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Modern Illuminated Manuscript – Pic of the Week

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One of the rare Apostles Editions of the Saint John's Bible; the first Bible entirely hand-made and illuminated in more than 500 years; was presented to the Library of Congress and the American people by Saint John's University and Abbey in Minnesota in honor of Pope Francis and commemorating his visit to the United States, September 24, 2015. The Bible will be on display in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building September 26 through January 2, 2016. Photo by Shawn Miller.
One of the rare Apostles Editions of the Saint John’s Bible; the first Bible entirely hand-made and illuminated in more than 500 years; was presented to the Library of Congress and the American people by Saint John’s University and Abbey in Minnesota in honor of Pope Francis and commemorating his visit to the United States, September 24, 2015. The Bible will be on display in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building September 26 through January 2, 2016. Photo by Shawn Miller.

From the exhibition label:

The Apostle’s Edition of the Saint John’s Bible. For the new millennium, Saint John’s University and Abbey in Minnesota commissioned an illuminated, handwritten Bible, the first of its kind since Gutenberg printed the Bible in 1454.

This contemporary Bible is at once old and new: a masterpiece of the ancient crafts of calligraphy and illumination combined with the latest capabilities of computer technology and electronic communication.

Created by professional scribes in a scriptorium in Wales, under the direction of Donald Jackson, this extraordinary creation was completed in 2011.

Presented to the American people by Saint John’s University in honor of Pope Francis during his visit to Capitol Hill on September 24, 2015, this is the first volume of a seven-volume facsimile known as the Apostles Edition of the Saint John’s Bible.

Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

The Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible will be displayed on the north side of the Great Hall of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St., S.E., in Washington, D.C. Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. The Bible can be viewed Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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