Museum of the Bible exhibit on view at university
“Sacra Pagina,” a traveling exhibit of the Museum of the Bible, is on display through Sept. 18 at Oklahoma Christian University, 2501 E Memorial Road.
The free exhibit, which highlights ways people approach and study the Bible, is featured at the university’s Garvey Center Art Gallery.
John Harrison, Ph.D., professor of New Testament and Ministry, said he and other OC leaders are honored to have the Museum of the Bible exhibit on display.
“We are very excited and we are very proud that the Museum of the Bible sees Oklahoma Christian as a place where they would want to showcase these valuable resources so that we can be a place where not only our students, faculty, staff but also other people from the community, can come in and see these things for themselves,” Harrison said.
“It may help to encourage their faith, encourage their understanding and promote discussions.”
The Museum of the Bible includes the Green Collection, a compilation of rare biblical texts and artifacts by the Green family, owners of Oklahoma City-based craft retailer Hobby Lobby and the Christian education and supply company Mardel. Starting in 2011, the Greens have been sharing these artifacts in traveling exhibits that have been featured at venues ranging from the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem to the Vatican in Rome.
Construction on the Museum of the Bible began earlier this year at the former Washington Design Center, three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The museum is expected to be completed in 2017.
Exhibit highlights
The “Sacra Pagina” exhibit features more than 70 items organized in 13 classifications designed to vividly tell the Bible’s story.
“The items range from very old biblical texts to translations of the Bible to artifacts that are associated with the Bible or faith,” he said.
Some of the exhibit’s highlights include:
•13th-century letters from Jerome, the person responsible for the Latin Vulgate (the Bible used by Roman Catholics).
•Erasmus’ Greek New Testament from 1521, which was used in the construction of the King James Version of the Bible.
•Martin Luther’s 16th-century translation of the New Testament, which was a driving force behind the Protestant Reformation.
•The Bodmer Papyri.
•A replica of a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Harrison said the Bodmer Papyri, an important manuscript, is probably one of the items he is most excited about in the exhibit.
He said a codex sleeve or page featuring Psalm 62-64 is part of the exhibit.
He said the codex is a third-century text in Greek, and it comes from Egypt.
Harrison said one of the most interesting aspects of the exhibit is that it is designed not only to display artifacts but to highlight how these items show the progression and history of the Bible and its impact upon society.