Intertextuality & Illumination in The Saint John's Bible
Class today will be held in the Archives, 3rd floor southeast corner of the library. Here is the map and instructions passed out in the last class.
Today we will study the visual exegesis of the illuminations of The Saint John's Bible, such as artist Donald Jackson's interpretation of the vision Ezekiel had at the River Chebar (Ezek 1). As you read SCU grad Jonathan Homrighausen's article to prepare for our visit, focus on the following questions:
What is intertextuality, and how do both authors and readers do it?
We recall how Clare's ethical imagination was spurred to action by Francis' radical embrace of evangelical poverty, and how Ignatius imagined himself a character in a biblical story interacting with other characters, as a spiritual "exercise" to train his conscience. Homrighausen says that beauty can spur the ethical imagination as well, and suggests that images in The Saint John's Bible have the capacity to do this if engaged for that purpose. Explain how that might work. The following short videos might give you some ideas.
The following video clips provide a nice introduction to the origins and art of The Saint John's Bible.
Saint John's Bible – KSMQ's Off 90 Program profiles The Saint John's Bible project after the Austin Public Library purchases one of the 299 fine art facsimile copies and shares it with the public. The copy you will see in the SCU Archives is one of the 299 facsimile copies, referred to as the "Heritage Edition," purchased for the University community by Tita Crilly Diepenbrock, whose late husband was an SCU alum ('51).
10.00
Donald Jackson: The Calligrapher – Jackson narrates how he got into calligraphy, became calligrapher for the Queen of England and Parliament, and how he does his work on The Saint John's Bible.
5.37
"In the Beginning" - Creating The Saint John's Bible – A short introduction to the Benedictines' project of sponsoring this first handwritten Bible in 500 years, and the calligrapher's description of his creative process in texting and illuminating the text, and how he thinks you the viewer may regard it.
5.45
Assigned Readings
Secondary: Jonathan Homrighausen, "Beautiful Persuasion and Ethical Imagination," and "Every Living Tree: Caring for Creation," in Illuminating Justice: The Ethical Imagination of the Saint John's Bible (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2018) 1-13 and 77-106 pages; online class prep
Optional: Michael Patella, “The Saint John’s Bible: Biblical Authority within the Illuminated Word,” Word & World 26:4 (2006) 383-91; idem, “The Saint John's Bible Project: What’s It Worth?” Toronto Journal of Theology 26:2 (2010) 215-19; Laura Kelly Fanucci, “Variations on a Theme: Intertextuality in the Illuminations of the Gospel of Luke,” Obsculta 2:1 (2009) 21-30 (all on Camino)
No Slides for Lecture; here is the link to the Library Guide on The Saint John's Bible
Today's Authors
Jonathan Homrighausen graduated from SCU in 2015 with a double major in Religious Studies and Classics. Specializing in interreligious dialogue and Buddhism, he is now pursuing a graduate degree in biblical studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He worked for a time in our University Archives, and the excerpt we're reading is from a book he is publishing with Liturgical Press in 2018.
Laura Kelly Fanucci works part-time in thoelogical research for the Collegeville Institute at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota where she earned her M.Div. degree. She works full-time raising her three sons and hosting her blog, Mothering Spirit.
Michael Patella is Professor of Theology at Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota, and a member of the Catholic Benedictine order that runs the school and abbey there. As a biblical scholar, he was a leading member of the committee of biblical scholars who advised the Saint John's Bible project, the first and only hand-calligraphied and illuminated manuscript of the entire Bible that has been executed in the past 500 years. Our library has a facsimile copy through the generous donation of Tita Crilly Diepenbrock, widow of James Diepenbrock '51.
Further Reading
Calderhead, Christopher. Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John's Bible, 2nd ed. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2015.
Patella, Michael. "The Theology of The Saint John's Bible." Arts 17:1 (2005) 20-28.
--------. Word and Image: The Heremeneutics of The Saint John's Bible. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2013.
Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Historical Books, Letters and Revelation. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2012.
Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2007.
Sink, Susan. The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Wisdom Books and Prophets. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2012.
Acknowledgements
Image adapted from Donald Jackson, Luke Anthology (Luke 10; 15; 16), 2002, illuminated manuscript, The Saint John's Bible, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. The parables visible in this close-up are, from top left to bottom right, the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), the good Samaritan (10:29-37), the lost son (15:11-32), and the rich man and Lazarus (uke 16:19-31). For a larger image in color, click here.
Class today will be held in the Archives, 3rd floor southeast corner of the library. Here is the 
