2006 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! In this companion volume to The Saint John's Bible,Christopher Calderhead takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of this extraordinary project. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, this book tells the story of the makers of the Bible and the community at Saint John's Abbey and University. The day-to-day struggles of such a monumental undertaking included chalenges such as the selection and preparation of more than 250 calf skins, as well as forming a team of caligraphers accustomed to working independently and communicating the concerns of the advisory council in Minnesota with the artists in Wales. Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John's Bible explores a modern version of an age-old relationship between patron and sponsor, and the artistic director, scribes and artists producing this monumentalartwork. It describes lectio divina, the unique method the Benedictine monks use to read the Bible, in which the Holy Scriptures come alive through the power of imagination. It explores the chalenge of creating new images for ancient stories. It chronicles the artistic techniques, the tools and materials and the workshop practices Donald Jackson used to create his lifetime masterpiece. Illuminating the Word reveals the working process behind one of the greatest undertakings of our time and vividly brings to life its chalenges and triumphs. 
Christopher Calderhead is a visual artist and graphic designer who has exhibited his letter-based works in the United States and Great Britain. He graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in Art History. His ealy interest in the English Arts and Crafts movement and formal pen lettering led him to the Roehampton Institute in London, where he studied caligraphy under Ann Camp. In 1988 he was elected to Fellowship in the Society of Scribes and Illuminators. In 1998 he obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Ordained the same year, he has served parishes in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church USA. He is editor of Alphabet, a journal of the lettering arts published by the Friends of Caligraphy. His series of short radio pieces, Looking for Spirituality at Tate Modern," was broadcast on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire in 2002. His book, One Hundred Mirales, a collection of mirale paintings by the great masters, was published in 2004. He lives and works in New York City. The Saint John's Bible and Illuminating the Word were commissioned by SaintJohn's Abbey and University as an expression of the Benedictine monks' daly focus on scripture and commitment to books, art and religious culture. "

Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John's Bible

Religion & Spirituality

Christopher Calderhead

Jerry Kelly

Christian Books & Bibles

The Saint John's Bible

The Saint John's Bible provides an opportunity for people to experience the Scriptures in a new - but at the same time ancient - way. Here are illuminations that bring the words of the Bible alive for the contemporary world. Some of the world's top calligraphers, working in a tradition al but replaced by the printing press centuries ago, invite us into a rich and varied creation. The illuminations draw on and update Eastern iconographic and Western sacred art traditions, resulting in one of the most important sacred art achievements of our time.
The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide brings text and illumination together for reflection. This guide further opens up the significance of elements in the illuminations, and points out recurring visual motifs that connect the stories within and across the volumes. You will find here some of the history of the tradition of illuminated Bibles, as well as insight into the thought processes and artistic Vision behind the planning and execution of the images. The guide covers the first three published volumes of The Saint John's Bible, Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. It includes information on the individual artists; an explanation of terms such as carpet pages and marginalia; an index of flora and fauna; and a chart of the chant tones used in Psalms. More importantly, it offers an invitation to experience the illuminations and the biblical text more deeply. This book features beautiful full color and black and white reproductions of more than 40 major artworks from the individual volumes and over two dozen reproductions of the minor elements (text treatments, marginalia, initials). It is the first book in a series of three, the second of which will feature the most recently released volumes, Prophets and Wisdom Books, while the third book will feature Historical Books and Letters and Revelation, the final volumes ofThe Saint John's Bible yet to be released. Susan Sink is a poet and writer, and is communications director at Saint Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She is also an oblate of Saint John's Abbey and the author of a book of poems, The Way of al the Earth.

The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts

Arts & Photography

Sink, Susan

Religious

The Gospels Folio is a brightly colored collection of 10 distinct note cards featuring prominent images from the Gospels and Acts volume of The Saint John's Bible such as the detailed card from The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes illumination.
1. Detail 2 from Baptism of Jesus 2. Detail 1 from Christ Our Light 3. Detail 2 from Christ Our Light 4. Detail 3 from Christ Our Light 5. Glory to God 6. And on Earth Detail 7. Special Treatment Luke 2 8. Gospel of Matthew 9. Lord's Prayer 10. Loaves and Fishes, Detail 2

The Saint John's Bible Note Cards: Gospels Folio

The New Testament Folio is a compilation of bold details from some of the most striking illuminations found in Gospels and Acts and Letters and Revelation volumes of The Saint John's Bible.• You Will Be My Witness, Acts 1:6-8, Donald Jackson with contributions from Andrew Jamieson • Detail 3 from Vision of the New Jerusalem, Donald Jackson • There Is One Body and One Spirit, Ephesians 4:4-6, Hazel Dolby • Beloved, Let Us Love One Another, 1 John 4:7-12, Donald Jackson • The Great Amen, Revelation 22:20-21, Donald Jackson • And Every Tongue Shall Confess, Philippians 2:5-11, Suzanne Moore • Detail from If I Speak in the Tongues of Mortals, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Thomas Ingmire • Woman and the Dragon, Donald Jackson • Detail from The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Donald Jackson • Milkweed and Butterfly, Chris Tomlin

The Saint John’s Bible Note Cards: New Testament Folio

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the The Saint John's Bible publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by The Saint John's Bible

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the The Saint John's Bible publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John's Bible

The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts

The Saint John's Bible Note Cards: Gospels Folio

The Saint John’s Bible Note Cards: New Testament Folio