A work for eternity: Scribes give pope volume of illustrated Bible

Published: 2008-04-04

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- It's being called the Sistine Chapel of calligraphy. The Saint John's Bible will be the first handwritten and illuminated Bible penned with ancient methods since the invention of the printing press, according to its creators. This Biblical work of art will contain some 160 illuminations woven into text covering 1,100 pages of calfskin vellum sheets. A team of scribes led by a master calligrapher, Donald Jackson, has spent the last 10 years silently scratching out Biblical verses with turkey, goose and swan quills dipped in handmade inks. They and other artists also use hand-ground pigments and gold and silver leaf to illustrate and add contrasting colors to the texts. The huge manuscripts will be bound into seven volumes that measure two feet tall and, when open, three feet wide. Five of those volumes are now complete. U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington and president of the U.S.-based Papal Foundation, called the project "one of those special moments in the life of biblical art." He was part of a delegation that met with Pope Benedict XVI April 4 to present him with a high-quality, rare reproduction of the first volume of The Saint John's Bible.

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