Museum of the Bible

Museum of the Bible
Museum of the Bible, November 4, 2017 before opening
Location within Washington, D.C.
Established November 17, 2017 (November 17, 2017)
Location 400 4th St SW Washington, D.C., United States[1]
Coordinates 38°53′05″N 77°01′01″W / 38.8847222°N 77.0169444°W / 38.8847222; -77.0169444Coordinates: 38°53′05″N 77°01′01″W / 38.8847222°N 77.0169444°W / 38.8847222; -77.0169444
Type History museum
Collection size 40,000+
Founder Steve Green
Executive director Tony Zeiss
President Cary Summers
Curator David Trobisch
Architect David Greenbaum
Public transit access                Federal Center SW
Website www.museumofthebible.org

The Museum of the Bible is a museum in Washington D.C. which documents the narrative, history and impact of the Bible. The museum opened on November 17, 2017.[2] With 1,150 items from the museum's permanent collection and 2,000 items on loan from other institutions and collections,[3] the museum claims to have amassed one of the largest assemblies of biblical artifacts and texts in the world through collaborations with private donors, institutions, and other museums.

The museum says it is nonsectarian, non-political, and that it does not proselytize.[4][5] The president of the museum, Cary Summers, said the goal was to "reacquaint the world with the book that helped make it, and let the visitor come to their own conclusions. ... We don't exist to tell people what to believe about it".[5]

In the year before its launch, however, it had to field questions about the acquisition of its collection, including a federal case over smuggled Iraqi antiquities and thousands of clay artifacts.[6] Despite the museum's nonsectarian stance, members of the museum's board of directors are required to sign a "faith statement."[7]

The dedication ceremony of the Museum of the Bible received an official pontifical blessing from Pope Francis and individuals in attendance included Cardinal Donald Wuerl, musician CeCe Winans, chaplain of the U.S. Senate Barry Black, mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer.[4]

The Museum of the Bible features dining, including a restaurant called Manna, which serves kosher food.[8]

History

The museum was established as a nonprofit in 2010. The museum's building location and design were announced in 2012 when the Green family purchased the 1923 Terminal Refrigerating and Warehousing Co. building,[9] two blocks from the National Mall that used to be the Washington Design Center in Washington, D.C.[10][11] The estimated $400 million project updated the historically protected structure as well as adding two additional floors and a rooftop café and garden. The building's 1923 original red brick, architecture and ornamentation was restored, with new bricks imported from Denmark. The primary building was awarded historical status by the District's Historic Preservation Review Board.[12][13][14][15] The glass-enclosed rooftop provides views of the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument and several Smithsonian museums. The construction efforts were led by Clark Construction. The architectural design team was led by SmithGroupJJR.[15]

The primary donors to the museum at launch were the Green family and the National Christian Foundation.[16]

Projected exhibits

The exhibitions intend to offer a scholarly perspective on the impact of the Bible in history.[17] Bible scholar David Trobisch, director of the museum's collections, was hired to advise on new acquisitions, identify the storylines for the museum's exhibits, and supervise a team of thirty scholars and curators.[18][19] Indiana Wesleyan University professor Jerry Pattengale serves as Executive Director of Education Initiatives.[20] The Museum has an external board of advisors, and works with Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and other religious and secular institutions.[5]

Each of the six floors in the museum contain a different exhibit which emphasizes different aspects of the Bible's history or impact. This includes three permanent exhibit floors, each measuring 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2).[15] The first floor combines ancient artifacts with modern technology meant to immerse the participant in the Bible. The front entrance on 4th Street SW features 40-foot (12 meter) tall, 2.5 tonnes (2,500 kg) bronze front doors with stained glass art containing a relief depicting the creation account in Genesis.[15][21] There is also a grand lobby with a 200-foot (60 meter) LED ceiling allowing for changing visual effects and messages.[15]

The second floor focuses on the Bible's impact on world culture, in areas like science, justice, and freedom. Another section is dedicated to the Bible's impact in American history.

The third floor presents the general narrative of the Bible from Abraham through the creation of Israel to the ministry of Jesus and the early church. This floor also contains a large Jewish Bible section.

The fourth floor presents biblical history and archaeology. Trobisch stated that the museum "will not whitewash conflicts in Christian history but will explain the arguments that were made at the time".

