The Impact Of The Bible
On Floor 2, explore Bible in the World, where guests can explore the Bibles impact on fashion, literature, music, and more, and Bible in America, with artifacts tracing the Bibles profound influence on American culture. Check out Bible Now for a spectacular live feed of global data or Washington Revelations for a dazzling flight through the nations capital.
About Museum Of The Bible
Located just two blocks from the National Mall in Washington, DC, Museum of the Bible offers visitors an immersive and personalized experience with the Bible and its ongoing impact on the world around us through world-class exhibitions showcasing rare and fascinating artifacts spanning 4,000 years of history.
For centuries, people have turned to the Bible for comfort, instruction, inspiration, and hope. But what about adventure, intrigue, entertainment, and FUN? Museum of the Bible invites you to experience the Bible in a whole new way. Inside, you can walk on dry land through the Red Sea, wander the streets of a first-century village, and see rare artifacts from the Vatican and Israel. Located just a few blocks off the National Mall in Washington, DC, we invite you to come see for yourself. Whats in it will surprise you!
- Size of the museum: 430,000 square feet, 7 floors
- What you’ll learn: the history, narrative, and impact of the Bible
An Outstanding Testimony To The Most Printed Translated And Read Book Of All Human History Also Demonstrates The Vital Need For Religious Liberty
The author Marco Respinti in front of the Museum.
When the European invention of the printing press, based on the movable-types technique which was invented in 11th-century China, perfected and industrialized the process, the choice for the first ever printed book in 1454 fell on the Bible. Today the Bible is the most translated book in the world. There are versions of the complete Bible in 704 of the 7,106 languages estimated to be spoken in the world, translations of the New Testament in 1,551 languages, and translation of parts of the Bible into 1,160 additional languages. The Bible is also the most printed book in history, as well as the best and the longest seller. According to the Guinness World Records, as of 2021 it outnumbered any other publications with an estimated 5 to 7 billion copies sold and distributed .
For millions of Jews and Christians, the Bible is a divinely inspired Holy Scripture. It remains central also for several new religions. Islam maintains that it contains the true revelation from God, even if distorted by human authors, and it is respected by many other creeds, spiritual movements, and moral schools. It is also highly respected as an immortal piece of world literature by several brands of secular thought. Most probably, the Bible is both the most read and the most quoted book in the world.
A room of the Museum.America and the Bible.Entering Nazareth.In the Shroud of Turin room.
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World War I Great Depression And World War Ii
The United States remained neutral from the outbreak of in 1914 until 1917 when it joined the war as an “associated power” alongside the , helping to turn the tide against the . In 1919, President took a leading diplomatic role at the and advocated strongly for the U.S. to join the . However, the Senate refused to approve this and did not ratify the that established the League of Nations.
In 1920, the women’s rights movement won passage of a granting . The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of for and the invention of early . The prosperity of the ended with the and the onset of the . The was the worlds tallest when it opened in 1931, during the Depression era. After his election as president in 1932, responded with the . The of millions of African Americans out of the American South began before World War I and extended through the 1960s whereas the of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.
The United States played a leading role in the and conferences, which signed agreements on new international financial institutions and Europe’s postwar reorganization. As an , a 1945 held in produced the , which became active after the war. The United States and Japan then fought each other in the largest naval battle in history, the . The United States developed the and used them on Japan in August 1945 the Japanese on September 2, ending World War II.
Museum Tours Are Available Now
Museum of the Bible’s docent-led tours explore the ways the Bible has impacted our history and culture. Our tours take visitors on a journey through our galleries and artifacts, as well as many of our museum spaces. See the tour schedule below for times and days available. Please note the tour schedule is subject to change.
Museum of the Bible Highlights Tour ScheduleMonday Saturday
The 1:00 p.m. tour is discounted or FREE for Museum of the Bible members.See membership options to learn more about discounts on tours.
All tours may only be reserved on the day of your visit at the Ticketing counter. Tickets are first-come, first-serve. Tours will meet the docent under the “Exhibits” sign in the Grand Hall.
Museum of the Bible Highlights Tour for Groups
Monday Saturday
Available throughout the day with advance reservation. Please contact Customer Service at 430-MOTB or at to book a group tour.
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Museum Of The Bible In Washington Dc
The Museum of the Bible opened back in 2017. Ive been curious about it ever since and now that I have visited I wish I had not waited so long.
Its very kid friendly and theyll really have a good time!
