St John's Gospel Acts

by Donald Jackson

2006 Catholic Press Association Award Winner

The first of seven full-color, page-by-page reproductions from The Saint John's Bible, Gospels and Acts has more than 25 illuminations, including full-page opening illuminations for each of the four gospels. Some of the prominent illuminations include the Genealogy of Jesus, the Birth of Christ, the Raising of Lazarus, the Crucifixion, Christ Our Light, the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814690513
• ISBN13: 9780814690512
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 3.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 10.2" x 15.3"

Customer Reviews

Breathtaking/Spine-tingling

Never will I forget the morning when I was packing for a pilgrimage to British cathedrals and abbeys and had the TODAY show on the bedroom tv as I worked. There was Donald Jackson, and there was his extraordinary rendering of the convoluted genealogy which opens Matthew's Gospel. Yes, it's a gorgeous, amazing piece of art in its own right, and this from a priest who once held a Gutenberg Bible in her bare hands in Germany. What struck me far more deeply was the intelligence, the heart, the soul, and the depth of the insights which had come together to empower the kind of prophetic, spiritual rendering he produced. I was stunned! Since then I've told dozens about Mr. Jackson and his workshop in Wales, and I've gotten on board with St. John's Abbey as both a financial contributor and a newsletter recipient. Originally I didn't dare hope that the mss. would be made available in book form for "us mere mortals" to own. This one would definitely be on my proverbial "the 10 books I'd want if I were marooned on an island" list.

Astounding work

I saw the exhibit for the Saint John's Bible when it was on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It was literally breath-taking seeing the intricate detail and craftsmanship that went into this amazing and inspired project. The work is not only crafted well, but is approached with extreme thoughtfulness and obvious reverence and love. The thematic devices woven through the illuminations tell the wonderful stories of the scriptures in picture and the weaving of imagery, symbology, typography and design embrace all periods of book arts, from traditional and calligraphy type faces to modern geometrical type design. As a graphic designer, I appreciate the thought and planning that had to have taken place even before the illustrations and type were laid out. This is a very important work created with deep respect and love for the holy scriptures.

St. John's Bible

Outstanding illuminations - very spiritual. A must for anyone who wants to read the Bible with a renewed spirit!!!

One of a kind...

The Saint John's Bible is a one of a kind illuminated creation. As a calligrapher I am thrilled to look at the professional detail Donald Jackson and his crew have put forth into this project. Its remarkable illuminations are full of color and vigor. True, the text may be somewhat 'small' for the page, but in fact it is proportionate to the actual Bible (a size which would be way too large to print). The gold illumination may not look like 'gold' at first glance, it resembles a bright yellow, but this is difficult to capture in a book. All in all if you are interested in the art of calligraphy, this is a keeper. As an atheist the text does not captivate me, I am solely interested in the art. So if you are Christian/Catholic and love art, you can hit two birds with one stone and have double the pleasure!

Great Book, But...

First, this volume is fantastic - great color and the calligraphy is easy to read (something which is lacking in a lot of 'handwritten' works). There's been much good written about this volume already, so I won't rehash it all here. However, I do have one (and only one) complaint about this volume. The binding is weak. I've looked at three different books and they all have the same poor binding. Despite the binding, this book sill gets 5 stars from me. It's just too beautiful.