FA L L
SCRIBE
The
The Newsletter of the Heritage Edition —
2012
>> INSIDE
Heritage Edition Exhibited at Getty Museum Heritage Edition and the Malone University Community A Visual Experience to Enjoy Q&A with Edwin C. Schroeder, Yale University Printing of the Heritage Edition Completed Calendar of Events
The Fine Art Edition of The Saint John’s Bible
Kansas State University Welcomes Heritage Edition
Welcoming the Heritage Edition to the Yale Divinity School are (l to r) Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, Paul Stuehrenberg (Divinity Librarian), E.C. Schroeder (Director, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library), Martin Jean (Director, Institute of Sacred Music) and David Allaway (Heritage Edition Program). Photo courtesy of Yale University.
Shared Vision for Heritage Edition at Yale University Yale Divinity School hosted the reception of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible last spring; it was an occasion well-worth marking. Yale is the third oldest university in the United States. Founded in 1701 for the Congregationalist Churches of Connecticut to provide theological instruction for those entering the ministry, Yale has never forgotten its roots, from which have sprouted the Institute of Sacred Music along with the Berkeley Episcopal Divinity School. As an institution, Yale Divinity School has borne great fruit for Christianity in this country and around the globe. One of Yale’s most famous graduates is the great American writer and divine, Jonathan Edwards, class of 1720. Furthermore, after World War II scholars gathered at Yale, produced the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, from which comes the New Revised Standard Version, the translation used in The Saint John’s Bible. Yale is one of the greatest universities in the world, not only in the sciences but also in the liberal arts, and it has superlative facilities in these areas. A real gem on the Yale campus is the Beinecke Library, which was most instrumental in obtaining the Heritage Edition for the Divinity School. Y ALE U NIVERSITY
CONTINUED ON PAGE
3
Kansas State University students flock to the campus’s Hale Library for its hightech highlights: digital collaboration stations, a media development center and librarians who answer students’ questions via text messages. Thanks to a generous gift from two Kansas State University alumni, these tech-savvy library patrons now have access to volumes in a medium that predates the iPad by hundreds of years. Warren and Mary Lynn Staley, alumni from Edina, Minn., bestowed upon the university their volumes of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, displayed in the library’s special collections department. Having seen the original at nearby Saint John’s University, the Staleys were so impressed they purchased a reproduction and donated it to Kansas State University. “It is a masterpiece of art reproduced using the latest worldwide innovations of printing technology,” the Staleys said. “Kansas State University is the educational heart of our lives as well as the country, so we wished to enable this text to be in the center of conversations. It was too special to keep for ourselves. The wonderful educational outcomes the Heritage Edition will produce are what breathes life into education.” To celebrate the gift, Kansas State University and the adjacent Manhattan Christian College collaborated on K ANSAS S TATE U NIVERSITY CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
2 |
THE SCRIBE
Featured News
Heritage Edition Exhibited at Getty Museum The Getty Museum’s current exhibition, The Art of Devotion in the Middle Ages, took on a contemporary twist when The Saint John’s Bible came to Los Angeles on September 4, 2012. The day began with a Heritage Edition workshop for representatives from Azusa Pacific University, Brigham Young University, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, and Santa Clara University. The focus of the morning session included the artistic treatments used on each Heritage Edition and a presentation on the best practices in sharing the Heritage Edition on campus. Donald Jackson was on hand to share his personal journey with the art of calligraphy and to talk about the historical
influences that made The Saint John’s Bible possible. “When I was 14 years old, I was thrown out of an art museum for whistling in the public galleries,” said Jackson. “But I’d already caught the magic of the illuminated texts I saw there, and my life was changed by them.” Jackson’s lecture included a demonstration of his writing art, complete with feather quill. “Hopefully, my presentation helped audiences better understand the creation of these complex works of art.” In the afternoon, Getty patrons were treated to an overview on The Saint John’s Bible by director Tim Ternes; a lecture by Fr. Eric Hollas, OSB, offering a monk’s perspective of illuminated manuscripts; a presentation on the exhibition by the
Image courtesy of Sandy Doerr.
Getty’s curator of manuscripts, Elizabeth Morrison; and a hands-on calligraphy workshop by Diane von Arx, one of the contributing artists to The Saint John’s Bible. According to the Getty, over 250 participated in the conference. Donald Jackson’s lecture at the Getty will be available online. If you’d like to receive a notification when it becomes available, please contact Kerry Werlinger at kwerlinger@csbsju.edu.
