With the museum’s support, scholars are racing to understand the disputed Biblical texts.
The Museum of the Bible, which opened to the public on November 17, is a $500-million monument to the world’s most popular book. Few artefacts capture the scripture’s timelessness more than the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known copies of Biblical text—which is why the museum’s founders are rumoured to have spent millions of dollars to obtain 13 of them for their collection.
However, research suggests that some of the fragments that visitors will encounter may be modern forgeries.
The spotlights on the Museum of the Bible burn especially bright. The museum’s founder Steve Green, who owns the Hobby Lobby craft chain, has faced intense public scrutiny for his company’s antiquities purchases, including 5,500 ancient clay tablets that U.S. authorities claim were illegally smuggled into the country. In July, Hobby Lobby reached a settlement on the tablets with the Department of Justice. The company has returned the artefacts to Iraq.
Read the full article by Michael Greshko at National Geographic.