Heralding the release this month of The Four Holy Gospels—an exquisite edition of the four Gospels in the English Standard Version—Crossway recently hosted renowned artist Makoto Fujimura with an exhibit of his work from the project.

Published in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version Bible, The Four Holy Gospels incorporates five large-scale paintings, four opening plates—one for each of the Gospels—plus 89 initial letters, each painted and many adorned with gold flecks and foil.

Known for his use of traditional Japanese Nihonga techniques and his passion for reconnecting spirituality with fine art, Fujimura attended a Jan. 21 exhibit at Crossway's Wheaton, Ill., headquarters.

Crossway President Lane Dennis said that the purpose in creating The Four Holy Gospels was "first and foremost to give praise and glory to the triune God." The art of illuminated Gospels dates back 1,500 years to the Canterbury Gospels of 1597, Crossway said. The last time a single artist illuminated all four Gospels was nearly 500 years ago when an Ukranian scribe did so.

Fujimura said at the event that working on the project for the past 18 months "has been absolutely healing for me." "Not only this crazy idea of a contemporary artist illuminating an ancient text, but one that is multicultural, using Japanese methods," he said. "There is no precedent for this in recent times. As my pastor, Tim Keller, said, 'It's not the artist illuminating the text, it's the text illuminating the artist.' "

The Four Holy Gospels retails for $129.99 in fabric format and $349.99 in genuine leather. Click here for more information.

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