I got a “Corona Bible”
Welcome to a New Year, but still with the same problems: the Corona pandemic is putting our health in risk, causing us all kind of restrictions and fears, emotional and physical exhaustion. How much longer can we take it, will we make it; and how could we break it, could we? Or will it rather break us?
In the midst of all these anxieties and uncertainties I opened my mailbox one morning and was struck by the header CORONA BIBLE. I couldn’t believe it. Has the virus even infected the Bible? Has someone published a Bible full of problems and dangers? A New Bible? Is that just some joke or even a commercial gag?
Somewhat hesitant I opened the link and was absolutely amazed and amused. I found a hand-written Bible! Imagine, for hundreds of years, till the 15th century the only way to have your own Bible was a carefully copied, hand-written volume; in fact, it was an enormous treasure that might have cost a fairly wealthy owner a fortune.
But this one was different: not one scribe’s careful writing, rather well over 1000 different writing styles with pictures, some with colourful frames embroidering a page, so each of the 1189 chapters of the Bible looked uniquely different, personal and special. AMAZING!
How did this happen? A group of Christian leaders in St. Gallen, Switzerland, got together in early March 2020 to consult how they could best set a sign of encouragement against the impending lockdown isolation. They came up with the idea of finding hundreds of volunteers who would become scribes copying the Bible chapter by chapter in their own handwriting, and in this way share the Greatest Message of hope for tomorrow with their friends and neighbours. And so they produced a truly historical document. > see www.coronabibel.ch for a free look. – In fact, the original copy found a place in the world-famous, historic library, known as “Stiftsbibliothek” that hold some of the most exquisite volumes of the “Evangels” [New Testament Gospel] produced by Irish monks during the late 9th/10th century. FABULOUS!
So I wondered: How much do I, do you love God’s book? Do you have a plan for 2021 to read it – meditate on it – or even copy it by hand for someone else?
Yes, the Bible speaks into our Corona pandemic and its message liberates us from anxiety, isolation and uncertainty about our future: Today – Tomorrow- and Forever!
