The result is a scholarly and illuminating overview of how time-honored traditions of bookmaking are being carried into the 21st century. By comparing the new manuscript with those that have come before, visitors will see how Jackson and his colleagues have embraced many of the methods and materials employed by their predecessors. For instance, Jackson's team of calligraphers is using quills made from turkey, swan and goose feathers, and natural paints and inks, on carefully selected calfskin vellum.
At the same time, they have interpreted the scripture from a contemporary perspective. The text is based on the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, a modern English translation. It's written in a new script that St. John's has dubbed "Jacksonian," featuring a look that is traditional and in keeping with the Bible's message yet easier on the eyes than much of the lettering in older manuscripts.
The images go even further to bring the Bible into the 21st century. Although they couldn't deviate from the basic text, since they are working with an established translation, the artists wanted to illustrate the manuscript with images that would make it more relevant to 21st-century viewers, and in some cases that meant including references to events or subjects that took place or existed long after the words were written. In an illustration entitled "The Valley of Dry Bones," for example, the artist incorporated an image of eyeglasses from victims of a Hitler-era concentration camp and skulls from the killing fields of Cambodia. Another illustration, entitled "Ecclesiastes Frontispiece," depicts butterflies native to Minnesota, the abbey's home state. These and other references help bring the manuscript to life and draw in present-day viewers. In some cases, they also make for striking images that practically leap off the page.
