Previewing the Museum Bible Collection · PDF file1st–3rd century AD Pigment on wood GC.MMY.000136 Previewing the Museum of the Bible Collection 7. ... Due to religious persecution,

UNITE 2016CBA's International Christian Retail Show

Cincinnati, OhioJune 26–29, 2016

Edited by Karen S. York, PhD & Jared N. Wolfe, PhD

Previewing theMuseum of the Bible

Collection

Inviting all peopleto engage with the Bible.

Previewing theMuseum of the Bible

Collection

An Exhibition Guide

Edited by Karen S. York, PhD & Jared N. Wolfe, PhD

Oklahoma City, OK2016

Previewing the Museum of the Bible Collectionis an exhibition of Museum of the Bible curated specificallyfor UNITE 2016, CBA’s International Christian Retail Show

Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati, OhioJune 26–29, 2016

Exhibition LendersAll items with the prefix “GC” are courtesy

of the Green Collection.

All items with the prefix “NCF” are courtesyof the National Christian Foundation.

Exhibition Guide and Artifact Diagnosticsby the Curators of Museum of the Bible:

Lance B. Allred, PhD, Amy Van Dyke, Norman C. Conrad,Josephine K. Dru, PhD, Bethany Jensen, Herschel A. Hepler,Sarah L. Barteaux, Susan M. Jones, and Heather M. Bryant

Edited byKaren S. York, PhD, Head of the Curatorial Department

Jared N. Wolfe, PhD, Writer and Editor

Copy Edited bySamantha McIntosh

Cover Design and Layout byRichelle McKinley

Published byMuseum of the Bible7707 SW 44th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73179405.745.1750

museumoftheBible.org

© Museum of the Bible, 2016. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form

without written permission from Museum of the Bible.

Printed in the United States of America

ContentsIntroduction .................................................................. 4

Antiquities .................................................................... 5

Cuneiform Texts & the Bible ....................................... 8

Amazing Textual Discoveriesfrom the Past 120 Years ............................................10

Ethiopic Traditions ......................................................13

Hebrew Scrolls & Manuscripts ..................................16

Medieval Manuscripts & Bibles .................................19

Art & the Bible ...........................................................22

The Story of the Bible in English ..............................25

American Bibles & Documents ................................28

Museum of the Bible ..................................................31

IntroductionIn Previewing the Museum of the Bible Collection, we are pleased to welcome you to a survey of Museum of the Bible’s artifacts. Each area of the exhibit displays objects that are representative of the breadth of the museum collection and which show its focus, namely to present the story of the Bible’s journey from its world to ours. Ancient artifacts, early manuscripts, and medieval and modern art and prints all tell a part of that story. This presentation anticipates the exhibits to be included in Museum of the Bible, opening in Washington, DC, in 2017. We hope you enjoy the exhibition, as we invite all people to engage with the Bible.

4 Previewing the Museum of the Bible Collection

AntiquitiesAntiquities covers a wide range of material from many periods, peoples, and places. Many artifacts that survive are objects from everyday life—lamps, coins, pottery, amulets. Each artifact tells a story that is entirely its own, but relates to the larger story that is human history.

This Israelite oil lamp was a common household item. The basic shape remained largely unchanged for the entire history of the Israelites from emergence to exile, but decoration varied from region to region and became more complex over the centuries.

Mummy portraits were created in Greco-Roman Egypt that depict real people who lived and died over 1800 years ago.

Material culture gives substance and tangibility to the stories and facts of history. Objects are physical echoes of people and events that have long since been relegated to textbooks. So it is fascinating to see a coin minted during the First Jewish Revolt, when the Jewish people rebelled against their Roman overlords, and then to see right next to it the coin minted after the Roman victory over those same rebellious Jews. These artifacts reach out of the ancient past and bring the story to life once again.

