{"id":10826,"date":"2018-04-29T19:37:20","date_gmt":"2018-04-29T23:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/?page_id=10826"},"modified":"2018-05-01T06:11:49","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T10:11:49","slug":"new-museum-of-bible-offers-artifacts-biblical-visuals-for-washington-visitors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/projects\/new-museum-of-bible-offers-artifacts-biblical-visuals-for-washington-visitors\/","title":{"rendered":"New Museum of Bible offers artifacts, biblical visuals for Washington visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Posted April 29, 2018<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>By KATE JOHNSON<\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; Susan Grazzini and her friend Michelle Roddie stood in the grand lobby of the Museum of the Bible here as the museum was closing for the day. The pair were gazing up in awe at the 140-foot LED ceiling with changing biblical visuals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought it was amazing, the artifacts, just the stuff that you saw on Israeli history alone, stuff I\u2019ve never seen or heard before. It is amazingly put together . . . . We have only been here an hour, we did not get to see everything, but from what we saw, we were like \u2018We definitely want to come back!\u2019\u201d said Grazzini.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/267151960\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/267151960\">Click on the video above to see a multimedia story about the Museum of the Bible prepared by reporter Kate Johnson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is jaw-dropping,\u201d added Roddie.<\/p>\n<p>The Museum of the Bible invites all visitors to engage with the Bible through exhibits and attractions that document the history, narrative, and impact of the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur mission is to help all people engage with the Bible and that wording is very specific, all people. We are not trying to speak to one tradition, but every person in the world about the Bible, this book. It is specifically about this book and not necessarily about a specific tradition. But, it is a book that is loved by all those traditions so we are honoring it in light of its impact on the world, impact on America, its incredible history and the stories that have changed lives,\u201d said Danielle Smith, social media manager for the museum.<\/p>\n<p>The museum, which is three blocks from the U.S. Capitol, is 430,000 square feet and contains more than 40,000 objects and artifacts.<\/p>\n<p>The museum\u2019s founder and primary funder, Steve Green, who is also the president of Hobby Lobby, owns one of the world\u2019s largest private collections of biblical artifacts. Much of Green\u2019s collection is on display in the museum, including 13 rare Dead Sea Scroll fragments.<\/p>\n<p>The museum is a converted refrigeration warehouse and cost more than $500 million to build. On a high day, the museum hosts more than 13,000 visitors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a very generous founding family that helped us get off to where we are and in the midst of that, we have also had over 50,000 people donate to the museum, really to help us to operate. We will continue to fundraise as any nonprofit would be doing,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of funding for the museum goes to museum operations, such as staff salaries, and paying the electricity and water bills. Any excess funding is used for the museum\u2019s education department as well as the potential for traveling exhibits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a development department that is working with an ongoing effort to raise money for the museum. [They work] with people across the world that are passionate about the Bible and want to see the Bible talked about. They want to see the Bible enter into conversation and global perspective so they care about the Museum of the Bible because of their own love of the Bible,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n<p>The entrance to the museum is a nearly 40-foot-tall replica of the Gutenberg Gates made of bronze and inscribed with the words of Genesis. Each gate weighs nearly seven and nine tons, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>The first floor houses temporary exhibits, such as \u201cTreasures of the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library.\u201d There is also a children\u2019s gallery, the gift shop and a caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>The second floor is the \u201cImpact of the Bible\u201d gallery. This floor focuses on the Bible\u2019s impact on the world, early American life and current culture and society. There are displays of Bibles from early American history and a replica of the Liberty Bell as well as a Gutenberg printing press.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[The content] needed to be thrilling and enjoyable and relevant to today, as well as being inclusive and respectful of the different people who hold the Bible as their sacred text. And it needed to be authentic. So, those were the qualities we were looking for as we went through the different exhibits,\u201d said Ilena Madraso, content coordinator for the museum.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10823\" style=\"width: 386px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Antique-Gospel-Records-Display.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10823\" class=\" wp-image-10823\" src=\"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Antique-Gospel-Records-Display-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"376\" height=\"286\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-10823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collection of antique gospel records on display (Photo by Kate Johnson).<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Museum patrons walk through separate sections showing the impact of the Bible on science, justice, freedom, fashion, music and popular culture.<\/p>\n<p>For an additional $8 fee, visitors can experience \u201cWashington Revelations,\u201d a stand-up-style flying theater simulation that takes visitors on a \u201cflight\u201d throughout Washington, D.C. The ride shows the Bible\u2019s impact and inscriptions on various monuments in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you go to a lot of museums, it is very fact based, like you would expect a history book to be. We wanted to take a little bit of different approach and we wanted things to be more narrative, story based, because people relate to stories better than they can relate to a dry fact. So, we wanted there to be a narrative appeal,\u201d said Madraso.<\/p>\n<p>The Museum of the Bible set out to be the most technologically advanced museum in the world. Visitors interact with the exhibits throughout the museum using jumbo touch screen tables, motion capture technology, tablet guides, and electronic graphics that move across the walls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really enjoyed it. It has been very interactive. I think it brings the Bible to life in a really cool and enjoyable way. It just lets you interact with all the different parts of the Bible and see how it effects modern life and life throughout history. It is a really great museum. It is beautiful,\u201d said museum visitor Chinazo Okpalnma.