Phillip Patterson, Finishes Writing out Entire Bible by Hand

Four years after he began his project to
write out every word of the Bible, Phillip
Patterson penned the very last lines
Saturday at an upstate New York church.
"Every single curly-q, every single loop, it
was all worth it," said Patterson, 63,
moments after inking the final two verses
of the King James Bible. "I'm really going
to miss this writing."
It took Patterson just a few minutes to
copy the final lines of the Book of
Revelation before a crowd of about 125
people at St. Peter's Presbyterian Church
in Spencertown. He ended the ceremony
by saying "Amen."
Patterson, of Philmont, began copying the
complete King James Bible in his neat,
looping handwriting in 2009. He spent
two years copying the first five books of
the Bible as a prototype before starting
fresh. He said he'll spend about another
year working on the book's binding and
covers before donating the fully
completed Bible — more than 2,400
pages — to St. Peter's as a gift.
For now, he said, he'll just have to get
used to his new life without holding a
Pigma Micron pen every day.
"I'm going to miss the writing, that's what
I'm going to miss," he said. "My fingers
are fine, no callouses."
Patterson has said he started the project
to learn about the Bible, not as a spiritual
quest. But he said the project has helped
him become more patient, confident and
loving.
The project was slowed by his health
problems, including AIDS and anemia. The
retired interior designer relies on two
canes and leans on walls and furniture to
get around his apartment near the
Massachusetts border.
Paterson worked as much as 14 hours a
day on his project.