Integrating Heritage Edition Into the Malone University Community Malone University (Canton, OH) implemented a “ripple effect” as it welcomed The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition to its campus community, a surge of energy which started with its board, alumni, donors and friends and continues to move on to the greater Stark County community and beyond.
Bible Project director, Tim Ternes, turns pages for guests to Malone University’s celebration of its Heritage Edition gift. Photographer: The AVISO AVW
In the spring of 2012 at a reception featuring a presentation by Tim Ternes, director of The Saint John’s Bible, students, faculty, and staff were introduced to the project and the beauty of the work itself. Then, as a component of their spring meeting, the Bible was showcased for the university’s Board of Trustees. Throughout the summer, the university turned its attention to preparing a permanent home for its Heritage Edition as finishing touches were put on the newly renovated Everett Cattell Library. A beautifully handcrafted display case showcases the Bible to welcome visitors and school groups to the campus. In the fall, Malone University will inaugurate its thirteenth president, David A. King, Ed.D. The Saint John’s Bible will be prominently and proudly displayed as an integral part of the heart, life and ethos of the campus community. In November, the University will host an academic symposium entitled The Saint John’s Bible and its Contribution to Biblical
and Theological Study with moderator Joel Soza, professor of Old Testament at Malone. But the best is yet to come. Plans are currently underway for collaborative events with the Canton Museum of Art, Arts in Stark, and the Downtown Canton Arts District for a community-wide celebration of inspirational art. These events are expected to reach far beyond Northeastern Ohio, involving local and regional artists, other university groups, and downtown historical churches as well. As for plans beyond 2013, the university is still in the dreaming stages. Suffice it to say, virtually all who have seen the Heritage Edition agree: there is something different about reading a hand-written Bible! Malone University considers it a great privilege to serve as its home, inspiring future generations for years to come.
[Suzie Thomas is the Director of University Relations for Malone University.]
THE SCRIBE
Y ALE U NIVERSITY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE
| 3
1
The Beinecke Library holds one of the world’s largest collections of rare books, prints, and letters. Initially, it was considered the perfect place for the Heritage Edition, for the Beinecke houses a Gutenberg Bible (purchased from the Benedictine Abbey of Melk in Austria in 1926)1, which is on display in its exhibition hall. The Saint John’s Bible, however, has evangelization and outreach as part of its focus. Using the Heritage Edition for display only was not the optimal choice. Fortunately, the dean of Yale Divinity School, Harold Attridge, and the director of the Institute of Sacred Music, Martin Jean, had another idea. They approached the director of the Beinecke, E.C. Schroeder. Could the Beinecke purchase the Heritage Edition and exhibit it at the Divinity School where students and visitors can pass by it every day, and where it could be used in liturgies at the Divinity School’s Marquand Chapel? E.C. Schroeder was enthusiastic about the idea as was Yale University President, Richard C. Levin. On May 2, 2012, the Yale Divinity School hosted a public reception for the Heritage Edition in the oak-paneled Mission Room of its library. Fr. Michael Patella of Saint John’s University, who was on sabbatical at Yale, delivered the address. The Heritage Edition today sits in the rotunda of the Yale Divinity Library for the viewing of students, faculty, and guests. As a witness to Christian unity and imagination, it will be a source of inspiration for centuries to come. [A member of the Catholic Biblical Association, Father Michael Patella, OSB, was the chair of the Committee on Illumination and Texts for The Saint John’s Bible. He is a professor of New Testament and rector of Saint John’s School of 4HEOLOGYs 3EMINARY =
1 Jonathan Rose, The Holocaust and the Book (Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001) 144.
Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz with donors Mary Lynn and Warren Staley, paging through the Heritage Edition Pentateuch volume. David Mayes, Kansas State University’s Division of Communications and Marketing.
