The Bible's New Home in Washington, DC.

On New Year's Day in 2007, my family gave me a belated and beautiful Christmas gift. They took me to the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to see the incredible exhibit:

"In The Beginning: Bibles Before The Year 1000".

Suffice it to say, I was in Heaven while viewing the earliest manuscripts, codices, and fragments of The Book of Books. And now, ten years later, I am counting the days till the Grand Opening of The Museum of The Bible in Washington, DC.

Located just three blocks from our nation's Capitol and only two blocks from the National Mall, the museum houses over 430,000 square feet of space and over 40,000 Bible artifacts. Featuring interactive exhibits, a children's area, research labs and libraries; the museum will cover the history, the narrative, and the impact of the Bible through the ages with a $42 million high tech experience featuring cutting edge technology.

Though most people forget, the Bible has been associated with cutting edge technology in the past when Johann Gutenberg printed a Latin Bible on his moveable type printing press and ushered Europe into the age of the printed book in the mid-1400's. Now it seems that the Bible will be associated with the latest technology once again.

This MOTB video is an overview of what you can expect when you visit.

Here is what academics, media and news organizations are saying about The Museum of the Bible:

"[These] rare biblical texts and artifacts would make Indiana Jones salivate." -CNN, Jan. 18, 2012
"A sampler of Jewish, Roman Catholic and Protestant treasures . . . " -USA Today, April 4, 2011
“At a time when polls show that Americans are increasingly ignorant about the Bible and religion, the Greens are happily pouring hundreds of millions into preserving, researching and taking public what’s called the Book of Books.” -Washington Post Magazine, Sept. 12, 2014
"About 17 months ago, the Green family went on a very expensive shopping spree. But they didn't burn the money on Bentleys, vacation homes or exotic yachts. They instead bought up 30,000 rare biblical texts and artifacts that now make up the largest private collection of its kind in the world." -Fox News, April 13, 2011
"The Book of Books exhibit is notable not only for its rare manuscripts but also its unusual balance between the Jewish and Christian narratives, and the reverence with which it treats both." -Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 28, 2013
"The Scholars Initiative recaptures for the 21st century the zest that fueled the Renaissance rediscovery of classical learning." -John Wilson, Editor, Books & Culture
"The exhibit goes to exceptional—and effective—lengths to reach those who might not otherwise have cared about the history of the Bible, and is a true delight for those who are already captivated by this great book.” -Dr. Lisa M. Wolfe, Associate Professor, Endowed Chair of Hebrew Bible, Oklahoma City University
"The Museum Collections is one of, if not the very finest, private collections of biblical antiquities ever assembled. It is in the hands of an owner, and a wonderful staff, who recognizes the priceless scholarly and spiritual value of these artifacts. The Green Scholars Initiative is an innovative, forward-thinking way of putting the collection in the hands of experts and students. It is a revolutionary model. Whereas collections usually work for the benefit of the private owner or the institution and its personnel, the Green Scholars Initiative will democratize access to an invaluable resource." -Dr. Kyle Harper, Assistant Professor of Classics and Letters, University of Oklahoma