Solidus (pictured front and back)Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine

Constantinople, ca. AD 641Gold

GC.NUM.000683

Eighth ShekelFirst Jewish RevoltIsrael, AD 66–73BronzeGC.NUM.000843

Denarius“Vespasian/Judaea Capta” Rome, AD 69–79SilverMOTB.NUM.000906

TetradrachmAlexander the Great315–308 BCSilverMOTB.NUM.000907

Oil LampRoman, 4th century ADClayGC.CER.000126

Oil LampHebron (Israel),8th–7th century BCClayGC.CER.000498

Pillar FigurineJudah (Israel),9th–7th century BCClayGC.FIC.000003

Funerary Portraitof a Young ManFayum (Egypt),1st–3rd century ADPigment on woodGC.MMY.000136

Previewing the Museum of the Bible Collection 7


Cuneiform Texts & the BibleCuneiform (Latin for “wedge-shaped”) was a writing system developed in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) around 5,000 years ago. First used to inscribe texts in the Sumerian language, the script was later adopted to represent other languages spoken in the area, such as Akkadian and Hittite. Mesopotamia is the setting for much of the Genesis narrative. The Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11 takes place there, and Ur in Mesopotamia is the traditional home of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Moreover, Mesopotamia was the land of Assyria and Babylon, great empires that frequently waged war with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Museum of the Bible’s extensive cuneiform collection includes a number of administrative documents that date to the Sargonic Period (ca. 2350 to 2150 BC) and the so-called Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2100 to 2000 BC). The collection also holds a number of royal inscriptions that were written on cone- or nail-shaped objects. These inscriptions were typically short dedicatory texts that commemorated the construction of city fortifications or temple structures.


Cuneiform Administrative TabletsIn Old AkkadianIraq, ca. 2250 BC ClayGC.FIC.000061; GC.FIC.000066

Cuneiform Grain ReceiptIn SumerianIraq, ca. 2030 BCClayGC.FIC.000067

Cuneiform Metalsmiths’ AccountIn SumerianIraq, ca. 2030 BCClayGC.FIC.000017

Cuneiform Tablet and Envelope In SumerianIraq, ca. 2030 BCClayGC.FIC.000040

Cuneiform Royal Inscription on NailIn SumerianIraq, ca. 2120 BCClayGC.CUN.000250

Cuneiform Royal Inscription on ConeIn SumerianIraq, ca. 1950 BCClayGC.FIC.000018


Amazing Textual Discoveries from the Past 120 YearsThese two cases are filled with examples from the collections of early manuscripts at Museum of the Bible, representing a few of the most exciting discoveries over the past two centuries.

These three papyri represent two distinct major discoveries. Two were recovered from ancient trash heaps at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, by British scholars Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt. Among the many thousands of fragments they unearthed there between 1896 and 1906, are this fragment of the Gospel of John and this personal letter, both written in Greek.

The other piece represents the Bodmer papyri, a famous collection of manuscripts discovered in the 1950s at another site in Egypt. P.Bodmer VIII contains the oldest near-complete copy of 1 and 2 Peter; the original is owned by the Vatican Apostolic Library.

During the ninth century, the Codex Climaci Rescriptus (CCR) was produced by reusing parchment from at least ten distinct manuscripts. The recycled books included both biblical and classical texts. Many were written in a dialect of Western Aramaic; others were written in Greek. Between 1897 and 1909, Scottish scholar Agnes Lewis Smith initiated modern study of this fascinating palimpsest. Study continues today through Museum of the Bible Scholars Initiative.

Turned upside down during reuse, the bifolium shown here includes two columns of text from John’s Gospel faintly visible in brown ink.

The black and red text is a Syriac translation of the Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Climacus. The horizontal ladder design appears throughout this manuscript, usually marking a transition to the next step being discussed.

