Illuminating Justice: The Ethical Imagination of The Saint John’s Bible
Liturgical Press, 2018
Illuminating Justice explores the call to social ethics in The Saint John's Bible, the first major handwritten and hand-illuminated Christian Bible since the invention of the printing press. Situating his close analysis of The Saint John's Bible's illuminations in the context of contemporary biblical exegesis and Catholic teaching, Homrighausen shows how this project stimulates the ethical imagination of its readers and viewers on matters of justice for women, care for creation, and dialogue between Jews and Christians. Written for scholars, pastors, teachers, and any fan of The Saint John's Bible, this book shows how beauty and justice intertwine in this wondrous illuminated Bible for the new millennium.
—Catholic Press Association Award: Second Place, Design and Production.
Reviews
“Michael Patella, a monk of Saint John’s Abbey and the head of the committee which oversaw the creation of The Saint John’s Bible, writes in the book’s forward, ‘Initially the idea was to do something grand, not simply write a Bible by hand and to include some good artwork’ (ix). Illuminating Justice proves that such a grand idea continues to be realized, and in it Homrighausen provides the space for each of us to be a part of it.”
—Eric Fought at Transpositions
"Homrighausen's book will certainly lead readers to a greater appreciation for the intricacies of the illuminations. The accessibility of this volume and its beautiful aesthetic render it useful in a variety of different devotional and pedagogical contexts."
—Catherine Petrany in Journal of Moral Theology
“From start to finish, Illuminating Justice exhibits the communal and traditioned nature of Christian scriptural production and interpretation. While it, and the SJB itself, does reflect the influences and gains of premodern Christian reverence for, and use, of scripture, the wells of communal tradition it draws uponare more diverse and decidedly contemporary when considered against the backdrop of the history of premodern scriptural illumination. Homrighausen ably demonstrates how the SJB exhibits the recent theological gains of non-proselytizing dialogue with the Jewish people, feminist exegesis and hermeneutics, and the resources of contemporary scientific understandings of ecology as addressed in contemporary Catholic social teaching. As a learned and attentive docent of such themes, Homrighausen demonstrates how the SJB reflects such concerns through its beauty and how it can delicately but compellingly move its readers towards such concerns through its beautiful persuasion.”
—Joseph K. Gordon at Reading Religion
“Jonathan Homrighausen has done what the creators of The Saint John’s Bible hoped for most. He has explored its ‘beautiful persuasion’ to reveal the way its beauty speaks across volumes and across audiences as it proclaims the Good News. Illuminating Justice is truly a joy to read. While going deep into key images in The Saint John’s Bible, Homrighausen shows how this Bible, while using ancient tools and traditional materials, fits into a new world of theological thought. It is one that approaches the relationship between Catholics and Jews, the role of women, and creation care, in fresh and empowering ways. This volume rings with insight and draws our attention to the work of numerous contemporary theologians and artists. Reading it, one will discover things not just about art, but also about living out one’s faith in the 21st century.”
—Susan Sink, Author of The Art of The Saint John’s Bible: The Complete Reader’s Guide
Reviews
“Jonathan Homrighausen’s Illuminating Justice: The Ethical Imagination of The Saint John’s Bible … represents the first generation of commentary outside the production phase of the Bible. Moreover, Illuminating Justice, as the first work to respond to the mission of the Bible Project, is also in the unique position of probing the completed Bible from the perspective of an interested scholar outside those who produced it.”
—Michael Patella, OSB, Chair of the Committee on Illumination and Text guiding The Saint John’s Bible, in his forward
“In this gem of a book, Jonathan Homrighausen not only takes us on a lavishly illustrated tour of The Saint John’s Bible—an artistic achievement unparalleled since the Middle Ages—but he reveals the ethical power of its images: for interreligious dialogue, women’s rights, and ecology. Jonathan Homrighausen is a creative emerging voice in imaginative theology and his adventurous book deserves a readership across disciplinary boundaries.”
—J. David Pleins, Professor of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University
“‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ a phrase coined in the nineteenth century by Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, corresponds with what today’s biblical interpreters refer to as `the world in front of the text.’ In other words, there is a subjective quality to all interpretation. Jonathan Homrighausen here provides us with a stunning example of such interpretation. Reading the exquisite illuminations found in The Saint John’s Bible, he lifts up three ethical-sacramental themes: respect for Jewish sensitivities; attention to feminist concerns; and appreciation for natural creation. In this remarkable book, he thus shows us that art is not only an expression of beauty, but of justice as well.”
—Dianne Bergant, CSA, Professor Emerita of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union
“Skillfully tracing the intertext between artistic illuminations and biblical passages, Jonathan Homrighausen’s sensitive exegeses afford exquisite depth and dimension to three familiar biblical traditions as well as invite readers to experience for themselves The Saint John’s Bible. Tracing the motif of trees across Jesus Family Tree in Matthew’s Gospel, the Trees of Knowledge and Life in Women’s Biblical Stories, and the centrality of Trees in the Creation Traditions, Homrighausen ignites our imagination with new possibilities not only for fresh interpretations of these texts but also for how they urgently summon us to the promotion of justice.”
—Gina Hens-Piazza, Professor of Biblical Studies, Joseph C. Alemany Endowed Chair, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
“This volume is itself an introduction to visual art as an essential element of biblical interpretation. Homrighausen’s own rich `sacramental imagination’ is always in view, never intrusive, as he follows images across cultures, centuries of religious traditions, both Jewish and Christian, and the two Testaments of the Christian Bible.”
—Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, The Divinity School, Duke University