<\/p>\n<p>The third floor of the museum is the \u201cNarrative of the Bible\u201d gallery. This floor has three interactive experiences for visitors on the \u201cWorld of Jesus of Nazareth,\u201d the \u201cOld Testament,\u201d and the \u201cNew Testament.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cWorld of Jesus of Nazareth,\u201d recreates the first century village where Jesus began his ministry. Actors interact with museum patrons at various points, whether teaching about the food at a feast table or portraying a Rabbi inside a model synagogue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stories of the Bible, the films and the World of Jesus of Nazareth, that was fabulous! That was the best experience. I really enjoyed it,\u201d said museum visitor Sara Weitzel.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cHebrew Bible\u201dis a walk-through immersive theater experience. There are five automated shows that use state-of-the-art technology to take visitors on a journey through the stories of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found it to be very enlightening. I think the Old Testament experience was wonderful. They put all of the Old Testament books into a 30-minute show. I thought that was pretty amazing. I am excited to see how they piece the New Testament show together. I think the amount of effort put into the museum here, and bringing the Bible to life for believers or nonbelievers, to come in and show that God\u2019s Word, not only is historical and empirical, but it is also enlightening. It has been a blessing to us,\u201d said Danny Pac, a pastor from Frederick, Md. visiting the museum.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cNew Testament\u201d experience is a surround-screen film that tells the narrative of the New Testament. The animation is by the Oscar-nominated BRC Imagination Arts firm, and the panoramic screen is ultra-high definition with cutting-edge 4K laser projection and 36 channels of audio.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth floor is the \u201cHistory of the Bible\u201d gallery. This floor displays more than 600 biblical artifacts and archelogy as well as 50 interactive media programs.<\/p>\n<p>The rare Dead Sea Scroll fragments are exhibited on this floor. Some of the other biblical artifacts on display include: a palimpsest manuscript with a sixth century Aramaic translation of the Gospels, a psalter belonging to the British royal family from 1330 A.D., the earliest surviving Hebrew manuscript copied in English, a Samaritan Torah scroll from the 12<sup>th<\/sup>century A.D., a fragment of the first edition of the Gutenberg Bible, William Tyndale\u2019s first edition of the New Testament in English, and a 1611 first edition of the King James Bible New Testament (one of only two known to have survived).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10824\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Inside-the-22History-of-the-Bible22-Gallery.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10824\" class=\" wp-image-10824\" src=\"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Inside-the-22History-of-the-Bible22-Gallery-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"329\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-10824\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors viewing ancient Bibles inside the \u201cHistory of the Bible\u201d gallery (Photo by Kate Johnson).<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI am a student at a college in Virginia studying biblical language, so I am in Hebrew and Greek right now. I am comparing what I learned to what is presented here, and it is an experience. So, this can be useful for a great many people,\u201d said museum visitor Brian Fredrick.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the floor, there is the \u201cIllumiNations\u201d gallery, which demonstrates the past and present effort of translating the Bible into the different languages of the world. The gallery displays Bibles or partial Bibles in more than 2,000 languages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went through the floor with the different books of the Bible. It was a good experience because we speak one of the languages represented, the Ethiopian language. So, it is pretty cool to see different artifacts from that time era and how it had an important role in spreading the Gospel,\u201d said museum visitor Yonas Michael.<\/p>\n<p>The fifth level of the museum has a long-term exhibition space with displays from the Israel Antiquities Authority. On this level is also a 472-seat performing arts amphitheater with daily presentations of biblical narratives and performances.<\/p>\n<p>The sixth floor has a biblical garden with many of the plants discussed in the Bible as well as a restaurant, ballroom, and a glass enclosed promenade overlooking the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Bible, the Word of God, is the core of everything that I am. Since I heard of the Museum of the Bible, I have had great anticipation of coming to see the history of the Bible and all of the details that I can find about the Bible. It has super-seceded all of my expectations. It is awesome,\u201d said museum visitor Beverly Livingstoen.<\/p>\n<p>Museum of the Bible Visitor Information<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Address: 400 Fourth St. SW., Washington, D.C. 20024<\/li>\n<li>Hours: The museum is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. \u2013 6 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Price: The Museum of the Bible is a free or \u201cpay-what-you-wish\u201d museum with a suggested donation of $15 for adults and $10 for children. Additional attractions and viewing of special exhibits inside the museum to enhance your experience cost $8.<\/li>\n<li>Phone: 866-430-6682<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.museumofthebible.org\/\">https:\/\/www.museumofthebible.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Posted April 29, 2018 By KATE JOHNSON WASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; Susan Grazzini and her friend Michelle Roddie stood in the grand lobby of the Museum of the Bible here as the museum was closing for the day. The pair were &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/projects\/new-museum-of-bible-offers-artifacts-biblical-visuals-for-washington-visitors\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3284,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10826","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10826"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10842,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10826\/revisions\/10842"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reporting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}