I was told that this was a display not to be missed- and was my friend right! On display are pages from the first illuminated, hand printed (calligraphy) Bible to be produced in over 50o years. Commissioned by the St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota, this Bible is inspirational. Many of the illuminations have a “traditional” flavor, but more have a “modern” feel. For instance, the first illumination in the Book of Psalms features imbedded voice tracks of people singing Gregorian Chant, the call to pray in Islam, and songs from Jewish traditions. Surrounding the St. John’s Bible display are a number of famous Bibles from throughout history (both in calligraphy and early printing). One display is Arabic and Armenian Bibles collected by James Melikian.
I was smart enough to drop the $20 for the PBS special on the people who are illuminating the Bible. The entire project will take over seven years to complete, costs over $4,000,000 and is being paid for by private contributions- many from people who pay for a “page”. Well worth a special trip to Phoenix… come, see, be inspired and enjoy !