The fifth level contains a performing arts theater with a 500-person amphitheater. The museum plans to sponsor scholarly lectures as well as multimedia performances relating to the Bible. The fifth floor also contains separate exhibit space for displays presented by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The sixth floor consists of a rooftop viewing areas overlooking the National Mall and U.S. Capitol, stained glass exhibits, and a ballroom that seats 1,000 guests.[21][15] The museum's artifact research facility and reference library is located in a one-story addition to the roof of a neighboring office complex.[15]

Several museum partners are responsible for the design and layout of the various exhibits. The PRD Group was responsible for the history of the Bible floor. PRD Group has previously collaborated on exhibits at Smithsonian National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History. BRC Imagination Arts is developing the narrative of the Bible floor. Jonathan Martin Creative recreated a Nazareth village from the first century. C&G Partners led the design of the impact of the Bible floor. Previous work by C&G Partners includes the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.[15]

The museum contains more than 40,000 objects and artifacts, ranging from the time of Abraham through the New Testament period. Planned artifacts include biblical papyri, Torah scrolls, rare printed Bibles, Jewish artifacts and contemporary treasures of Christian and Jewish culture.[22] The museum has made arrangements to exhibit significant archaeological artifacts owned by collaborating institutions and private collectors such as the Israel Antiquities Authority.[23] Steve Green has donated 13 fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls for exhibition at the museum, along with thousands of other ancient artifacts from his personal collection.[24] Additional initial exhibits include remains from Julia Ward Howe's original manuscript for the famous song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as well as a replica of the Liberty Bell upon which is engraved the Bible verse from Leviticus "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof".[25][26]

The roof of the museum features a Biblical garden.[17][27]

Food services

"Equinox" owners and "The Jewish Table" authors Todd and Ellen Gray operate an 165-seat, Mediterranean-inspired, fine-dining restaurant inside the Museum.[28] The Grays will also provide catering for events at the museum. The Museum also contains a more casual lunch and coffee shop, where some of the food offerings are certified as kosher.[27][29][30]

Reception

Despite its claims to factuality, the museum has come under criticism by academics, who were wary of the original wording of the mission, which described an evangelistic purpose of the museum, namely, to "inspire confidence in the absolute authority and reliability of the Bible."[31][9] A newer statement has shifted away from that language. The revised 2013 mission statement reads, "We exist to invite all people to engage with the Bible. We invite Biblical exploration through museum exhibits and scholarly pursuits."[31]

Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal

One of the ancient clay tablets showing Cuneiform script which Hobby Lobby smuggled

In 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement siezed thousands of clay tablets and bullas from Hobby Lobby and returned them from Iraq.[32]. The artifacts in question had likely been stolen from Iraq. Hobby Lobby was found to have used couriers that had willfully used methods to conceal the provenance of the allegedly stolen items. The museum released a statement that these artifacts were never owned by the Museum of the Bible and were never intended to be part of their collection. In 2018, the items were returned to Iraq. [33]

Dead Sea Scrolls authenticity

The museum displays five parchment fragments that they claim are part of the Dead Sea Scrolls.[34] However, there has been doubt cast upon whether these are authentic.[35][36] Three of the fragments are suspected by researcher and expert Kipp Davis of being forgeries.[37]

Academics

Scott Thumma, a dean and professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary, defended the museum in the artifacts controversy. "Many of the collections of our great national museums and universities are full of the very objects that Hobby Lobby is being fined for smuggling and are seldom required to return or pay compensation."[38]

Lawrence Schiffman, an authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls and professor of Hebrew and Jewish studies at New York University stated, with respect to the Museum of the Bible:[39]

The overarching narrative is the impact of the Bible...its own internal history of how it came together, spread and was passed on. It exudes one of the best things about art culture in this country. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Ethiopic, Orthodox — all of them are here. There’s a message of shared culture and respect that the museum exudes. Everyone who comes here is going to go out with that message.[39]

In contrast to these comments, Biblical scholars Joel Baden of Yale Divinity School and Candida Moss of University of Birmingham, who wrote the book Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby,[40] expressed concerns about the museum's mission saying, "They have misled the public at large by promoting a curriculum and a museum that tell only the story that the Greens want to tell, without acknowledging that scholars and experts have spent decades, indeed centuries, laboring to provide very different accounts of the Bible and its history."[41]

After spending many hours while writing the book with museum founder Steve Green and president Cary Summers, they concluded:

It’s not really a museum of the Bible, it’s a museum of American Protestantism. Their whole purpose is to show this country as a Christian country governed by Christian morality. (Moss)[42]

Their three-minute promo is fascinating demonstration of this problem. At least half of it is a reenactment of American history which has no bearing on the Bible—the signing of the Declaration of Independence, for example, or the Revolutionary War. The worry is that the museum portrays a story of the Bible that culminates in Protestantism and America. (Baden)[42]

