Museum of the Bible
This privately funded facility was founded (primarily) by the evangelical billionaire Green family, owners of the chain of Hobby Lobby arts and crafts stores. It’s known for its controversial displays, which, in its early days, included what turned out to be fake fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls; as well as a head-scratching exhibit that claimed that the concept of a universe governed by one god was "the historical foundation for modern science." Since it opened in 2017, the owners have had to pay a $3 million fine and return 17,000 Iraqi and Egyptian artifacts that had allegedly been looted or smuggled.
It’s not all sketchy though. The museum offers an interpretation of the nearly 3,500 years of history related to the Bible, and that important book’s impact on the world. There are 8 floors, but the primary exhibits lie on floor 2 (The Impact of the Bible), floor 3 (The Stories of the Bible, presented in Disneyfied form, complete with costumed docents and a walk-through recreation of 1st-century Nazareth), and floor 4 (The History of the Bible). Along the way, visitors will view one of Elvis Presley’s personal Bibles, Julia Ward Howe’s original draft of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, written in 1861, and a fragment of a first edition of the Gutenberg Bible, circa 1455, all part of the permanent collection. Level 6 has an outstanding view of the capital (the museum is just a couple of blocks south of the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Mall). Guided tours are available Monday through Saturday at 11:30am and 2:30pm for $10 more per person.
This privately funded facility was founded (primarily) by the evangelical billionaire Green family, owners of the chain of Hobby Lobby arts and crafts stores. It’s known for its controversial displays, which, in its early days, included what turned out to be fake fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls; as well as a head-scratching exhibit that claimed that the concept of a universe governed by one god was "the historical foundation for modern science." Since it opened in 2017, the owners have had to pay a $3 million fine and return 17,000 Iraqi and Egyptian artifacts that had allegedly been looted or smuggled.
It’s not all sketchy though. The museum offers an interpretation of the nearly 3,500 years of history related to the Bible, and that important book’s impact on the world. There are 8 floors, but the primary exhibits lie on floor 2 (The Impact of the Bible), floor 3 (The Stories of the Bible, presented in Disneyfied form, complete with costumed docents and a walk-through recreation of 1st-century Nazareth), and floor 4 (The History of the Bible). Along the way, visitors will view one of Elvis Presley’s personal Bibles, Julia Ward Howe’s original draft of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, written in 1861, and a fragment of a first edition of the Gutenberg Bible, circa 1455, all part of the permanent collection. Level 6 has an outstanding view of the capital (the museum is just a couple of blocks south of the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Mall). Guided tours are available Monday through Saturday at 11:30am and 2:30pm for $10 more per person.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
