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Saint John’s Bible to be Displayed at Cathedral
Volume 28 Issue 7, 8 & 9 | Posted: September 19, 2014
Join Bishop Remi De Roo for the public presentation of all seven volumes of the Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition at St. Andrew’s Cathedral September 20th from 12:00 to 3:00 pm.
The book which is a gift from the bishop to the people of Vancouver Island has been presented to the University of Victoria Centre for Studies in Religion and Society. This generous gift will inaugurate the Found in Translation collection of modern renderings of sacred texts from around the world.
The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten illuminated Bible to be commissioned since the advent of the printing press. The Heritage Edition is a full-size fine art edition of this modern masterpiece and provides an opportunity to investigate the ways communities build bridges between ancient texts and contemporary societies.
Join Bishop Remi De Roo for the public presentation of all seven volumes of the Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition at St. Andrew’s Cathedral September 20th from 12:00 to 3:00 pm.
The book which is a gift from the bishop to the people of Vancouver Island has been presented to the University of Victoria Centre for Studies in Religion and Society. This generous gift will inaugurate the Found in Translation collection of modern renderings of sacred texts from around the world.
The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten illuminated Bible to be commissioned since the advent of the printing press. The Heritage Edition is a full-size fine art edition of this modern masterpiece and provides an opportunity to investigate the ways communities build bridges between ancient texts and contemporary societies.
This event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome.
The cost of this magnificent production is substantial. Each volume is priced at US $20,000, for a total of $140,000 for the complete set of seven. Five and a half volumes have been paid for. Donations are required for the rest. A generous anonymous donor will match any further gifts which can be made out to Bishop De Roo or to the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria.
The history of the project is that Saint John’s Abbey and the University operated by the Benedictine monks of Collegeville, MN, USA commissioned a new illuminated Bible to welcome in the new millennium. This is something that had not been done for 500 years.
Six artists around the world were commissioned. Each was encouraged to use modern imagery. As a result, figures such as cars and the World Trade Centre can be found.
The Saint John’s Bible and its artwork reflect a 21st-century sensibility, celebrating ideas such as quality of women. The original project was completed by a team of six calligraphers. Old-style instruments and materials were used, such as bird-quill pens on calf-skin vellum pages. It cost about $8 million.
It is an extraordinary work of art and spirituality, comparable to the Book of Kells which attracts so many tourists to Ireland.
The complete English text of the New Revised Standard Version, measuring over twenty-four by eighteen inches and replete with some magnificent illuminations in glorious colours, will be on display at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.