John Fea, associate professor of American history at Messiah College, and chair of the history department, said, "It’s hard to see this as anything other than an attempt to try to bring Christian values in the Bible’s teachings as understood by evangelical protestants, like the Greens, into the center of American political life and American cultural life."[43]

However, the Catholic theologian Thomas L. McDonald, writing in the National Catholic Register praised the abundance of material dedicated to the history of the Bible with respect to Roman Catholicism:[39]

In 2012, the museum brought its traveling Verbum Domini exhibit to the Vatican, which helped forge relationships with the Vatican Museums and Vatican Library. A similar exhibit was mounted in Philadelphia during the visit of Pope Francis, continuing the museum’s process of courting Catholic leaders and press. The result is a permanent space on the first floor of the museum for rotating exhibits from the Vatican, including the giant illuminated Urbino Bible (15th century) and a number of reproduction frescoes illustrating Church councils. New items will be brought from Rome every six months. In addition, one of the special exhibits for the opening is a series of Stations of the Cross sculptures. Catholicism permeates the art and exhibits. A section of paintings and sculpture shows how artists depicted the Virgin Mary throughout history. Dorothy Day and St. Josephine Bakhita highlight an exhibit on social justice. There’s the prayer book of Emperor Charles V, who condemned Luther as an outlaw, and various versions of the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims Bibles, among other Catholic versions. Pre-Reformation books and illuminated manuscripts, displays of Catholic architecture and art, the role of monks and nuns, and discussions of Catholic saints and scholars are all in the mix.[39]

A blog article in The Economist criticized the Museum of the Bible for allegedly taking into consideration Protestant, Jewish and Roman Catholic views, but ignoring the views of Orthodox Christianity and not mentioning the "impact of the Bible on Islam" or taking into account the opinions of scholars who do not consider that the Bible contains a coherent story.[44] On the contrary, Thomas L. McDonald stated that "The Museum of the Bible is telling the story of the holy book in all of its complexity. One display details all the various canons of Scripture, from Jewish to Ethiopic, what books they include, how they came to be in that form, and how they’re used."[39]

Opening

Pope Francis sent an official pontifical blessing for Museum of the Bible's dedication on 17 November 2017, which was read by Cardinal Donald Wuerl at the event.[4] He stated that "He is confident that those who revere the sacred scriptures as the word of God will here find nourishment for their faith, while many others will be introduced to a fascinating and vital chapter in the spiritual history of the human family".[4][45] Cardinal Donald Wuerl offered the invocation, followed by prayers and remarks from musician CeCe Winans, chaplain of the U.S. Senate Barry Black, mayor of Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer.[4]

On the previous day, 16 November 2017, museum officials held an opening gala and reception for the facility at the Trump International Hotel Washington D.C. in the Old Post Office Building. Mor Dionysius John Kawak, archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church, along with other representatives of that Oriental Orthodox denomination, Augeen Alkhouri, Freed Shammas and Raymond Dunya, were in attendance.[46] Benjamin Netanyahu sent "warm greetings from Jerusalem, the eternal and undivided capital of Israel."[8] However, a number of museum employees and academic consultants refused to enter, citing the problem of having the event in a hotel affiliated with the controversial president of the United States, Donald Trump.[16]

Museum officials did not release an attendance count of those present on the museum's opening day.[45]

