Guest Speaker and Music to be Featured During Saint John’s Bible Event

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University’s Evelyn Chapel will host “Illuminating Justice, Inspiring Music: An Afternoon with the Saint John’s Bible” on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. in Evelyn Chapel (1301 N Park St, Bloomington), as part of their Religion, Music, and the Humanities Series. This event is free and open to the public.

The afternoon will feature speaker Jonathan Homirghausen, author of Illuminating Justice: The Ethical Imagination of The Saint John’s Bible, and choral music directed by Tim Fredstrom.

Illinois Wesleyan currently has the Heritage Edition of The Pentateuch volume of The Saint John's Bible — the first handwritten and hand-illuminated Bible produced by a Benedictine community in over 500 years — available for viewing on campus through December 2018. This work of religious and artistic significance has sparked modern-day conversations about interreligious dialogue and social justice among both Christian and Jewish theologians, scholars, and artists involved in the Bible’s production, as Homrighausen will expand upon during his talk.

Following Homrighausen’s presentation, the choral group Cantus Novus, directed by Tim Fredstrom, will perform music of Christian and Jewish origin inspired by the vibrant illuminations in The Saint John's Bible. These illuminations will be projected during the performance, and attendees will also have an opportunity to closely view the Bible before and after the program.

“I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to celebrate the creative achievements of The Saint John's Bible through both intellectual reflection and musical offerings,” said University Chaplain Elyse Nelson Winger. “The music will be glorious and will remind us, I hope, of the living spirit of music and the arts that is always being made new as new voices and visions embody these sacred stories.”

This event will be held as part of Evelyn Chapel’s annual Religion, Music, and Humanities series, which presents an innovative and engaging program that celebrates intellectual and artistic contributions to a multifaith and multicultural world.

By Rachel McCarthy ’21