Sacred Text
As a theological library, many of our books are either sacred texts or discussions about sacred texts. For this exhibit, we selected sacred texts from different traditions that we have not previously displayed.
The examples include devotional books, a leaf from an illuminated book of hours and an Ethiopian book Prayers to Mary ; sacred texts, an Esther scroll used to celebrate the Jewish festival Purim and a page from the Jain Book of Rituals; and caligraphy by Haji Noor Deen, who applies Chinese script to Islamic scripture, and Ron Nakasone, a master Sho calligrapher.
For unique essays on the topic, see our Sacred Text Lectures. A companion site that features Bibles is our King James Bible exhibit from 2011. For an array of sacred texts reproduced online, see British Library: Sacred Texts. Through next spring, the Bannan Insitute at Santa Clara University is presenting lectures and exhibits on Sacred Texts in the Public Sphere.
 |
 |
 |
| Leaf, Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis (Book of Hours), 15th century | Prayers to Mary, Ethiopian, 19th century | Esther Scrool, Palestine, 20th century |
 |
 |
|
| Islamic Calligraphy, Haji Noor Deen, 2011 | Manuscript Page from Kalpasutra, 16th century |