{"id":7021,"date":"2026-08-20T11:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharpweb.org\/sharpnews\/?p=7021"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:34:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:34:53","slug":"using-the-saint-johns-bible-in-primary-source-instruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sharpweb.org\/sharpnews\/2026\/08\/20\/using-the-saint-johns-bible-in-primary-source-instruction\/","title":{"rendered":"Using The Saint John\u2019s Bible<\/em> in Primary Source Instruction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a class of twelve history students in an upper-level capstone class visiting the library. Many of them have been in a special collection or archive before, so the experience of stepping into a room full of old books isn\u2019t as novel to them as it might be as a group of first years. Still, I do my best to wow them: a 1566 book on German history, written in Latin; a first edition of Virginia Woolf\u2019s The Waves<\/em>; a 1608 Vulgate Bible in French; The Girl\u2019s Own Annual<\/em> from the 1920s, with delightful anecdotes on the best way to prepare roast hare. These books feel appropriately historical, and they would make interesting capstone projects for the right student. While this is typically where I focus a library session on primary sources, during this class I decide to bring out a set of books owned by the university that aren\u2019t, technically speaking, historical. But to my surprise, it is these<\/em> books that have the students gasping in awe; many stay long after class is over to pore over the pages and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the table are the enormous volumes of The<\/em> Saint John\u2019s Bible <\/em>Heritage Edition,<\/em> a seven-volume facsimile version of the modern illuminated Bible. The Saint John\u2019s Bible<\/em> (SJB)<\/a> is a project that began in 1998 and took fifteen years to complete. Commissioned by the Benedictine monks of Saint John\u2019s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, and directed by calligrapher Donald Jackson, the Bible was created with the intention of reviving an ancient tradition that has been nearly forgotten since Gutenberg\u2019s invention of movable type. The original 1998 Bible was created using traditional quills from either turkeys, swans, or geese. The pages were prepared using calfskin vellum, and the illumination done with gold leaf and pigments. While the original remains in its home at Saint John\u2019s Abbey, our copy of the Heritage Edition is just one of 299 identical reproductions (created under the guidance of Donald Jackson and his team) to ensure an accurate and faithful recreation of the original manuscript. Although it is a contemporary work, The<\/em> Saint John\u2019s Bible<\/em> offers a powerful entry point for teaching book history, allowing students to explore medieval manuscript production, scribal practices, and the material experience of reading through an object that remains accessible, touchable, and immediately legible to modern audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Figure<\/a>
Figure 1 <\/strong>(Left) The Birth of Christ<\/em>, frontispiece to the Gospel of Luke. Artwork by Donald Jackson. Figure 2 <\/strong>(Right) Elijah and the Fiery Chariot<\/em> (2 Kings 2). Artwork by Donald Jackson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The importance of teaching with medieval manuscripts is well-studied, but The Saint John\u2019s Bible<\/em> is a bit of a phenomenon, and that means there haven\u2019t been many (if any) discussions at all about the ways it can be used as a tool for teaching book history. The response from this class of history students suggests that it has great potential in a classroom setting, especially as an entry point for questions related to the history of the book and the comparison to medieval Bibles. Students asked several questions that spurred in-depth conversations amongst the class, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n