Rare Bible on display at senior care centers

The Heritage Edition of the Saint John’s Bible will be available for public display at St. Gabriel’s Community in Bismarck, St. Benedict’s Health Center in Dickinson and Benedictine Living Center of Garrison in April and May.
 
This special opportunity was brought to life through a partnership between Benedictine Health System (parent organization of the senior care centers) and the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minn., to honor the 125 ^th anniversary of their sponsor, the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery. 

Tour Schedule and Contact Information

April 16 - May 2
St. Benedict’s Health Center, Dickinson
701-456-7317        www.saint-benedicts.org

April 17 - May 4
Benedictine Living Center of Garrison
701-463-2226        www.blcgarrison.com

May 5 - 17
St. Gabriel’s Community, Bismarck
701-751-5115      www.stgabrielscommunity.org

Mass, followed by a blessing of the Bible by Bishop David Kagan, Diocese of Bismarck, and reception will be held Tuesday, May 8 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.  Open to the public.

The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago. Noted for its vibrant, colorful “illuminations” and elegant calligraphy, the one-of-a-kind Heritage Edition is a full-size fine art edition of the original manuscript created under the direction of Donald Jackson, the artistic director of the original manuscript.

The making of the Heritage Edition revived a tradition that dates back centuries, and involved the finest printing experts and binders in the world to ensure faithful representation of the original Saint John's Bible. Utilizing ancient techniques and materials, its construction parallels that of its medieval predecessors—written on calfskin vellum and using turkey, goose and swan quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments and gold leaf gild—while incorporating modern themes, images and technology of the 21st century. Each letter was rendered by hand, and each page was scrupulously compared to its original counterpart to ensure fidelity to the original. Only 299 sets of the Heritage Edition were created.

In the tradition of great medieval Bibles, the Saint John’s Bible is monumental, measuring two feet tall and three feet wide. The Heritage Edition was printed on 100 percent cotton paper using lightfast ultraviolet inks. Gold and silver treatments replicate the original gold, silver, and platinum used in the original illuminations. Because many of the illuminations required finishing treatments by hand, no two Heritage Edition sets are identical. Once the pages were complete, each volume was hand-bound using Italian calfskin, Welsh oak boards, and headbands hand-sewn in Pakistan.

The goal of the Saint John’s Bible is to ignite the spiritual imagination of people all over the world of all faiths, 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,” which aligns nicely with the work of their sponsor, the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery.
 
More information on The Saint John’s Bible and the Heritage Edition can be found at www.saintjohnsbible.org.