The Word in pictures: Artistic Bible on display in SLC

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Kyle Anderson looks through Prophets, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
(left) Clarence Bynum and Marge Tucker look through Pentateuch one of the book of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
An illustration of the Valley of the Dried Bones in Prophets one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Marge Jensen looks through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
People look through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Diane Gooch looks through the Wisdom Books of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
People look through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
An illustration in the Wisdom Books of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Kyle Anderson looks through Prophets, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Arlene Jonsson looks through one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Louona Tanner looks through Prophets with her granddaughter Sienna Pauli, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune
Marge Jensen, left, and Bob Martin look through the Historical Books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

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Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Kyle Anderson looks through Prophets, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune (left) Clarence Bynum and Marge Tucker look through Pentateuch one of the book of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune An illustration of the Valley of the Dried Bones in Prophets one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Marge Jensen looks through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune People look through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Diane Gooch looks through the Wisdom Books of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. "There's just so much to see," says Gooch, who has made several trips to the display. St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune People look through the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune An illustration in the Wisdom Books of the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Kyle Anderson looks through Prophets, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Arlene Jonsson looks through one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Louona Tanner looks through Prophets with her granddaughter Sienna Pauli, one of the books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened. Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune Marge Jensen, left, and Bob Martin look through the Historical Books in the reproduction of the St. John's Bible on display at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3, 2012. The Bible was produced by St. John's Abbey and University, Collegeville, Minn. Renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson and a team of fellow artists and scribes were commissioned to produce this handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible whose seven volumes measure two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

The Salt Lake Tribune

· October 6, 2012 12:28 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In the time before the printing press, Bibles were meticulously copied and illuminated by monks. Each style of calligraphy and design carried its own significance and was treasured by various groups of believers.

In the 1990s, Donald Jackson, senior scribe to Queen Elizabeth's Crown Office and a renowned calligrapher, assembled a team of artists to produce a new, handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible. Using the Revised Standard Translation of the Bible and produced by St. John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., this new Bible had seven volumes, measuring two feet high and three feet wide when opened.

It was designed "to capture the beauty and tradition of centuries of liturgy and carry it into the future," according to the website, saintjohnsbible.org.

Six of the Bible's seven volumes will be on display at Salt Lake City's Cathedral Church of St. Mark, 231 E. 100 South, through Saturday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). On Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., the Rev. Kirtley Yearwood will be at the cathedral "to offer spiritual and biblical teachings" as well as give the sermon.