St. John’s Bible

 

A Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible was donated to the Library by the Don and Dorothy Hodapp family in 2011. “This unusual gift is our thanks to Austin for the many wonderful years our family enjoyed living there. It is our hope that this Bible will be appreciated and enjoyed by all,” said Mr. Hodapp. A reception was held in the Library on Sunday, October 30, 2011, to honor the Hodapp family and to install the first two volumes of the seven-volume edition.

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In 1998, the Saint John’s Benedictine monastery in Collegeville, Minnesota, commissioned Donald Jackson, scribe and calligrapher to the Crown Office of Great Britain, to produce the first handwritten and illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press. The Heritage Edition is a full-size fine art reproduction of the original masterpiece. Each of the seven volumes that make up The Saint John’s Bible is approximately two feet tall by three feet wide when open, and weighs between 13 and 20 pounds. A limited number of these signed and numbered editions are being produced. The volumes are housed in a special cabinet with a viewing stand that displays an open volume. Each day, a page is turned in the open volume. The volumes are on permanent display, and are also available for special study and use.

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Open viewing hours, where the volumes are available for viewing outside the cabinet, will be posted. Additional times may be made by prior arrangement only. In addition, showings of the 50-minute video entitled The Illuminator and a Bible for the 21st Century will be held, and these times will be posted as well. This video tells the story of The Saint John’s Bible and its artistic director and scribe, Donald Jackson (©2005. A 3BM Television Production for BBC Wales and Saint John’s University with support from Target Corporation.)

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To learn more, go to The Saint John’s Bible.