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Christianity Today, September, 2007 |

The Bible in Brush & Stroke

Medieval and modern join forces in the Saint John's Bible.

Jennifer Trafton | posted 9/19/2007 06:10PM

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Study Bible in Pictures

The Saint John's Bible is a self-acknowledged commentary in visual form—a kind of study Bible in pictures—so it is fair game for theological critique. Liturgical Press's facsimile reproductions of the illuminated volumes will also provide fodder for debates about the relationship between words and images. Do the illuminations shed light on Scripture, or do they obscure or distort it? How can imagination be limited by our cultural assumptions and idolatries—and how can it transport us beyond them? These questions have plagued Christians throughout history, and Protestants in particular have been critical of images as conduits of truth. This project provides an ideal opportunity to revisit these important issues.

But the Saint John's Bible is more than a study Bible in pictures. The pages of painstakingly handwritten text vastly outnumber the illustrations. The least controversial elements of the project are the many examples of pure calligraphy—words themselves taking center stage, expressed with all the precision and beauty that a goose quill pen and hand-ground ink can produce. What remains to be seen is whether the Saint John's Bible can spark a revival of a classic Christian art form that is both aesthetically rich and ultimately subservient to the words of Scripture.

Jennifer Trafton is managing editor of Christian History & Biography.

Related Elsewhere:

See the slideshow that accompanies this article for images of the St. John's Bible.

The St. John's Bible website has a media coverage section, more pages from the Bible, and video and sound galleries.

Liturgical Press published reproductions of sections of the St. John's Bible. Wisdom Books, The Prophets, The Psalms, The Pentateuch, The Gospels and Acts, The Book of Gospels, Illuminating the Word: The Making of the Saint John's Bible, and The Art of the Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, are available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

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September 2007, Vol. 51, No. 9

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 11 comments.

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T Carl

Posted: September 20, 2007 1:22 PM


How interesting that someone has decided to bring some of the Biblical art work forward to the twenty-first century. Two thumbs up.

shannon

Posted: September 20, 2007 9:52 AM

What a great idea! Christians who are in the arts should celebrate this and start to create professional,thoughtful,meaningful art that honors God and bring revival in the arts, good works can be created by Christians, not necessarily "Christian art". Art can be "used" for evangelical purposes, but creating art alone pleases God, because He is the God who creates and enjoy beautiful world He created. He is the greatest artist!

Simon Hope

Posted: September 19, 2007 7:29 PM


It is estimated that it took the skins of 200 sheep to make possible the creation of Codex Sinaiticus. That, of course, was back in the 4th century, a thousand years before the days of printing and paper. How many calves were sacrificed to make this more recent objet d'art possible?

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