This is a web-o-tized version of a book I put together for my tattoo artist Joe Kennett, who gave me my first real tattoo on my left calf. As I write this, Joe has begun to formulate a tattoo design for me based on this information. I will update this story as the preliminary designs come in and eventually I get the new tattoo. I'm so excited about the entire process!

This new tattoo is for my left arm and shoulder above the elbow, possibly extending onto the pectoral muscle and shoulder blade. I also want to embellish the family crest tattoo on my right arm in order to make it into a half-sleeve design that will work harmoniously with this third tattoo. What I'm looking for in this project is much more than a design for a single tattoo. I want something that's going to create a unified theme for the rest of my ink, if I get any more. (And you know I will!)

The central element of the design will be the first verse of the first Psalm from the Old Testament Bible, in Vulgate Latin with a very large, very ornate capitol "B" at the beginning: beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum et in via peccatorum non stetit in cathedra derisorum non sedit.

The original verse was written in Hebrew and King David (as in the Star of David) is commonly considered to be the author of the book of Psalms. To the left is a side-by-side comparison of this verse written in Hebrew and in English. Remember that Hebrew is written right-to-left as opposed to left-to-right in English. You can click on the illustration to explore more of the Bible in Hebrew.

I investigated a variety of other English translations of this verse for the sake of comparison. I have poured over these translations and then I have done my own translation of the Vulgate Latin using various online dictionaries. Finally, I consulted with a number of my friends who have some knowledge of Latin. After all that work, I'm pretty satisfied with the King James translation.

The most difficult word in the Latin version for me was abiit. This is a conjugation of the word abeo wich means to depart or go away. So, of the English translations I have come across, the "Bible in Basic English" version probably does the best job of staying true to the Latin version of this word. But then I don't like the way the "Bible in Basic English" translates the last part of the verse. It renders in cathedra derisorum non sedit as "or sit in the seat of those who do not give honour to the Lord." I feel that the translation of derisorum may indeed be intended to convey someone who doesn't honor God but the word is too close to a number of perfectly good words in Modern English such as scoffer, mocker, and cynic and probably is the word from which we get the modern word "derisive." Because of this, I prefer the King James rendering of this phrase: "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

King James Version (1769) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.	The New American Standard Bible How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
The Bible in Basic English Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or sit in the seat of those who do not give honour to the Lord.	The Douay-Rheims Bible Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.
The New Living Translation Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.	The Good News Translation Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.

And here's the story behind my inspiration for this design. After my second tattoo in March of 2003, on my 30th birthday, I began to look for ideas for my next tattoo. Several months went by before I realized how attractive to me the idea of having tattoo "sleeves" is. I have met several people over the years with both full and partial tattoo sleeves and I have always been captivated by and jealous of these adornments.

When I spoke to people about their tattoo sleeves and what inspired them, it was almost without exception that they had chosen traditional Japanese tattoo sleeves, based on artwork, folk-tales, and other concepts from ancient Japan. While the execution of these tattoos was excellent, the oriental theme didn't resonate with me. I determined to find a theme for a pair of tattoo sleeves that would have deep personal meaning for me.

One day, I found myself indulging my curiosity about the Gutenberg Bible. The fanciful, elaborate, hand-drawn initial letters of each chapter and other adornments in this book inspired me to research other ancient Biblical manuscripts.

My wanderings on the Internet, especially in the online collections of various British universities, unveiled for me the beauty of manuscripts pre-dating the Gutenberg Bible. These incredible documents are known as "illuminated manuscripts" for their use of metal leaf such as gold and silver. While I browsed through these ancient Biblical and secular texts I marveled at their ornate decoration, so meticulously hand-copied and so lovingly illustrated.

One interesting commonality between the Biblical manuscripts soon became apparent - the illustrations beginning the first Psalm were always more elaborate than those of the surrounding books. The first passage in Psalms, in Vulgate Latin, starts out with the words "Beatus vir" or "Blessed is the man." Since the first letter of the first word was a "B," a great deal of space on the page was sometimes devoted to a large, ornate, stately letter. This spoke to me because, of course, my first name also starts with a "B." Many of the illustrations also featured an illustration of King David playing a harp since he was commonly thought to be the author of the book of Psalms.

Now on to the real kernel of this story, the illustrations. Here are a number of images from ancient manuscripts that are being used as inspiration for my new tattoo along with commentary. Click on these images to see larger versions.

