One of a very few completely handwritten and illuminated Bibles produced since the invention of the printing press, The Saint John’s Bible is a masterpiece of the ancient crafts of calligraphy and illumination. Its team of scribes wrote on calfskin vellum, using turkey, goose, and swan quills with natural inks, hand-ground pigments, and gold and silver leaf gild.

Tim Ternes, director of programming at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at Minnesota’s Saint John’s University and head of its Saint John's Bible Project, walks through the making of the manuscript—a 13-year process completed in late 2011.

The presentation is co-presented by the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, which owns one of 299 Heritage Edition reproductions of the monumental, 2-by-3-foot original. It is on display at the Library the evening of the event.