The handwritten Bible: the myth of the Middle Ages during the third millennium of Christianity

The essay “The Handwritten Bible: The Myth of the Middle Ages during the Third Millennium of Christianity” by Dr. Boris Naimushin looks at an interesting phenomenon in today’s Western world - the spread of handwritten Bibles. These Bibles are produced by amateurs (Truman Meredith or Vernon Henson in the U.S.A.), for special occasions such as the handwritten Bibles for the Canadian centennial celebrations (1967) and the Year of the Book in Norway (1993) as well as by professional calligraphers (Edward Bulley or James Pepper) reaching its heights in the Saint John’s Bible Project financed by the Benedictine Saint John’s Abbey and University. Here, Dr. Naimushin argues that the revival of calligraphy in the West in the 20th century is part of the broader revival of interest in the Middle Ages. Traditionally viewed as “The Dark Ages”, this period in the Western history is now being reassessed and many prejudices about it are being cast away. The Renaissance revived the Myth of the Antiquity, of the great heritage of the Greeks and Romans. However, a culture that has pagan Antiquity as its example will sooner or later become pagan creating new idols and calling for sacrifices to them. As a result, the world becomes more and more insecure and unstable, which makes people look for new ideas, new principles, new approaches longing for stability and consolation. And, surprisingly, this stability and sense of mutual interrelation was seen in the Middle Ages replacing the Myth of the Dark Ages. So it seems somewhat natural that the period of acute antagonism between mind and soul is to be succeeded by a period of mitigation, of greater harmony and stability when the spirit of humans will be engaged in the quest for the Divine roots in every person, in nature and the universe.

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