The School of Theology of the University of the South is the grateful recipient of a Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition, which is the only full-sized illuminated fine art edition of the original manuscript. To celebrate this truly exceptional gift, the School of Theology Community will read the entire Bible over the course of 72 hours beginning Saturday Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. CDT and concluding Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. The reading can be viewed here on a continuous livestream.
The MIQRA is divided into one-hour time slots, which will be filled by members of the entire campus and local community—seminarians, undergraduates, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, Sewanee residents, and even Vice-Chancellor Pearigen and Mrs. Phoebe Pearigen. “A true cross-section of our entire community has chosen to participate in the MIQRA, an event that celebrates the extraordinary gift of the Saint John’s Bible, but also the reopening of our seminary building, Hamilton Hall, following a complete renovation,” said Vicki Borchers director of publication and media relations.
The Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition is the only full-sized illuminated fine art edition of the original manuscript. In all, only 299 seven-volume Heritage Editions have been created, including the School of Theology’s gift, which was made possible by the generosity of Texan philanthropists and dedicated Episcopalians, Elaine and Bruce Culver, who will be with us to celebrate the dedication of the Heritage Edition at Choral Evensong on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The dedication service will begin at 5:10 p.m. and will be streamed live to the School of Theology Facebook page.
The contemporary practice of reading the entire Bible is known as MIQRA—a Hebrew word, which means “reading,” and refers to the ancient Jewish practice of gathering to hear a public reading of scripture. “This is truly a tremendous moment for the School of Theology and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this exceptional gift than by reading and sharing the scripture in its entirety. This is truly something special for our community and hopefully for those who will join us online,” said the Rev. Casey Perkins, director of alumni, development, and church relations at the School of Theology.
