For centuries throughout the Christian world, manuscripts similar to The Saint John's Bible and The Four Holy Gospels were rare and precious possessions of a local church community. They were often very large books, visible to many at one time. They were read during mass, displayed publicly on holy days and used with prayer to bless the community and petition God for healing. Many years and the skills of many artists went into their making.
Are they coffeetable books? Sure, display them for your callers. Their beauty will draw people in.
Are they private devotionals? Both Fujimura and Saint John's Monastery want people to use them in this way. The books (almost the same size, interestingly) are larger than your Bible but not too large to handle, and the texts are accepted modern translations.
What else? Could they be the center of a small group study? Could pages be projected during worship or a sermon instead of a Powerpoint image? Could they be used to focus corporate prayer? Could they be inspiration for art that grows out of your community?
How might your church community respond to these books that
join our beloved ancient words with images forged in the souls of
modern artists?