When Pope Benedict XVI visits Israel early this month he will receive two gifts — one employing ages-old technology, the other the very latest.

The first gift is the Gospel of Luke, from the Christian Bible, written in Arabic calligraphy by a Palestinian artist. The second is the 300,000 word Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible encoded on a microchip the size of a grain of sand, the Associated Press reported.

Muslim calligrapher Yasser Abu Saymeh is writing the Gospel’s text, which will eventually be encompassed on 65 poster-sized pages and illustrated with colored drawings depicting the life of Christ, from the Nativity to the crucifixion. The gift will be presented to Pope Benedict on May 13 during his visit to Bethlehem.

The chip will be given to the pope during a reception May 11 hosted by Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, the pope will receive another rare gift of Scripture — a 300,000-word Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible inscribed on a silicon particle the size of a grain of sand, using nanotechnology.

(Photo: an employee at Israel’s Institute of Technology,shows a 0.5 millimeter chip containing the entire Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible. The world’s smallest electronic bible will be given to Pope Benedict XVI during a visit to Israel in early May. Handout Photo)