Illuminated Sacred Texts

When I look at illuminated sacred texts (see examples below), I can’t help but think of the dedication, love and hard labour that went into creating such magnificent works of art. And the number of people necessary to create one copy.

I knew very little of the Haggadah before reading Geraldine Brooks’ “The People of the Book”. While this book is fiction, it provides a glimpse of the high price paid by those creating the texts as well as those trying to protect them during wars, genocide, and the like, throughout the centuries. 


The illuminated Sarajevo Haggadah similar to what was discussed in “The People of the Book”.

Below is a photo of the illuminated Gutenberg bible from the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz.

“Of the 180 copies [of the Gutenberg bible], it is assumed that 150 were printed on paper, while the remaining 30 were printed on exquisite parchment. 
Today, 49 copies remain in existence. Of these, two are owned by the Gutenberg museum.”