The Saint John's Bible
Illuminating the Word.
At the onset of a new millennium, Saint John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota sought to ignite the spiritual imagination of people throughout the world by commissioning a work of art that illuminates the Word of God for the world today.
Chapter One
A Work Unprecedented in 500 Years
Its construction paralleled that of its medieval predecessors, written on vellum, using quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments, and gold leaf while incorporating modern themes, images and technology of the 21st century.
The Bible is the collaborative work of an international team of associates, scribes, and artists under the direction of scribe and illuminator, Donald Jackson — former Senior Scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Crown Office. The artistic team worked closely with theologians and scholars at Saint John's Abbey & University to create over 160 illuminations used to depict the scripture passages with an eye to interpreting them for our time.
Working in a scriptorium in Monmouth, Wales, Mr. Jackson and his team began work in 1995 and completed the final pages in 2011. The completed artwork is an 1,120-page, seven-volume achievement in the book arts that continually inspires people of all cultures and creeds with the spirit and beauty of this historic undertaking — unprecedented in over 500 years, since the invention of the printing press.
Chapter Two
The Heritage Edition & Apostles Edition
Communities around the world experience this gift of sacred art through the Heritage and Apostles Editions of The Saint John's Bible, the only full-size, fine art recreations of the original manuscript. Thanks to the creative leadership of Donald Jackson, the Heritage Edition is a work of art in its own right — bound in Italian leather, it features the exquisite calligraphy, vibrant imagery, and stunning gold and silver embossed illuminations of the original. Each page and illumination was scrupulously compared to its original counterpart to guarantee accurate reproduction and maintain the awe-inspiring artistic intent of the original. Leading manuscript experts around the world who have seen the Heritage and Apostles Editions recognize them as the highest quality reproductions ever made.
In all, only 299 seven-volume sets of the Heritage Edition and 12 seven-volume sets of the Apostles Edition have been created. No more will ever be made. Each has received special hand-treatments making each set unique — numbered and authenticated by Donald Jackson. To date over 170 Heritage Editions have been acquired by families, churches, schools, libraries, universities, healthcare centers, and retreat centers.
Of the 12 seven-volume sets of the Apostles Edition in existence, only 4 remain available for acquisition. This hyper-rare version is hand-stitched and bound in the UK. It comes with an original piece of art created by one of the original Bible team artists for the benefactor, a custom-designed and crafted dedication page, and an exquisite hand-made Deluxe Viewing Stand and Cabinet from Abbey Woodworking. Most notably, every Apostles Edition includes a companion Heritage Edition which the benefactor may keep for their own collection or donate to another beloved institution. Apostles Editions are presently housed in such prominent locations as the Vatican Library (Rome), Washington National Cathedral (DC), Morgan Library & Museum (NYC), Lambeth Palace (London), Library of Congress (DC), St. Patrick's Cathedral (NYC) and one private home.
Learn more: The Heritage Edition — how it was made · The Apostles Edition · Deluxe Viewing Stand and Cabinet · Heritage Editions around the world
Chapter Three
The Unbound Collection
In June of 2026, an unprecedented and extremely limited offering was made available: authentic pages from the Heritage Edition, hand-numbered and authenticated, were made available for purchase. This brought the beauty and majesty of 18 select pages out from the bound books residing primarily in institutions into the private homes of faithful collectors.
The pages were printed using the same state-of-the-art offset lithographic printing technology from Heidelberg Corporation as the original Heritage and Apostles Editions. The works are printed with archival inks on bespoke 100% uncoated cotton paper designed to mimic the weight and feel of the original vellum manuscript. McIntosh Embossing, Minneapolis, Minnesota further enhanced the illuminations using silver foils and multiple passes of gold foils in a series of stamping and embossing processes. These techniques ensure your collection of fine art pages will last for centuries to come.
With only 15 numbered pages available for each of the 18 select pages, the Unbound Collection is expected to be fully, and quickly, subscribed.