Board and leadership

References

  1. ↑ "Museum of the Bible". www.museumofthebible.org. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18.
  2. ↑ "Museum — Main site". Museum of the Bible. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Collections". Archived from the original on 2017-12-31.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 White, Christopher (18 November 2017). "Pope Francis sends official blessings for Museum of the Bible opening". Crux. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "The real Museum of the Bible". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  6. ↑ "Questions swirl around Museum of the Bible before grand opening". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  7. ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica (November 18, 2017). "Museum of the Bible faces revelations, controversy as it opens". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  8. 1 2 Kampeas, Ron (17 November 2017). "Judaism is the star at a Bible museum built by Hobby Lobby". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  9. 1 2 Kennicott, Philip (November 15, 2017). "Perspective | The new Bible museum tells a clear, powerful story. And it could change the museum business". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  10. ↑ Banks, Adelle M. (July 10, 2012). "Bible museum planned for Washington, D.C." Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  11. ↑ Sernovitz, Daniel (July 20, 2012). "Museum makes a divine acquisition". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  12. ↑ DPA (13 February 2015). "Private Bible museum to be built in heart of Washington, D.C." Haaretz. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Cooper, Rebecca (12 February 2015). "Here's the Museum of the Bible's $400M plan for the former Washington Design Center". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Parker, Loanne (28 March 2014). "Which Museums Show Real Promise?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Construction begins on 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible". University of Leicester. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  16. 1 2 Boorstein, Michelle (2017-11-15). "D.C.'s new Bible museum says it wants to avoid politics. But its opening gala is at the Trump hotel". The Washington Post. Acts of Faith. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  17. 1 2 O'Connell, Jonathan (12 February 2015). "Even non-believers may want to visit the $400 million Museum of the Bible". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Green family Bible museum closer to opening". Baptist Press. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (12 September 2014). "Hobby Lobby's Steve Green has big plans for his Bible museum in Washington". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Jerry Pattengale, Ph. D." Museum of the Bible. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  21. 1 2 Porter, Kevin (21 Aug 2016). "Behind-the-scenes tour of Museum of the Bible: 5,000 lb Genesis bronze door, electronic Biblical art ceiling". Christian Post. Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 25 Oct 2016.
  22. ↑ "Museum of the Bible holds "topping out" celebration for D.C. building". NRB.com. September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved 21 Nov 2016.
  23. ↑ Charney, Noah (4 September 2015). "Critics call it evangelical propaganda. Can the Museum of the Bible convert them?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  24. ↑ Pruitt, Sarah (11 Oct 2016). "Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls come to light". history.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  25. ↑ Porter, Kevin (7 Nov 2016). "Museum of the Bible to display historic 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on 2016-12-12. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  26. ↑ Mitchell, Andre (19 Aug 2016). "Bible museum in U.S. capital gets Liberty Bell replica as its first display". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2016-12-12. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  27. 1 2 Sheir, Rebecca. "D.C. Bible Museum Will Be Immersive Experience, Organizers Say". NPR. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  28. ↑ Lefrak, Mikaela (7 August 2018). "Is this biblical food the next foodie fad? This chef thinks so". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  29. ↑ "Museum of the Bible Gives Preview in NYC". The Jewish Voice. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  30. ↑ Sidman, Jessica (3 Nov 2016). "Equinox owners will open an Israeli street food cafe in the Museum of the Bible". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 21 Nov 2016.
  31. 1 2 Charney, Noah (4 September 2015). "Critics call it evangelical propaganda. Can the Museum of the Bible convert them?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 20 Dec 2016.
  32. ↑ "ICE returns thousands of ancient artifacts seized from Hobby Lobby to Iraq". www.ice.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  33. ↑ McGlone, Peggy (2018), "Hobby Lobby's illicit artifacts are returned to their Iraqi homeland", Washington Post, retrieved August 17, 2018
  34. ↑ Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in the Museum collection. 2016. ISBN 9789004321489. Archived from the original on 2017-11-20.
  35. ↑ Burke, Daniel (November 17, 2017). "Mystery at the new Bible museum: Are its Dead Sea Scrolls fake?". CNN. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  36. ↑ Greshko, Michael (November 17, 2017). "Forgeries May Hide in Museum of the Bible's Dead Sea Scrolls". Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  37. ↑ "$500m 'Museum of the Bible' opens in Washington DC". The Week UK. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  38. ↑ "Despite smuggled antiquities purchase, some say criticism of Bible museum is unfair". Religion News Service. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 McDonald, Thomas L. (20 November 2017). "Museum of the Bible Highlights the Holy Book and Time-Honored Treasures". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  40. ↑ Moss, Candida; Baden, Joel S. (October 15, 2017). "Just What Is the Museum of the Bible Trying to Do?". POLITICO Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  41. ↑ Moss, Candida R.; Baden, Joel S. (2017-09-22). Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-8831-3. Archived from the original on 2017-11-20.
  42. 1 2 Haber, Gordon (November 8, 2017). "Investigating the Hobby Lobby Family: An Interview with Candida Moss and Joel S. Baden". Religion & Politics. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  43. ↑ Block, Deborah (November 17, 2017). "Controversial Bible Museum to Open in Washington". VOA. Archived from the original on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  44. ↑ "The Museum of the Bible opens in Washington, DC". The Economist. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  45. 1 2 Boorstein, Michelle (2018-11-17). "D.C. officially gets a new major Bible museum — and prayers at its dedication for evangelization". Acts of Faith. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  46. ↑ Miranda, Judy (16 November 2017). "Grand Opening of the Museum of the Bible". Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  47. ↑ "Leadership". www.museumofthebible.org. Archived from the original on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
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