The Saint John’s Bible is a work of art and a work of theology. This contemporary Bible was created by a group of 23 scribes, artists and assistants in a Scriptorium in Wales under the artistic direction of Donald Jackson, Senior Scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of Lords. The team worked in conjunction with a committee of theologians, scholars and artists from Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota. This collaboration brought together the ancient techniques of calligraphy and illumination with an ecumenical Christian approach to the Bible rooted in Benedictine spirituality. The result is a living document and a monumental achievement. All 73 books from the Old and New Testaments (including Apocrypha) using the New Revised Standard Version are presented in seven volumes of approximately 1,150 pages. After fifteen years of work, the pages were completed in 2011 and given a permanent home in The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML), located on Saint John’s University campus, Minneapolis.
The Saint John’s Bible incorporates many of the characteristics of its medieval predecessors: it was written on vellum using quills pens fashioned from feathers, natural handmade inks, hand ground pigments and gild such as gold leaf, silver leaf and platinum. Yet, it employs a modern, English translation as well as contemporary scripts and illuminations.
The goal of The Saint John’s Bible is to ignite the spiritual imagination of all peoples throughout the world by commissioning a work of art that illuminates the Word of God for a new millennium in a way that is relevant to the 21st century. It is a prophetic witness to the Word of God in our day and beyond, an opportunity for learning and scholarship and a dignified expression of the Benedictine vision: "That in all things God may be glorified.”
Timeline
In 1997 Donald Jackson proposed the idea for a hand-written, hand-illuminated copy of the Bible to the President of Saint John’s University. The project began in 1998 and in March 2000 the first words of The Saint John's Bible (from the gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word…”) were written by Jackson. Each of the 1,165 pages of The Saint John's Bible required 7-13 hours to complete. Work on the Heritage Edition began in 2007 and in May 2011 the final volume of The Saint John's Bible was complete.
Translation
The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) was selected by theologians and scholars at Saint John’s University as the translation for The Saint John’s Bible because its predecessor, the Revised Standard Version, had gained the distinction of being officially authorized for use by most major Christian Churches: Protestant, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.
Illuminations
The Saint John’s Bible has over 160 illuminations, many in gold leaf, and numerous special text treatments filling its 1,100+ pages.
Visit The Saint John’s Bible website to read more about how The Saint John's Bible was created.
“The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition exquisitely blends Regent’s commitment to the power and authority of Scripture with the College’s deep appreciation for the arts” ~ Regent College President Jeff Greenman 
