The Illuminated Letter and The Transfigured Word
From correspondence with a friend regarding his forthcoming book in which he argues that the transfiguration of Christ serves as a model for biblical interpretation.
Capitalizing a letter does not change its sound, but it does change its significance. We capitalize the first letter of each sentence. This signifies that the sentence, though akin to the word as a conveyor of meaning, is a higher order thing. This pattern manifests at a higher level in decorative drop caps at the beginning of chapters and reaches its peak in illuminated letters.
For example, the firstborn letter in the Winchester Bible, the I of "In principio," contains seven scenes that summarize the whole biblical narrative and is gilded with gold leaf (matter that reflects light). This peerlessly luminescent capital letter signifies that the Bible is a peerlessly luminescent book - the Word of God - while still making the same sound as a lower-case i.
There seems to be a parallel between this illuminated letter and the transfigured Word-made-flesh. The former reflects the whole Bible through a letter, and the latter reflects the Holy God through a man. In both cases, the letter remains a letter and the man remains a man, although at the same time, they are much more. It sounds like your book will argue that the text of the Bible is the same and should be interpreted accordingly.
I am reminded of this quote from John Donne:
"My God, my God, thou art a direct God, may I not say a literal God, a God that wouldst be understood literally and according to the plain sense of all that thou sayest? But thou art also (Lord, I intend it to thy glory, and let no profane misinterpreter abuse it to thy diminution), thou art a figurative, a metaphorical God too; a God in whose words there is such a height of figures, such voyages, such peregrinations to fetch remote and precious metaphors, such extensions, such spreadings, such curtains of allegories, such third heavens of hyperboles, so harmonious elocutions, so retired and so reserved expressions, so commanding persuasions, so persuading commandments, such sinews even in thy milk, and such things in thy words, as all profane authors seem of the seed of the serpent that creeps, thou art the Dove that flies."