Bifolium fromCodex Climaci Rescriptus

John 7–9, in GreekReused for the Ladder of Divine Ascent,

in SyriacSinai (Egypt),

7th–9th century ADInk on parchment

MOTB.MS.000149.54


P.Oxy.XIV 1678 Letter of Theon to his mother,in GreekOxyrhynchus (Egypt),3rd century ADInk on papyrusMOTB.PAP.000293

Bifolium from P.Bodmer VIII (P72), facsimile1 Peter 1:18–2:12, in GreekPabau (Egypt),3rd–4th century ADInk on papyrusMOTB.FAC.000137.3

P.Oxy.XV 1780 (P39) facsimile John 8:14–22, in GreekOxyrhynchus (Egypt),3rd century ADInk on papyrusFrom MOTB.PAP.000116

Ethiopic TraditionsEthiopia has a rich sense of its biblical heritage, tracing connections as far back as Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Very few early Ethiopic texts of the Bible survive, but the tradition of creating these texts by hand continues today, and they contain figural art that reflects the local culture. Painted iconic panels emerged in the fifteenth century with the rise of veneration of the Virgin Mary. During this time, patrons commissioned pictures of the Virgin along with related religious imagery for use in ceremonies and ritual display.


Triptych of the Virgin and ChildEthiopia, 17th century

Tempera on gesso-covered wooden boards GC.ART.000224.1–3


Miracles of MaryIn Ge’ez Ethiopia, 18th centuryVellum, black ink, leather binding over wooden boardsMOTB.MS.000287

Quadriptych of Saint George, Virgin and Child, the Crucifixion, and Jesus Crowned with Thorns Ethiopia, 18th century Tempera on gesso-coveredwooden boards GC.ART.000258.1–4

Hebrew Scrolls & ManuscriptsFrom scrolls to codices (early bound books), a wealth of important Hebrew texts are represented in the collection. Museum of the Bible holds one of the world’s largest collections of decommissioned Torah scrolls, spanning three continents and 700 years. On display is one of the museum’s oldest Hebrew codices: the partial Deuteronomy codex.

The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, is the foundational text of Judaism and is pivotal to all traditions related to the Bible. The Torah (the five books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) represent a sizeable portion of the museum’s collection. These three divisions of the Hebrew Bible create the acronym of their collective name, the TaNaKh. The most sacred of these texts is the Torah, said to be given to Moses from the mouth of God. The Torah is traditionally written in scroll form and is treated with reverence by Jewish communities across the world. Due to religious persecution, anti-Semitism, and sacred burials, very few Torah scrolls have survived from the late medieval period (fourteenth to fifteenth centuries).

The transition from scroll to codex was methodical for Jews. Although the technology of the codex was in widespread use by the third century AD, Jewish communities remained steadfast to the tradition of writing everything in scroll form. Historians believe Jews exclusively used the scroll until the eighth century.


PartialDeuteronomy Codex

In Hebrew North Africa, 11th century

Ink on paper GC.MS.000784

Sephardic Torah ScrollIn HebrewIberian Peninsula, 15th centuryInk on gevilNCF.SCR.004676


Medieval Manuscripts & Bibles The collection contains codices (early bound books) from the third century through the early fifteenth century. Biblical manuscripts from the medieval era are generally from the twelfth to early fifteenth centuries. They are typically in Latin and share a similar appearance. The main difference between them is the amount of decoration (illumination) on the pages. This is an indication of the wealth of the person who paid for it.

It took approximately a thousand years for the various books of the Bible to be bound together as a single book. Sections and single books were produced separately because of the sheer size of the text and materials. The most popular section of the Latin Vulgate (the name given to the Latin translation of the Bible) was the Gospel Book. Portions of the biblical text were also copied alongside popular commentaries, such as the Glossa Ordinaria. These multivolume editions were first combined into a single volume in the thirteenth century, with the mass production of the Pocket Bible. These smaller Bibles employed thinner material and smaller handwriting in order to fit everything into the same binding. They introduced many elements featured in modern Bibles, such as two columns of text and headings at the top of each page. The books are arranged from Genesis to Revelation and separated into chapters. This format quickly became standardized, spreading throughout Europe.

In the 1450s, mass production of the Bible was taken to a new level when Johannes Gutenberg developed movable typeset printing. This allowed a printer to manufacture endless combinations of pages quickly, speeding up the process and making books more affordable. The first major work that Gutenberg printed with his printing innovation was the Bible, which looked very similar to earlier manuscripts.