The first thing I think everyone should know is that the Museum of the Bible is a museum about the Bible and not a museum about religion.
Although there is obviously a lot of information about religion throughout the museum the focus is squarely on the Bible itself and is not evangelical in the least.
This means that even if you are not religious or do not share the Judeo-Christian beliefs in the Bible the museum is still well worth a visit.
The Handling Of The Green Scholars Institute Shows A Profound Disrespect For Academic Inquiry
This uneven tone may reflect the Green familys somewhat haphazard approach to collaborating with scholars.
When I attended a press event at the museum earlier this year, the various scholars and experts on the board, including the University of Leicesters Gordon Campbell, an expert in the history of the King James Bible, emphasized the serious scholarly nature of their mission: to help visitors to the museum understand the Bibles cultural and historical significance in a systematic way. trick people into reading the Bible in the same way you trick people into reading Shakespeare, said Campbell then, referring to the Bibles importance in any comprehensive study of the humanities, its good for them!”
But the ways in which Campbell thinks the Bible is good for students may not be the same way in which the Green family thinks the Bible is good for them.
What is so galling about the examples in Moss and Badens book, and about the Museum of the Bibles struggles more broadly, is that they show the profound ignorance, on the part of the Green family and those who have enabled them, of the way academia and the humanities more generally actually works.
None of these questions are in the least adversarial. Rather, they are collaborative: seeking to engage with texts and ideas precisely because they are a vital part of Western history.
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The Greens Approach To Scholarship Hasnt Been Exactly Scholarly
Questions of provenance and authenticity of biblical documents cinematic as they are may be obscuring a wider question of general academic approach. In one of the most striking revelations in their book, Moss and Baden reveal that the Green-funded scholars program, the Green Scholars Institution, served to attempt to recruit often-unqualified, untrained, but religiously sympathetic students and faculty to do work for the museum.
The idea, according to Moss and Baden, was to prepare a new generation of scholars to work in biblical studies, a laudable goal. But in practice, it meant providing time, funds, and priceless artifacts to those unable to recognize or make the most of what they had been given.
For example, Jennifer Larsen, a Classics professor at Kent State University was chosen to transcribe a Greek fragment from the Green collection with her students, who, according to Moss and Baden, didnt even read Greek. Moss and Baden report that secular scholars were often labeled by Green as anti-Bible for holding views that were roughly consistent with a great deal of typical, rigorous biblical scholarship.
In 2013, Moss and Baden report, Green gave a speech before the conservative-leaning Council for National Policy, explaining that he sought out scholars who would simply present the evidence without being adversarial, accusing some scholars working on materials and texts that seemed to conflict with biblical accounts of making that up.
Good To Know Before You Go
- Plan to stay for a few hours or more
- The Museum of the Bible is located just off the Mall a few blocks from the Air & Space Museum.
- The museum is stroller friendly. There are also baby changing tables in several restrooms as well as a nursing lounge.
- Consider the Museums membership for multiple visits
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The Museums Handling Of Its Acquisitions Has Been Criticized
What accounted for the change in the Greens public approach? A number of factors not least among them the practical realities of dealing with biblical antiquities have caused the Green family and their collaborators to employ more subdued attitude.
The onetime Green Collection from which the bulk of the museums holdings are drawn was gathered in a way that recalls the archaeological derring-do of Indiana Jones, rather than an academic or ethical method. According to Baden and Mosss book, much of the 40,000-object collection was acquired without doing the necessary work to ascertain the objects provenance: i.e., the chain of ownership.
When it comes to antiquities, particularly from the Middle East, provenance is particularly vital for ethical as well as scholarly reasons. Knowing the chain of ownership of an item is necessary to ensure that it has not been smuggled or looted especially important given that the black market in antiquities is a huge source of funds for terrorists organizations like ISIS. It also helps protect against acquiring objects that may turn out to be forgeries, which is a common risk.
But its important to note that, despite the high profiles of many of the academics on that panel, their role is largely advisory. They are paid to offer their expertise , but the Green family is not obligated to listen. Likewise, while many are eminent scholars and theologians in their own right, they are not specialists in papyrology .
Indigenous Peoples And Pre
It is generally accepted that the migrated from by way of the and arrived at least 12,000 years ago however, some evidence suggests an even earlier date of arrival. The , which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to represent the first wave of human settlement of the Americas. This was likely the first of three major waves of migration into North America later waves brought the ancestors of present-day Athabaskans, Aleuts, and Eskimos.