K ANSAS S TATE U NIVERSITY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE
Creativity Illuminated, events inspired by The Saint John’s Bible and other living creative traditions. The celebration culminated in April with a performance by the Yuval Ron Ensemble, including Muslim, Jewish and Christian artists who unite sacred musical traditions into an inspirational music and dance celebration. “The Staleys gave this gift not just to K-State, but to the community,� said Lori Goetsch, dean of Kansas State Libraries. “We hope this vital piece of art and history is an academic and cultural resource at Kansas State University that inspires thought-provoking discussions in a comfortable environment with peers and professors. We appreciate the Staleys’ commitment to learning at Kansas State University through this generous gift.� Many professors hope to build on this learning opportunity, including Tonnie Martinez, assistant professor of secondary education. She plans to use the historical work in her Foundations of Education course as a bridge from her students’ digital world to a reproduction of a document that has been completely rewritten and illustrated by hand. “The Saint John’s Bible has images of
1
mankind’s accomplishments throughout the last 500 years,� Martinez said. “We are able to trace parallels from U.S. historical events and images to the foundations of education.� Greg Eiselein, professor of English, also wants to use The Saint John’s Bible to get students excited about studying texts more carefully and intensely. He plans to use the volumes as an opportunity for discussion in both his ‘Great Books’ and ‘The Bible’ courses. “I’m hoping this is an opportunity to discuss the history of the Bible’s formation — how it was produced, transmitted, canonized, translated and circulated,� Eiselein said. “ I want students to understand how the calligraphy and illustration are ways of interpreting and understanding what biblical texts say.� Hale Library holds four completed volumes: the Pentateuch, Wisdom Books, Psalms and Prophets volumes. They are available to students, faculty and community groups to borrow and use in their own displays. [Erinn Barcomb-Peterson is the Director of Kansas State University’s News and Editorial Services.]
44 ||
T TH HE E S SC CR R II B BE E
Noted & Celebrated
AVISUAL
experience
TO ENJOY
In March 2012, the printing of the Gospels and Acts volume of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition was completed. Containing some of the most recognizable, iconic imagery of the Bible as well as having unique hand touched applications to highlight their amazing gold and silver treatments, the Gospels and Acts volume has been eagerly awaited. The leather bound books soon will be shipped to Heritage Edition subscribers.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BUCK HOLZEMER.
THE SCRIBE
| 5
66 ||
T TH HE E S SC CR R II B BE E
First Person Edwin C. Schroeder
“Although I don’t see books going away anytime soon, I could imagine that great grandchildren would have to be taught what a book is and how to use its table of contents, title-page or index.” Edwin C. (E.C.) Schroeder arrived at Yale University in 1989, serving initially at the Sterling Memorial Library. Since 2011, he is serving as the Director of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. E.C. worked closely with Martin Jean, the director of Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, and Harold Attridge, dean of Yale’s School of Divinity, in acquiring the Heritage Edition. Given his experience working with manuscripts and rare books, The Scribe asked E.C. to comment on the impact that both the printing press and digital books have on the experience of reading. As well, he comments on his hopes for The Saint John’s Bible on the Yale campus.
Q: The oldest printed book in the Beinecke Library is the Gutenberg Bible, produced by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany about 1454. Do you think Gutenberg understood the profound impact his invention would have on the world and history?
A: It is interesting to question whether Gutenberg understood the impact his invention would have on the world and history. Gutenberg was a brilliant inventor as he combined his knowledge of a goldsmith and the use of wine making presses with the availability of paper to create a new method of producing books. Interestingly his first efforts were all aimed at the high end market, i.e. a large Bible that was intended for churches, monasteries, and the well-to-do. I don’t think Gutenberg fully appreciated the revolution that would come during the next 75 years as the impact of printing allowed for the cheaper production of books and pamphlets leading to the spread of knowledge and ideas rapidly across Europe. This included the spread of the Ancient Classics during the Renaissance and of new religious ideas during the Reformation. These new books reached a much wider audience than Gutenberg could ever have predicted.
are reading on a Kindle, iPad, or cellphone. This can’t help but influence the printing and publishing of books. Although I don’t see books going away anytime soon, I could imagine that great grandchildren would have to be taught what a book is and how to use its table of contents, title-page or index. In many ways this will be similar to the introduction that we do for students as to how a medieval manuscript or even a contemporary diary was written.
Q: Through Yale’s acquisition of the Heritage Edition, students, faculty and staff will now have access to The Saint John’s Bible. Where on campus do you see these volumes getting the most use?
Will e-books have a similar effect on printing that printing had on handwritten manuscripts? Will our great grandchildren experience the physical act of turning a page?
A: I expect that The Saint John’s Bible will get its primary use at the Divinity School as it fits nicely with its mission and purpose. However, over time I could imagine the Bible being used in conjunction with books and manuscripts at the Beinecke Library as scholars explore how the Bible was presented over more than 1000 years. The opportunity to compare The Saint John’s Bible with a medieval Bible or the Gutenberg Bible would be a great opportunity. How a generation portrays the text of the Bible is an interesting question. I could also imagine the Bible being used in conjunction with material from the Arts Library Special Collections where they are very interested in the art of the book.