Gutenberg Bible Leaf 1 Samuel 20–22

Mainz (Germany), ca. 1454 Ink on paper

MOTB.INC.000115


The Ussher Gospels, Volume IIn GreekByzantine Empire, 12th century Illuminated manuscript on parchmentMOTB.MS.000474.1

Pauline Epistles with the Glossa OrdinariaIn LatinMiddle-Rhine or Diocese of Trier (Germany), ca. 1140–1150 Decorated manuscript on parchment MOTB.MS.000446

Latin Vulgate Pocket BibleVenice or Padua (Italy),ca. 1240–1250 Illuminated manuscript on parchmentNCF.MS.000459

Art & the BibleThe relationship between art and the Bible has a long history. For all the impact that the Bible has had on art, the reverse is also true. Art has made the content of the Bible relatable, accessible, debatable, and inspirational. The museum collection contains paintings, sculptures, stained glass, and prints that illustrate biblical themes and narratives. It also contains art in the pages of the text in the form of illuminations and etchings.

Illustrating the Bible: Woodblock PrintingThe early stages of printed images began with woodblock printing, which involves carving a picture into a block of wood and applying ink to the raised areas, leaving the cut depressions ink-free. By pressing the woodblock down onto the page’s surface, the ink transfers creating a print. This process is very similar to modern rubber-stamping. This was revolutionary because the woodblock could be re-used, saving the time it took an artist to create each image by hand. At first, whole pages were carved from a single block of wood, text and all. These are called “block books.” Later, with the advent of movable typeset printing, just the images were created using woodblocks.


Evangelium Sanctum DominiFirst printed edition of the Gospels in Arabic

(bilingual Latin and Arabic) Open to image of the Last Supper

Rome (Italy), ca. 1591 Print and woodcut on paper

GC.BIB.003704

Three WoodblocksUsed to illustrate Evangelium Sanctum Domini: (left to right) Jesus Healing a Leper, the Last Supper, and Peter Being Rescued from the WaterDesigner: Antonio TempestaEngraver: Leonardo ParasoleRome (Italy), 1591WoodGC.PRS.000177.11, 38, 25 (respectively)


The Story of the Biblein EnglishThe first Bible translated into English was produced in the late 14th century by scholars associated with John Wycliffe. The text was translated directly from the Latin Vulgate. Produced before Gutenberg’s movable typeset and printing press, Wycliffite Bibles were written solely by hand with a quill on lambskin or calfskin. In 1408, during the Constitution of Oxford, in an attempt to suppress the voices of religious dissenters who followed Wycliffe’s ideas and teachings, it was determined that any unlicensed translation of the Bible would be deemed an act punishable with excommunication.

Over one hundred years later, William Tyndale, another English scholar and priest, tried and failed to get permission to translate the New Testament into the English language. In 1535, nearly a decade after he completed his translation, he was arrested for heresy, publicly strangled, and burned at the stake. Tyndale’s last words were, reportedly, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”

The first complete English Bible derived from the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic was produced by Protestant scholars and theologians who fled to Geneva (Switzerland) during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. The Geneva Bible contained, for the first time, study notes that explained translations but were also anti-clerical and called into question the authority of the crown. This text remained in print until 1644 when it was superseded by the King James Bible.

The King James Bible was produced in opposition to the popularity of the Geneva Bible. The work, commissioned by King James I in 1604, was completed by scholars belonging to the Church of England. The Old and New Testament were each based on the original biblical languages. The first imprint is known as the “Great ‘He’ Bible,” because of the masculine pronoun in Ruth 3:15 that states, “and he went into the citie” when the text might be referring to Ruth and could be translated “she.” Thus there is also the “Great ‘She’ Bible” of 1611. A final revision of the King James Bible was edited in 1769. This has become the standard text of what is known today as the King James Version.


