After we finished going through The Impact of the Bible it was nearly four in the afternoon. We hadn't planned to spend quite so long at Museum of the Bible and had originally thought we'd end up spending half of the day elsewhere in the city, perhaps going through one or more Smithsonian museums. However we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent going through the museum.
We actually didn't even get to see everything. There were several traveling exhibits that we missed, and there was one paid exhibit that I'd thought about seeing, but with the time left it wasn't worth it.
I spotted this at one point, so it it looks like another high tech attraction will be coming at some point.
Of course I had to look at their point of sale systems. Since those are what I work with every day I find it fascinating to see what system different places use when I visit. I'm not familiar with this system, but it was interesting to note that they used the large iPad Pro for their screen--making sure they had plenty of screen available.
This display was visible when we first entered.
I had no idea that there were Bible editions of Apples to Apples and Scrabble.
The gift shop was of a decent size and had quite a few products available.
Branded gummy worms were even available.
There was no shortage of branded products with many varieties of mugs.
Cups and hats are also available.
We even saw Museum of the Bible pajamas!
We'll definitely be going back to the museum again sometime. It was an amazing experience and one that I want to both repeat and expand, seeing even more the next time we visit, including all that we missed this time or that is added between now and then.
I hope that you've enjoyed this tour through Museum of the Bible and I hope that you're inspired to plan your own visit to this amazing attraction.
All of my photos that aren't exhibit specific are in this album. Tomorrow I'll conclude with photos from the remainder of the day in Washington DC.
The BIBLE'S Influence spread from its Middle Eastern origins to surrounding cultures and eventually to Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. Today the Bible's far-reaching impact can be discovered worldwide. Its presence can be discerned in art, literature, film, music, and much more. Its ideas of compassion and justice influence social and political systems. The exhibits here illuminate the Bible's role in the world and explore how knowledge of the Bible can provide a deeper appreciation of human nature and cultural experiences.
~from exhibit signage
This section of the museum had quite a bit going on, but I'm afraid that I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. It wasn't quite as much my cup of tea as other areas, being less artifact focused, and I was preoccupied for part of our time as I kept our two-month old occupied.
Here you can see the backside of the front wall of the entryway.
These three figures represent science and the Bible working together. In the foreground here is Isaac Newton.
"Newton (1642-1727) is considered the greatest scientist of his age, perhaps of all time. He is renowned for his theories of motion and gravitation, which he believed were fully consistent with biblical teachings. For Newton, to understand nature was to understand God. The structure of the physical universe, he maintained, revealed an omnipotent God who created the world and intervenes to keep it on track."
~exhibit signage
To the right is Galileo Galilei.
"Galileo (1564-1642), a Renaissance scientist, is famous for his defense of the heliocentric (or sun-centered) system. At the time, most people believed the sun revolved around the earth, and they used the Bible to support their claim. When church officials challenged Galileo's theory, he countered that the Bible was not meant to teach astronomy. He quoted a cardinal who said that the Bible tells us 'how to go to Heaven, not how the heavens go.' "
~exhibit signage
Of course I'd make the argument that the Bible teaches a correct view of astronomy wherever it touches on the topic. Just because others picked verses that supported their incorrect views of science doesn't mean that the Bible actually teaches those views--it was inspired by the Creator of the universe and displays a correct understanding of the cosmos and everything in it.
On the other side of Newton and Galileo is George Washington Carver.
"George Washington Carver (ca. 1865-1950), born into slavery, rose to prominence as a scientist, botanist, and inventor. After graduating from Iowa State College, he became head of the agricultural department at Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute, in Alabama. For Carver, the Bible was a guide to the natural world. He often referred to his lab as "God's little workshop."
~exhibit signage
More on the perspective that science and the Bible are not mutually exclusive but rather are complementary.
Verses frequently quoted and in languages from around the world.
This model shows how many religious orders have been involved in medicine over the centuries.
"Hospitals based on biblical ministries have evolved into modern health institutions. The Nazareth Hospital, formerly part of the Edinburgh Medical Mission Society, traces its roots to 1866. The hospital's mission is to "heal in the name of Jesus." Today, the hospital and its School of Nursing welcome both Israelis and Palestinians. As an institution dedicated to science, Nazareth provides a beacon of peaceful co-existence in a ruptured social landscape."
~exhibit signage
This exhibit contains examples of many different calendars, many of which were based upon the Bible, and also explains the current year system, Anno Domini.
"Anno Domini (AD) means 'in the year of our Lord.' The Christian calendar uses the term to number the years since the conception of Jesus. Dionysius Exiguus, a Christian monk, invented this method of calculation around AD 525. To create his calendar, he counted past years to a time when he thought Jesus had been conceived and then counted years forward from that point. Previously, Roman historians had used the founding of Rome as the start of their calendar."
~exhibit signage
"Many universities today were established on the teachings of the Bible. Some were originally created by religious orders but evolved into secular universities. They can be found in every part of the world."
~exhibit signage
This quiz was a great example of the integration of technology into the exhibit as visitors were challenged to a quiz about the Bible.
Here you can see some models and artwork from beautiful church buildings around the world.
This video from Museum of the Bible covers the area described above, including some areas in more detail since I didn't photograph them.
All of the pictures that I took in this exhibit and the preceding one can be found in my MOTB - The Impact of the Bible album.
Tomorrow's post will conclude this coverage of our Museum of the Bible visit.