Over time, indigenous cultures in North America grew increasingly complex, and some, such as the pre-Columbian in the southeast, developed advanced , , and complex societies. The city-state of is the largest, most complex pre-Columbian in the modern-day United States. In the region, culture developed from centuries of agricultural experimentation. The , located in the southern region, was established at some point between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. Most prominent along the Atlantic coast were the tribes, who practiced hunting and trapping, along with limited .
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Cold War And Late 20th Century
After World War II, the United States financed and implemented the to help rebuild western Europe disbursements paid between 1948 and 1952 would total $13 billion . Also at this time, tensions between the United States and led to the , driven by an ideological divide between and . They dominated the military affairs of Europe, with the U.S. and its allies on one side and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other. The U.S. often opposed movements that it viewed as Soviet-sponsored, sometimes pursuing direct action for against governments. American troops fought the communist forces in the of 19501953, and the U.S. became increasingly involved in the , introducing combat forces in 1965. Their competition to achieve superior capability led to the , which culminated in the U.S. becoming the first nation to in 1969. While both countries engaged in and developed powerful , they avoided direct military conflict.
At home, the U.S. had experienced , , and a and following World War II. After a surge in female labor participation around the 1970s, by 1985, the majority of women aged 16 and over were employed, and construction of an transformed the nation’s transportation infrastructure in decades to come. In 1959, the United States admitted and to become the 49th and 50th states, formally expanding beyond the .
Law Enforcement And Crime
There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to federal level in the United States. Law in the United States is mainly by local police departments and ‘s offices. The provides broader services, and such as the and the have specialized duties, such as protecting , and enforcing ‘ rulings and federal laws. conduct most civil and criminal trials, and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals from the state criminal courts.
As of 2020, the United States has a of 7 per 100,000 people. A cross-sectional analysis of the Mortality Database from 2010 showed that United States homicide rates “were 7.0 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25.2 times higher.”
The United States has the and in the world. In 2019, the total prison population for those sentenced to more than a year is 1,430,800, corresponding to a ratio of 419 per 100,000 residents and the lowest since 1995. Some estimates place that number higher, such ‘s 2.3 million. Various states have attempted to via government policies and grassroots initiatives.
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The Museum Of The Bible Must Once Again Return Artifacts This Time An Entire Warehouse Of 5000 Egyptian Objects
The man behind the DC institution has admitted his collecting “naiveté.”
Caroline Goldstein, January 29, 2021
The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC has returned some 5,000 artifacts to the Egyptian government, after years of talks between agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The objects have been held at the Museum since its opening in 2016. Egypt has been seeking repatriation of the objects, which it says were smuggled illegally out of the country, for just as long.
The objects include funerary masks fragments of coffins a set of portraits of the dead heads of stone statues manuscripts of Christian prayers written in both Arabic and Coptic, and just Arabic and pieces of papyrus with text in Coptic and Greek, as well as hieratic and demotic script. The pieces will be displayed in Cairos Coptic Museum.
According to Hisham Al Laithi, who heads the countrys antiquities registration center, the objects were not taken from Egyptian warehouses or museums. Instead they were smuggled after being illegally excavated.
Artifacts returned to Egypt from the Museum of the Bible. Photo: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The statement also announced that on January 27, the museum initiated a shipment of more than 8,000 clay objects to Baghdads Iraq Museum.
The Museum Is Very Different From Its Original Conception
Central to critics reservations is the background of the museums founders , and the way in which they have used the artifacts in their vast, near-priceless collection.
The Museum of the Bible is the personal passion project of the Green family, the evangelical Christian family that owns craft arts and craft chain Hobby Lobby .
As religion professors Candida Moss and Joel Baden recount in their book on the Green family, Bible Nation, the Green family devotes a staggering percentage of its Hobby Lobby earnings reportedly about half of the companys pretax income to evangelical outreach and faith-based charity work. Much of this outreach is specifically devoted to ministry the Greens have, for example, placed newspaper ads in order to remind readers of the real meaning of Christmas, and have supported Christian educational institutions like Oral Roberts University, to which they donated $70 million.
Todays museum, which I was able to preview in a limited capacity earlier this fall, is a far less obviously faith-based institution.The mission statement only exhorts viewers to engage with the Bible, not to have confidence in its absolute authority. And the six floors of the museum, a sleek and glitzily designed structure, do provide a vast spectrum of exhibits devoted to a range of elements of biblical history. Exhibitions range from the straightforwardly informative to the kitschy .
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