Illustration One This is the first "Beatus Vir" that caught my eye and led me on a search for others. I'm interested in the overall design of this page except for the inclusion of various animals throughout the design. As with all of these illustrations, I find the rest of the text beyond the initial "B" to be difficult to read. The interlocking spirals in the "B" are my favorite part of this one. Illuminated initial B at the beginning of Psalm 1 (Beatus vir), from a Psalter. England, St. Albans abbey; c. 1270-80. New College, MS. 358, fol. xi verso. Source: Bodleian Library - University of Oxford
Illustration Two This page was reproduced with the best overall color out of any of the others. Notice that the word "Beatus" is abbreviated as "beat." Once again, interlocking spirals inside the "B" and a number of animals are present. Comments on Psalms c. 1200. Illumination on parchment. Cathedral Library, Esztergom. Source: Web Gallery of Art - Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary
Illustrations Three and Four This "B" with it's elaborate floral design and very interesting shape is probably the only I would have tattooed on me with the least modification from the original. I definitely would not have Kind David with his harp as a part of the design. In Illustration Four, notice in the text that I have added myself how each letter "v" looks somewhat like the lower-case "b" because the letter isn't open at the top. In several of the examples I have modified in this way I erased part of the "v" to make it clearer. The Hague, KB, 134 C 60 - Psalter. Breviary of St. Bridget. Place of origin: Den Bosch, Monastery Marienwater, Bridgettines/Bridgettinesses. Date: 1468 Psalm 1 (`Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly'') St. Peter holding a key and a cross-staff. Fol. 7v: full-page min. Source: The National Library of the Netherlands
Illustrations Five, Six, and Seven I found the presentation of the "King's Copy" Gutenberg to be much more attractive than that of the Ransom Center Copy. From the King’s Copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Acquired by George III (1738–1820) at an unknown date and transferred as part of the King’s library to the British Museum in 1829. Five and Six are the book of Psalms, Seven is the book of Judges. Source: The British Library - The Gutenberg Bible, King's Copy
Illustration Eight I like the design of the initial "A" on this page. The device at the bottom of the page, whatever it is, doesn't appeal to me at all. MS. Bywater adds. 2. Cistercian Missal, in Latin. France, Pontigny; 1203-14. Source: Bodleian Library - University of Oxford.
Illustrations Nine and Ten The Ransom Center Gutenberg not only has hand-drawn capital letters from a different artist, using a different palate, but the spacing of the text is different. Although I don't care much for the shape of this "B" I like the colors used here better than in the King's Copy of the Gutenberg. Source: Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin.
Illustrations Eleven and Twelve The initial "B" here has a striking similarity in shape and in color to the one in illustrations 3 and 4, all of which were produced in about the same time period - the late 15th Century. As you can see from my modifications in illustration 12, I really like the design and layout of the page with the elaborate illustration down the left-hand margin. In the type I added here, I have modified by hand each "v" to make it more readable. Source: The National Library of the Netherlands.
Illustration Thirteen This page makes the most extensive use of gold leaf of any I ran across in my searches. I like how the first verse of text, the only part I'm interested in, Is treated here and set off in stunningly complicated characters compared to the rest of the text. I like the overall design of the initial "B" except for the inclusion of King David in the lower loop and what appears to be God in the upper loop. The ribbon-like or knot-like flourishes are great, too. Psalter of St Margaret of the House Árpád. 1259-61. Illumination on parchment. Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel. Similarly to other Psalters, the first initial B of the text of the first psalm is the most beautifully decorated lettes of the manuscript. In the upper part the half-figure of Christ, in the lower King David palying the harph can be seen. The Hungarian miniaturist alloyed Byzantine, Romanesque elements reaching an individual style. The first owner of the codex was Margaret, daughter of King Béla IV, a nun later canonized. Source: Web Gallery of Art - Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary
Illustrations Fourteen, Fifteen, and Sixteen These pages are included because I like the borders drawn around them. I'm interesting in including something like this in my third tattoo design. I'm also interested in adding something like this to the family crest tattoo on my right shoulder so it becomes an entire sleeve. Although I included it last, the border in illustration Sixteen is by far my favorite of the three border designs. Fourteen and Fifteen: MS. Don. b. 5 - Noted Missal, Use of Sarum, in Latin: 'The Buckland Missal' - England; 14th century, c. 1370-80(?). Source: Bodleian Library - University of Oxford. Sixteen: City of God - St. Augustine. La Cité de Dieu (first volume). Paris, early fifteenth century. Vellum, 339 leaves, 423 x 330 mm. Source: The National Library of the Netherlands.