Gospels and Acts
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator
$64.95 Hardcover with dust jacket 9-3/4" x 15"

In this, the first of seven full-color, page-by-page reproductions from The Saint John's Bible, Gospels and Acts introduces us to the work of the many scribes, artists, and craftsmen who have worked under the supervision of Donald Jackson, internationally respected calligrapher and artistic director and illuminator of the seven-volume, 1,150 page project. In Gospels and Acts, we experience The Word of God, hand written and illuminated through ancient methods. With more than 25 illuminations, this volume features treatments of the Genealogy of Jesus, the Birth of Christ, the Raising of Lazarus, the Crucifixion, Christ Our Light, the Last Supper, the Road to Emmaus, and Pentecost as well as full-page opening illuminations for each of the four gospels. Those who allow themselves to savor the experience unfolding before them will come to see how Gospels and Acts beautifully marries text and image to serve the Word.

Psalms
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator
$59.95 Hardcover with dust jacket 9-3/4" x 15"

The Book of Psalms or "praises" is known as the prayer book of the Bible. For centuries, it has been a source of prayer, devotion, and inspiration. Part of the popularity of the Psalms is that they incorporate the entire breadth of human emotion and experience - joy, fear, anger, love - all the things we bring to God in our prayer.

The second of seven full-color, page-by-page reproductions from The Saint John's Bible, Psalms engages the eye and ear with five distinct scripts and exquisite illuminations that include digital voice prints of sacred songs from many ethnic and religious traditions. Visual representations of chants from Benedictine, Native American, Muslim, Taoist and other traditions are the basis for illuminations of the Psalms. The varying pitch of the chants is rendered graphically to provide a motif for the abstract illumination. Every Psalm page features a small gold image that graphically renders the chanting of the monks from Saint John's Abbey. This process of reading of the Psalms is a continuous reminder that the Psalms are to be sacred songs - and that in such singing God is present.

Pentateuch
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator
$69.95 Hardcover with dust jacket 9-3/4" x 15"

The third of seven full-color reproductions from The Saint John's Bible, Pentateuch features text and illuminations of the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) known as the Torah in Judaism. In beautiful handwritten script and elegant design, the Pentateuch contains the cherished stories of faith that are thousands of years old. Foundational to Jewish and Christian traditions, these stories reflect the hopes, dreams, fears, and deeds of people living side by side with the earth's oldest civilizations. Over time, these spiritual descendants of Abraham and Sarah introduced God to all the inhabitants of the Middle East and beyond. Their message was simple. God and his creation are good; evil enters when prideful humans go their own way. Nonetheless, God continues to love unconditionally.

Prominent illuminations include Creation, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Jacob's Ladder, Abraham and Sarah, the Ten Commandments and the Death of Moses.

Prophets
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator
$69.95 Hardcover with dust jacket 9-3/4" x 15"

Prophets is the fourth of seven full-color reproduction books of The Saint John's Bible, featuring some of the most beautiful passages in all of sacred Scripture. The ancient prophets of Israel suffered and celebrated with the people they both admonished and praised. They provided words of consolation during times of oppression and kept the flame of hope alive during the darkest periods of Israelite and Jewish history. Christians honor the prophets as those who foretold the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as is evidenced by the many references to the prophets in the New Testament. The prophets continue to call us to respond to God's love and offer their unvarnished judgment on our behavior.

Prophets includes artistic depictions from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos, Daniel, and Zechariah. Major images are Isaiah's Vision of the New Temple, Suffering Servant, Ezekiel's Call, Valley of the Dry Bones, Daniel's Son of Man, Amos' Plea for Social Justice, and Zechariah's Messianic Predictions.

Wisdom
Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator
$64.95 Hardcover with dust jacket 9-3/4" x 15"

Wisdom Books, the fifth volume of The Saint John's Bible to be released, includes some of the Old Testament's literary masterpieces, including Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs. Also in this volume is the much-loved book of Job and two Old Testament works including the Wisdom of Solomon, which was originally written in Greek, and Sirach, which comes to us from the Greek tradition.

The Wisdom books exemplify the practical spirituality of the people of Israel. Using story, poetry, and aphorisms, the books collect practical wisdom to help guide people in how to live - faithful to God, with praise and thankfulness, walking in ways that are upright. If we want to live wisely, we would do well to look to this beautifully illuminated collection of ancient texts.

There are over fifteen large illuminations, among them the spectacular frontispiece for Ecclesiastes and another titled "Creative Wisdom".

The Art of The Saint John's Bible, Vol. 1: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts
by Susan Sink
$14.95 Paperback

The Art of The Saint John's Bible: Vol. 1 explores some of the history of the tradition of illuminated Bibles and takes a look at the thought process and artistic vision behind the planning and execution of the images in the first three published volumes: Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. It includes information on the individual artists; an explanation of terms such as "carpet pages" and "marginalia"; an index of flora and fauna; and a chart of the chant tones used in Psalms. More importantly, it offers an invitation to experience the illuminations and the biblical text more deeply. This book features beautiful full color and black and white reproductions of more than 40 major artworks from the individual volumes and over two dozen reproductions of the minor elements (text treatments, marginalia, initials).

The Art of The Saint John's Bible, Vol. 2: A Reader's Guide to Wisdom Books and Prophets
by Susan Sink
$14.95 Paperback

This second volume of The Art of The Saint John's Bible takes up two great collections of biblical literature -- Wisdom Books and Prophets. The illuminations in these volumes draw on motifs from earlier illuminations and expand the visual vocabulary to strike at what is unique and important to these books. In Wisdom Books we find a number of well-known "words of wisdom." Here calligraphic text treatments take center stage. However, these books also portray the divine in the female figure of Wisdom, presented visually in several large-scale illuminations. The prophets' messages are often dark and strange, reflecting the grief of exile but also hope. The illuminations throughout these pages reflect visions of man's inhumanity, but they also burst with the rainbows of God's promise and glory. Lavishing equal attention on the biblical passages and the artistic vision of The Saint John's Bible, this guide is offered to enhance your experience and reflection.