» The Saint John's Bible

Using medieval techniques of calligraphy and illumination, The Saint John’s Bible is the first Bible of its kind since the invention of the printing press. For calligraphers, making an illuminated Bible is the artistic equivalent of the painting of the Sistine Chapel. The Saint John’s Bible took over sixteen years to move from conceptualization to completion.

The 1,150 page manuscript has 160 major illuminations and special treatments on dozens of other texts. Jackson developed a special script for this Bible and brought together a small team of artists and calligraphers to work alongside him on this project. The Bible was written on calfskin vellum using traditional tools and inks and it is massive--2 feet by 3 feet when open.

The goal of The Saint John’s Bible is to ignite the spiritual imagination of people around the world. The illuminations are not illustrations of stories--they are spiritual meditations on texts that invite the reader to engage with scripture in fresh, new ways. The three general inspirations of the Saint John’s Bible is to highlight the role of women, to emphasize how people on the margins are celebrated and included and how science and faith are not at odds.

Wanting to expand the reach of The Saint John’s Bible, Donald Jackson personally oversaw a second project—creating the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, 299 full-size reproductions. The pages of these seven-volume sets are 100 percent cotton and are made to have the look and feel of the original vellum. The state-of-the- art lithographic printing process assures fidelity to the original. After printing, embossing and stamping processes add lustrous gold and silver to the illuminations and some are hand treated to most accurately resemble the original. The volumes are magnificently hand-bound in Italian embossed leather and are predicted to last for 1,000 years. Beyond the 299 Heritage Edition sets, there will be no additional copies made.

Chapman University is honored to be a steward of the 7-volume Saint John's Bible Heritage Edition. We will rotate the display of the volumes, which you will find in the Leatherby Libraries and in the vestibule of the Fish Interfaith Center. It is also available to travel to classrooms across the campus.

Contact Nancy Brink, brink@chapman.edu, 714.628.7246 for any questions or concerns!