For the first time since 1945, a modern Bible will be used to swear in the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally will be installed on Wednesday as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, marking the start of her public ministry in the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion. The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition will sit under her palm as she swears her oath.
It’s a significant break from tradition because for nearly 60 years, Archbishops of Canterbury have been sworn in using the 6th-century Augustine Gospels, believed to be a relic of St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. However, the gospels, which reside at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, are now fragile and not easily moved.
To honour the occasion of installing the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral has chosen to use its Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. Described as a Bible “for the 21st century”, The Saint John’s Bible is the first hand-scribed, illuminated manuscript commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago.
The Bible, which was created by Donald Jackson, a former senior scribe to the late Queen Elizabeth II at the House of Lords, blends ancient tradition with modern themes.
During the installation, the Bible will be open to the beginning of Luke 1 on the Nave altar in the service. The Archbishop will lay her hand on it as she takes her oath.
There are only 299 facsimiles of this edition of the Bible in the world and this one was blessed and dedicated at a service at Canterbury Cathedral in 2023. The edition is adorned with a special bookmark crafted out of textiles found in the Cathedral Sewing Room at Canterbury Cathedral.
An Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, of which there are only 12 in existence, was gifted to Lambeth Palace in 2023 and is available for public viewing at the Lambeth Palace Library.
The installation service begins at 3pm.