31 Days of W.I.C. Day 12 : The Saint John's Bible and Craft Intimacy

Craft Intimacy: "close interactions around  shared problems and a sense of commonality"

(Cultivating Communities of Practice, Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder)

The Saint John's Bible



I wish you could see this Bible in person. Even if you aren't a Christian, the art is stunning. The scope is staggering. The materials mesmerizing. Gold, vellum, strokes of vibrant color. The wonder of 41 years of effort, design, and workmanship. The first project of its kind in five hundred years. Multiple Monks working together - and separately-to achieve this common goal: an illuminated Bible in English.  



Genesis 1- The Days of Creation

 Different Monks completed each section, set, or page. Yet there are agreed upon elements- the gold, for instance- that show up in each work. There are common values demonstrated: excellence, Faith, dedication. There is a common desire to create.  This is a shining example of craft intimacy. Each page flows to the next. It is clear that separate artists are at work, yet there is harmony in the expression. There must be community with freedom, clear expression of goals, collaboration for problem solving, and a product in order to achieve craft intimacy. The Saint John's Bible demonstrates this in the most excellent way.

Pictured here : One of the Monks who worked on the project. The Bible is 2x3 feet when open.

When collaborating with others, aim for craft intimacy. You'll strengthen your work and your resolve.

Nativity

As the Good Book says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor." Ecclesiastes 4:9



31 Days of Writing in Community- Day 11:The Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 3):"The Community Rule"

"The Community Rule" scroll, or 1QS, seen in the photo below, is the "sort of constitution" for the community at Qumran. In the beginning, researchers also nicknamed it "The Manual of Discipline". This guide-scroll laid out the rules for initiation, participation, discipline, and integration into the community. Scholars debate the possibility that it was a code used for a larger scope of communities (not just Qumran) but it really doesn't matter for this discussion. What's important for us is that there were guidelines. Whatever the source of our code of conduct, all communities have one. There are perameters under which we operate. (Photo & information courtesy of University of Saint Andrews School of Divinity: "The Damascus Document & Community Rule")

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 In a Community of Practice, the "maturing stage, key community issue is managing the boundaries of the community."  Boundaries don't just protect and prevent. They actually facilitate purpose and practice. Rules, expectations, and values can serve as a types of boundaries.  A lack of healthy boundaries can "distract a community from its core purpose." Qumran without its focus would have been just another desert hang out. People could have come and gone on a whim, worked or not, copied scrolls or counted sheep. And nothing would have happened. (Cultivating Communities of Practice, Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder)

Community Rules empower each member to hold one another accountable. In my classroom, during Peer Editing Days for Research Papers, an astonishing thing happened. Everyone was peer editing, the room was drenched in the absorbed silence of work. Crashing into the silence came a booming voice. "THIS!" announced the sixth grader, offended and aghast, "IS.A.WASTE. OF MY PEER.EDITING.TIME.!" You see, for weeks, we had talked about cheating. How the hard work of someone else was worth not copying it. How everyone was going to bring their best work to peer editing. We had all agreed how angry we'd be if we poured hours of sweat and tears into a paper and some chump showed up with a cut-and -paste job. And here I was, witnessing our agreement, our boundaries, our values, and our practice at work. The paper was a classic (read: badly done) cut-and-paste. Seething from the classroom full of students who had worked (until midnight, revising, painstakingingly!) was righteous indignation. Why? Because the boundaries of our community had been violated- and they weren't having it.

Both rules and violations demonstrate practice and purpose in a community. The rules tell us the expectations we can have about a community. The violations demonstrate the level into which members have bought into the values of the community. For example, had the sixth graders reacted with a shrug or all come with their own lackadaisical efforts, it would be easy to see that there was a breakdown within the community. The rules, the relationships, and the thus the outcomes,  would not match.

This match is imperative when finding a writing community. Don't settle for a community that doesn't care. Choose Community Rule that establishes  purpose, practice, and product.




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31 Days of Writing in Community: Day 10- The Dead Sea Scrolls Part 2 : Testimonia

Testify- (verb) From the Latin- witness: To bear witness; to make a statement based on belief; to give evidence

(Merriam Webster)

(Side note: I adore archaeology. It had me at "Indiana Jones".)

Cue the music: Something light and French...A fascinating find by Dead Sea archealogists was the Testimonia scroll. It was a testimony scroll- a list of scriptures on the theme of the Messiah. It might be labeled as a "proof-text". (Texts which prove or disprove an argument.)"The five biblical quotations are connected by commentary or interpretation."(Like a Facebook post with scrolls!) The scriptures cover the "prophet like Moses, priestly Messiah, and royal Messiah". It even has a nickname, "4QTest". 'Sup, 4QTest?! Word. The whole point: Messiah.
(West Semitic Research Project, USC)

When reading, read wisely.

Let in only testimony to your purpose.

 

It testifies to the nature of Messiah- but also to the purpose of the people at Qumran. They were of a singular aim- being ready for the Messiah. Every scripture copied or commented upon contained this theme. Every behavior choice funneled energy toward this purpose. They refused to write or read on any other topic.

When writing, write wisely.

Let every word testify to your purpose.

Purpose is a tricky thing. There are times when I am so sure of my purpose. The clarity is astounding, the energy sizzles; Every choice feels right somehow. And then, there are murkier times. I feel I am lobbing waterballoons into a dark,vast canyon and hoping the splooshy pop gives me a sense of direction. Every action seems scattered and unrelated- it is a fuzzy puzzle and none of the pieces fit.Fear whispers menacingly. Keeps me from being able to produce for fear of  wrong step, wrong turn, wrong hope. There are times when I think I know the purpose and it comes to be something entirely different. Community can help. Community reminds you of your purpose, your dreams, your hopes. Community can corrall your wandering herd of thoughts. But the wrong community can detract from your purpose. True community- (common unity)- should only bolster your purpose.

When choosing a community, choose wisely.

 Be a part of something that testifies to your purpose.

31 Days of Writing in Community: Day 9- The Dead Sea Scrolls and Community

I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit on Sunday. This event was hosted by  Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

The Scrolls were copied by men in a community called Qumran, about seven miles outside of Jerusalem.
Qumran was a community  that aimed for  piety and dedication to the scripture. Meticulously, they copied the scriptures and stored them in jars in the surrounding caves. One thing that struck me as I explored the exhibit was how all of this could relate to community in writing. These were people who took the Word, the written Word, seriously. Their world was set up to bring them success in their endeavors. They had what it takes to be a successful community- outside resources (sponsors in Jerusalem) , common goals, layers of involvement, repeated interactions, and product. And they changed the world.