Tyndale New TestamentBlank Stone Edition, in English

Antwerp (Belgium), 1536GC.BIB.003033

Wycliffite New TestamentIn EnglishEngland, Mid-15th centuryIlluminated manuscript on vellumMOTB.MS.000340

Geneva BibleIn EnglishGeneva (Switzerland), 1560NCF.BIB.001150

King James BibleIn EnglishLondon (England), 1611GC.BIB.003868


American Bibles & DocumentsMuseum of the Bible’s Americana Bible and manuscript collection includes rare biblical imprints and autographed documents and letters signed by Puritans, American Founders, Declaration of Independence signers, Reformers, missionaries, hymnists, and ministers. When the Pilgrims and Puritans first reached the New World, the British crown held the exclusive license to print English Bibles. Therefore, the production of English Bibles was forbidden in the newly established colonies. Bibles in other languages, however, were permitted. The first Bible printed in America was the 1663 Eliot Indian Bible, a translation by John Eliot, a missionary to the Wampanoag. Eliot developed a writing system based on the Latin alphabet and translated the Geneva Bible from English into the Wampanoag language.

When the thirteen colonies declared their independence from England in July of 1776, patriotic pastors used their pulpits to support the colonies’ cause. English commanders called these pastors the “Black Robed Regiment,” referring to the black robes worn by the clergy. One of these was John Witherspoon, the only member of the clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence. Another was Thomas Paine, who wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet supporting the break with the English monarchy that fanned the flames of liberty throughout America.

A letter from Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, expressed his support of religious liberty. He wrote: “No provision in our constitution ought to be dearer to man, than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority. . . . I trust that the whole course of my life has proved me a sincere friend to religious, as well as civil liberty.”

Eliot Indian BibleIn Wampanoag

(an Algonquian language)Translator: John Eliot

Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), 1663

NCF.BIB.003870

Deed, signed by John WitherspoonNew Hampshire (USA), 1783 GC.PPR.007702

Thomas Paine, Common SenseBoston, Massachusetts (USA), 1776 GC.PBK.002289

Letter, signed by Thomas JeffersonTo the Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in New London, ConnecticutWashington, DC (USA), February 4, 1809NCF.PPR.010217.1


Museum of the BibleIn the fall of 2017, Museum of the Bible opens its eight-floor 430,000 square foot museum in Washington, DC.

Museum of the Bible is a place where people can engage with the Bible—its history, narratives, and impact—in their own way through in-depth explorations and interactive media and technologies. The museum and its traveling exhibitions display Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, and Christian artifacts and documents from the Museum Collection. These irreplaceable historical items help tell various stories involving the Bible—as a historical and cultural item as well as a sacred text. The museum seeks to create an atmosphere of wonder and exploration, of reflection and contemplation, inviting all people to look at the Bible anew.

• Museum of the Bible works with some 60 universities and institutions in the study and analysis of artifacts in the Museum Collection. The collection aims to create publications for both scholars and the general public, and endeavors in conservation, imaging, and increasing access to the collection for ongoing research, study, and exhibition.

• Museum of the Bible engages in scholarship and academic research with numerous scholars and in developing mentoring relationships through the Scholars Initiative to help train future researchers and scholars of the Bible.

• Museum of the Bible is developing various educational resources, including a high school curriculum about the Bible for both domestic and international use. The curriculum is state of the art and employs convergent media and augmented reality to enhance students’ interactive learning experiences.

• As of 2016, Museum of the Bible traveling exhibits have been on display in various U.S. cities and in several other countries: The Vatican, Rome (Italy); Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem (Israel); Havana and Santiago de Cuba (Cuba); Buenos Aires (Argentina); and Ulm (Germany). More traveling exhibits are being planned, and new locations sought, to increase access to the museum’s artifacts and to invite people to engage with the Bible.

The museum is conveniently located two blocks south of the National Mall and three blocks southwest of the Capitol at the Federal Center SW Metro Station, 300 D Street SW, Washington, DC.

For more information, visit museumoftheBible.org.