint John’s officials to commission the project in 1998. The first volume was completed four years later; the seventh and final volume in 2011.

There was a reason it took such a long time. Directed from a scriptorium in Wales, the calligraphers wrote each word with quill pens fashioned from goose, turkey or swan feathers. Each of the 1,150 pages took 8-12 hours. Each page was scripted on costly vellum.

Even more striking than the script are the 160 illustrations. The illustrators used gold and silver leaf and other precious metals mixed with egg yolk. They incorporated images of women and of minority groups, who had often been ignored in the past, and they included themes of modern science and technology. An illustration depicting hell, for example, includes a depiction of the AIDS virus. A worker sowing grain wears blue jeans.

The completed manuscript now resides at Saint John’s University in Collegeville. It has not yet been bound so that pages of the original can be publicly displayed at venues around the world. When the vellum pages are finally bound together into seven volumes, the original will remain at Saint John’s University.

Aware that the intent was never to create a museum exhibit, the brothers of Saint John’s puzzled over how to share this remarkable work with the world. “If we created the original and then squirreled it away, few people could have experienced it,” said Brad Neary, director of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program. The brothers approached Donald Jackson with a request to create a limited run of high-quality replicas that could be purchased by churches, hospitals, schools, and families which would allow greater numbers of people to encounter The Saint John’s Bible.

After extensive discussions and careful research on the best methods that could be used to reproduce faithfully the handwritten Bible, Donald Jackson agreed. Cotton paper was used instead of vellum; foil instead of gold or silver leaf. Each volume is full-sized, hand-sewn in linen, bound in Italian leather, with each of the major illuminations individually finished, so that each copy is unique. The quest for authenticity was almost obsessive. For example, the vellum in the original manuscript is so translucent that an illumination on one page shows through on the other side. Modern cotton paper blocks such show-through, yet Donald Jackson insisted that

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the effect be recreated in the Heritage Edition volumes. Thus, each Heritage Edition is printed with a faint watermark that mimics this effect.

Father Casey and Mother Rebecca both had been aware of the existence of The Saint John’s Bible for several years. Father Casey had encountered the Heritage Edition at a conference several years ago; Mother Rebecca first encountered it at a conference earlier this year. “Every illumination took my breath away,” she recalls. “I was awestruck. I thought, ‘We must have this!’” Returning to the display table several times over the course of that conference, she and Fr. Casey learned about a program: “A Year With The Saint John’s Bible” which would afford Transfiguration the opportunity to have the volume containing the Gospels and Acts, together with speakers from the Saint John’s community, over the course of one year.

Fr. Casey approached long-time members, Frances and Bob Martin. They loved the idea and readily agreed to underwrite our participation. Their generosity in purchasing the Bible for a year allowed a group from Transfiguration to visit Collegeville in May of this year to learn about the history and creation of the manuscript and illuminations.

While they were there, over a dinner hosted by Mr. Neary and the staff of The Saint John’s Bible, Mrs. Culver said she discussed the acquisition of a Heritage Edition with Fr. Casey and Mtr. Rebecca. “I told Fr. Casey, ‘I think Transfiguration needs one of those.’”

As Mr. Neary remembers it, he had left the table for just a few moments. When he returned, he sensed that something had happened. “Casey had a Cheshire cat look on his face,” Neary recalls. That’s when he learned that Mrs. Culver had just informed him of the couple’s decision to donate the funds to acquire our Heritage Edition.

By July, the Transfiguration volumes arrived. The Martins and the Culvers were invited to join Mtr. Rebecca and other members of the staff in a small crate opening ceremony. On Transfiguration Sunday this August, the Gospels and Acts volume made its debut in our Sunday morning services. It has been used regularly for Sunday worship since then.

12 This month, seven custom-made display cases were installed in our Gathering Space to serve as the permanent home for our Heritage Edition. The cases are made of wood and steel, with a modern design that reflects the architecture of the Transfiguration campus and its philosophy.

“It wouldn’t do to have a marble platform,” said Senior Warden, Mark Ramsay, who oversaw the creation of the displays. “We are a modern, forward-thinking, and progressive parish, and The Saint John’s Bible, which includes illuminations featuring the roles of women, science, and global equality, is also progressive.

Within its display, each volume will sit on a platform, angled at 20 degrees to protect its spine, encased in glass on the top and sides. The objective is that the glass protect without serving as a barrier. Lighting within and around the display cases will allow the illuminations to reflect light as they are designed to do.

In September, Mr. Neary journeyed to Dallas to conduct a three-hour training session for about 20 church members who will serve as docents. The docents were given instructions about how to handle the volumes, how to turn the pages and, especially, how to answer questions from visitors.

The acquisition has put Transfiguration in distinguished company. Other copies — only about 150 have been acquired so far — are housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, the

J.P. Morgan Library in New York, Saint Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, and the Vatican Library in Rome.

With the acquisition of our Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, Transfiguration has access to digitized images of each illumination, speakers from the Saint John’s community, and hopes to become a destination for other churches, schools, and community groups seeking to encounter this remarkable Bible.

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