The Illuminated Gospel of Matthew from Cambridge is a fine art edition illuminated by artist-calligrapher Jane Sullivan. Like the Illuminated Gospel of John, it was inspired by Celtic art and the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. This edition presents the KJV text of Matthew in handwritten calligraphy and original illustrations. This is ISBN: 9781009680004, printed in the Netherlands by Wilco, Amersfoort.
Cambridge Bibles provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
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Table of Contents
Materials and Construction
The hardcover includes artwork by the author on the front, back, and spine. The back includes the product description with examples. The textblock is sewn. The pages are a high-grade woven paper. It’s ivory in color with a matte finish. The paper is extra-thick, but unlike my Gospel of John (which closed easily), this one stays open perfectly to any page. It’s made well and feels like a premium book. The overall size is 8.5 x 10.8 x .9 inches and it weighs 2 lbs, 6.4 oz.
Typography
The KJV text is handwritten in the artist’s modified version of French Bâtarde, which is a mix of Gothic and calligraphy. Jane Sullivan used high-quality gouaches, inks, and paper to create the artwork, which was inspired by medieval Celtic designs. Every word, embellishment, and flourish is hand-drawn individually. Small color illustrations and flourishes appear throughout the text to take up space. Some of the text is adjusted to fit the space, sometimes placing a few letters vertically (although this isn’t my favorite choice, I love the rest of it). The bottom of the page shows the chapter and verse centered and surrounded by decorations.
The text is drawn in a single-column paragraph layout with around 8 words per line and 19 lines per page. It’s around 36 points for upper-case and 20 for lower-case. The typeface looks Gothic, but a lot more readable. It is a touch difficult to read, but it’s worth the effort. Chapters are divided by a decorations that include leaves, vines, animals, and flourishes. Chapters have custom drop-caps. A few specific words are written in color, including God, Christ, Lord, Saviour, etc. Verse numbers are thin and in a different color. A few pages have extra space at the bottom. These include full-width drawings, all in color. The color on each page is gorgeous.
Artist’s Afterword
In the back is the Artist’s Forward to The Illuminated Gospel of Matthew. She discusses how illuminating the Gospel of Matthew impacted her differently than illuminating the Gospel of John. She shares her insights on this gospel and how it felt more human. The forward also covers her story and that she chose the KJV for its poetic beauty. I highly recommend reading this fascinating afterword.
There is also a page of a reviews of the previous edition, which included a quote from me. I am honored and greatly appreciate being included in such a beautiful work as this.
Video Review
Conclusion
Jane Sullivan has done it again. The Illuminated Gospel of Matthew is beautifully handwritten. It honors and elevates the KJV text in a way that draws me to it. I love finding all of the small details and discovering that they’re not random, but are pulled from the text itself. I loved her Illuminated Gospel of John, and now her Illuminated Gospel of Matthew makes me look forward to reading the rest of the synoptic gospels in her beautiful calligraphy.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
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Cambridge provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
I have thought about making an illuminated gospel for a few years. Looks like someone beat me to it. However, mine would look different. Randy, you are showing too many nice books and it’s hitting my pocket book.