VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).- St. John’s Abbey and University, in Minnesota, has been working on a series of seven biblical volumes that combine medieval techniques and high-tech advances.
Today, a delegation accompanied by Cardinal Pio Laghi, retired prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, visited John Paul II and handed him Volume II of the work, dedicated to the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
On hand were Abbot John Klassen and Brother Dietrich Reinhart, both Benedictines and representatives of the university responsible for this biblical endeavor.
The publishers say that no other Bible has combined, like «St. John’s Bible,» medieval techniques of illumination and calligraphy with a translation into contemporary English. It also uses the native natural elements of the state of Minnesota.
Natural inks, feathers of different animals, and pigments typical of the Minnesota area have been used to produce the volume.
«It is an ecumenical work, as it incorporates images of Eastern and Western religious traditions,» the project’s press director, Thom Woodward, explained in a statement.
A statement from the editors said: «This Bible has been created by scribes in the Wales scriptorium under the artistic direction of Donald Jackson, one of the most prestigious calligrapher’s of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.»
Jackson and his wife Mabel also attended the audience with the Pope.
A similar delegation came to Rome in August 1999 to present Volume I, the Genealogy of Jesus.