A: I think e-books already have as can be seen from the rapid decline of newspapers. I commute to work by train and five years ago nearly everyone read books, newspapers and magazines. Today I would estimate that more than half of the passengers
[Edwin C. (E.C.) Schroeder is the Director of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.]
Q:
THE SCRIBE
Perspectives
| 7
INSPIRED CREATIVITY When I first saw the illumination of the ‘Birth of Christ’ accompanying the opening of the Book of Luke in The Saint John’s Bible, I was immediately struck by parallels with one of the illuminations in our manuscript collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, CA); that is, The Annunciation to the Shepherds. Painted in Flanders (in modern-day Belgium) in the late fifteenth century, it captures the same sense of wonder and delight experienced by those in the images who realize the import of Christ’s birth. The medieval page shows a striking nocturnal scene where an angel bathed in a golden light announces Christ’s birth to a group of awe-stricken shepherds. The real presence of the angel is attested to in delightful detail, including a furry terrier that jumps up in excitement at the angel’s unexpected arrival. In the distant background, a delicate line of golden angels floats down to the brilliantly lit manger. The ‘Birth of Christ’ image in The Saint John’s Bible image is given similar drama through its night setting, but here the angels appear to either side of a powerful column of light that
directly connects heaven and earth. Shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and domestic animals form a grouping similar to that in the medieval manuscript image. One aspect of both illuminations that struck me is the absence of the main character, the baby Jesus. His physical presence is superfluous because the meaning of each image is embodied in Christ’s spiritual advent to save mankind, symbolized in both by the pure light that descends from heaven. Though far separated by time and place, the Getty and The Saint John’s Bible illuminations attest to the dramatic potential of a moment that has inspired creativity in artists for millennia.
Master of the Houghton Miniatures, The Annuciation to the Shepherds, leaf from the Emerson-White Hours; Ghent, ca. 1480 (4 15/16 x 3 9/16 in.). Ms. 60, recto, The J. Paul Getty Museum.
Birth of Christ, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2002 The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Minnesota USA.
[Elizabeth Morrison is the Acting Senior Curator of Manuscripts for the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA.]
8 |
THE SCRIBE
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Saint John’s Univ.
SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY Heritage Program PO Box 7222 Collegeville, MN 56321
To see a complete listing of Saint John’s Bible events, visit: saintjohnsbible.org and click on “See the Bible.” You can also follow the journey of The Saint John’s Bible on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Regular updates, advance notices of new publications and photos of new illuminations can all be found on these social media sites.
Calendar of Events Upcoming Events Featuring the Heritage Edition, Framed Prints and the Original Manuscript ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT October 23, 2011 – December 31, 2012 Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible — An Epic Work of Art Forty-four original manuscript pages from The Saint John’s Bible are currently on exhibition at the New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The exhibition features works from Prophets and Wisdom Books alongside Contemplative Landscape, an original exhibition of photography depicting New Mexico’s sacred places.
3CROLLS AND THE "IBLE !NCIENT !RTIFACTS s Timeless Treasures at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. This exhibition showcases one of the most comprehensive presentations of Dead Sea Scroll fragments ever assembled, and Saint John’s University is proud to be included in the display. For more information on the exhibition or to order tickets, visit www.SeeTheScrolls.com
PRINT EXHIBITIONS July 2, 2012 – January 13, 2013 Dead Sea Scrolls and The Bible Six original pages from The Saint John’s Bible are part of the exhibition Dead Sea
October 11 – November 15, 2012 (10 Heritage Edition prints and two Heritage Edition volumes) Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA http://ncche.setonhill.edu
October 15 – November 15, 2012 (10 prints and two Heritage Edition volumes) St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Midland, TX http://st-anns.us November 8 – December 1, 2012 (10 prints and three Heritage Edition volumes) Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Bozeman, MT November 11, 2012 – January 27, 2013 (17 prints) Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church Jacksonville, FL www.habchurch.com November 12 – 27, 2012 (10 Heritage Edition prints and two Heritage Edition volumes) Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, KY www.thomasmore.edu/tsjb
About our Exhibitions: Heritage Edition exhibitions feature Heritage Edition framed prints and/or Heritage Edition volumes. Print exhibitions feature framed high-quality, fine art gicleé prints. Exhibitions of the original manuscript are a unique opportunity to see unbound pages of the original artwork.