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I too am unbelievably excited about this edition of the Bible. (Thanks for the link and ordering information.)

We viewed the DVD in a Sunday School class I taught, and everyone was captivated by the artistry and the care and discernment that is going into its creation. When someone on the video said, "The scope of this project is on the order of building a cathedral," people nodded. Then when the total cost of this project was revealed (all told it will be in the millions), many people's inner Calvinists showed up. "What a waste." "How many people could have been fed?" Etc.

Literally without thinking I said, "Oh, but friends, this project is akin to the woman who anointed Jesus' feet." An extravagant, beautiful act done for the sheer love of it.

I certainly don't think we should ignore the needs of others or be wantonly wasteful. But if we believe that the Word has power, and that how we read it matters--and if the St. John's Bible has the potential to inspire people to read the Word more deeply and reflectively and respond with their whole heart--how could we *not* afford to do it?

--reverendmother

I have been fascinated by this since I first read about it in the Smithsonian magazine over a year ago. I'm on the St John's mailing list because of it, and can't wait for the full set of volumes to be released. I can't afford them right now (PhD + new house + first baby = scrimping) but I can't imagine not eventually owning such a  magnificent work of art, especially when it contains the basis of my faith as the focus.

Gordon,
I remember the illustrations you showed some months ago, they were beautiful.  This is fascinating art work, very thought-provoking. 
Brad

I am James G. Pepper and for the past 18 years I have been making by hand an illuminated manuscript of the Bible. I have the blessings of Pope John Paul II and the Archbishop of York. WFAA TV ran this video of me writing the Bible when it was on Exhibition in March and Arpil fo this year at the Biblical Arts Museum in Dallas Texas.
http://www.wfaa.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.wfaa.com/pronk/050328_1200biblewriter_wz.wmv
The Dallas Morning News has been covering my work for years and they interviewed Saint Johns comparing the two bibles in 2001. I completed the New Testament 5 years before Saint Johns started and I am not the first in 500 years
My website is: http://hometown.aol.com/biblescribe1/biblescribe1/index.htm
You can google it at “The Pepper Bible”
Right now I am working on a set of Gospels, I am nearly completed, probably by the end of the week. It has taken 4 years to complete. They contain 341 pages of illuminations with 550 pages in all and most of the non illuminated pages are decorated. Each chapter is written in a different historic manuscript style, the calligraphy is written in the historic hand and it is decorated in the style and the drawings are all my own. I don't have fonts,this si handwriting. Whereas the Book of Kells and the Saint Johns Bible starts each Book with a full page carpet page, I decided to do that in each chapter. About half of the chapters start with full page carpet pages, one is found on the top of my website. I made them in different formats because I did the one format Bible with my New Testament, just as Saint Johns did, and it is limiting and by doing it in a different style in each chapter I can just do what I want and be spontaneous and that is when God has a chance to change things and to inspire me to write. I only write when I am inspired. The result is this rich tapestry of Art.

Luke is a Celtic insular manuscript, while John is a collection of French styles, Matthew is mostly English styles and Mark spans the whole range of manuscript illumination. All the way up through the 20th century. That’s right, the art of manuscript illumination in Bibles has been a continuous process, it did not die out when the printing press was invented. People have been making Bibles by hand all along and those who would say otherwise are just denying the work of God for 500 years and for what?

I also have an Interlinear Greek Latin and English Polyglot in John Chapters 18 and 19. I made it by translating the Complutensian Polyglot of Accala Spain from 1514-1517. Also most of the verse initials in Luke are inhabited, they are all illustrated.

In a letter from the Archbishop of York, 25 January 2001:
"It is given to very few to undertake, or even contemplate, a labour of such Herculean proportions. It is given to fewer still to complete it. What you have done represents an achievement which, so far as His Grace is aware, is quite without parallel in modern times." "It is a powerful witness to the living God."

"His Holiness prays that your work will help you to discover each day in the inspired writings of the Old and New Testaments "a support for faith, food for the soul and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life" "He invokes upon you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ." March 26, 2006, Vatican

Sincerely,

James G. Pepper
biblescribe@aol.com

Thursday (15Dec) I received my copy of the St. John's Bible in the mail, and what an amazingly beautiful and enlightening book it is. It will take me some time to sit with it and read it, it is truly a masterpiece.
This is the first installment of a 7 book series. And it is a HUGE book.
It's not your regular "hand held bible." This one is a set in in your lap and read kind of book. The calligraphy and the art is just exquisitely incredible.