The St. John's Bible

Have you ever seen an illuminated Bible?  I hadn't until last week.  And what a treat it was!

My Aunt Ruth had told me about the St. John's Bible exhibition at the New Mexico History Museum.  She tried to describe it to me, but until I saw it I didn't understand.

Kathy Dunlavy, Ginny Marti and I visited the museum on Wednesday, and it didn't take long for us to determine that this was a very special exhibit.  A man, Daniel Jackson, had a dream as a boy to create an illuminated Bible, totally hand calligraphed with gorgeous art work that utilized the finest materials available.  The pages were calf skin, some of the inks were from an ink factory that closed down in the 1880's.  Daniel created his own font, then taught it to numerous scribes.  A computer was used to set up the pages, then the work began.  Gold and platinum were used to illuminate it . . . all hand done!

One of my favorite pages was the Valley of the Dry Bones.  Tough subject, but the artist did a spectacular job with it.  In the valley, s/he depicted not only Biblical images but also contemporary ones - the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda, oil spills, ecological disaster.  It was breathtaking.

If the exhibition ever comes anywhere near you, go see it.  It will be time well spent.