After lunch we headed down to the second floor to go through The Impact of the Bible exhibit.
This floor was a bit different from the rest of the museum. It still contained a large number of artifacts and technological connections to engage the guests. However, the nature of the artifacts and exhibits were different. Instead of being hundreds or thousands of years old many of the artifacts were contemporaneous with many of the people who could visit the Museum (once you get past the early American history portion that is.
The area began with America and then moved to the world. As I walked up to the doors I took the photo above.
Then I noticed that the letters of the word BIBLE were visible on the glass, so I took a second picture that captured the entire word.
Below is a short video from Museum of the Bible exploring the American section.
Here was the start of the gallery.
The first exhibits talked about the Mayflower Compact and the arrival of early European settlers.
I especially enjoy old maps. This one points out that Rhode Island was quite different, thanks to the impact of Roger Williams. Arguing from a biblical perspective he made a case for tolerance of other belief systems in the general populace, quite a difference from the established traditions of the day. Even the Puritans who are often described as "fleeing oppression" were very quick to oppress those that believed differently. Yet in contrast to many Roger Williams didn't believe all belief systems were equal--he was clearly a Christian--he simply believed that all had a right to exist.
What a title, The Bloody Tenent Yet More Bloody. I also find it amusing how titles used to cover at least half of the title page of a book.
The Middle Colonies were somewhat diverse as Maryland was originally Catholic, Pennsylvania was controlled by Quakers, and New Amsterdam (Dutch until conquered by the Duke of York) had Jewish settlements.
As noted here the Southern colonies were fairly homogeneous on the religious front, all supporting Anglican congregations and not being too tolerant of others.
A video explained the history and significance of George Whitfield and the Great Awakening. I think I managed to photograph the only moment of the film where nothing was going on. The video consisted mainly of quotes and descriptions of events. The images where outlines projected upon this background. It made for a simple but powerful presentation.
Here is another video that Museum of the Bible recently posted about Whitfield.
The three video monitors visible here contained segments of actors reading historical dialogue from personages who were influential in early America. It was a neat way to bring the words to life and to be interactive also (the videos didn't start playing until you'd stepped into the black circle in front of the screen).
Also on display was a copy of Thomas Jefferson's edit of the Gospel (done to remove all miracles and other supernatural events).
At this point you rounded the corner and the exhibit transitioned to the Bible's impact on world culture. We'll pick up at that point tomorrow.
For lunch during our Museum of the Bible visit we headed back upstairs towards Manna, the museum's main restaurant. Ticket holders aren't allowed re-admittance to the Museum, and you're not supposed to bring food inside, so we decided to splurge for food on-site.
We found a couple of different articles online about the restaurant before we visited that told us what to expect.
The restaurant looks fantastic and is open as you walk up, which does make it slightly confusing. Eventually we figured out that you grab a menu, look it over, and then head up to the register to order.
The food is definitely not cheap, the prices are fairly similar to what you'll find at amusement parks, but it is much higher quality than park fare.
The typo was annoying--everywhere else but the menu the restaurant is referenced as Manna.
The tables are beautiful wood.
You order food by the meal, but all of it is on view for you to see before you order.
I believe that you can even taste test something if you want a small sample before you order.
Drinks are not your normal selection--cans, bottles, and boxes of water.
There are no fountain drinks, so no option of a free glass of water (but we could have pulled out our water bottles). The different drinks were quite tasty. I mixed the cider with the pineapple-mango.
Amy and my sister-in-law ordered the Taste of Israel platter which looked quite colorful. Amy said it was delicious and she polished off everything.
I got the one boring item on the menu, The Basket, which consisted of tasty breaded chicken and spiral fries. A variety of sauces were available--so I stocked up on ketchup for my meal.
Seeing as how the museum is technically free (just a suggested donation) the high prices at the restaurant weren't too terrible. I certainly wouldn't bring young children here as there wasn't a great kids menu (though you could get them just a side of mac and cheese or fries), but it was a good place to eat. Oh, and if you're curious, the registers accepted contactless payments, so I was happy to be able to use ApplePay to pay for our food.
After lunch we headed down to the second floor to walk through The Impact of the Bible, so that is what tomorrow's post will cover.
Stories of the Bible was one of my favorite areas of Museum of the Bible.
The area doesn't appear to be all that large from the outside, but it takes up the entirety of the third floor.
When you approach the exhibit area you have three choices to explore the stories. You can chose the Old Testament, Galilee Village, or the New Testament.
Not knowing what we were getting into we asked the staff members present which show would be next and thankfully they steered us towards the Hebrew Bible presentation, covering the Old Testament. This thirty-minute experience was definitely the best place to begin.
Though it doesn't appear so from the outside, the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible period is the largest area on the floor.
I don't have any pictures of the actual presentation, so I have to start with this screenshot from the website to partially illustrate the amazing experience.
You start by waiting for your chance to enter through this doorway. Once you do you are in a small waiting area.
Graphic panels around the edge of the room represent the Patriarchs of the Old Testament.
This piece of artwork illustrates the connectivity of the stories of many people that you'll find within the Old Testament, what many Jews call Tanakh. These were the people whose story was told. According to a snippet from Google search (sadly the page no longer exists on the MOTB website) this area is "an immersive walk-through experience based on the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. This series of walk-through scenes are theatrical environments inspired by art installations and constructed with high-tech finishes."
The above text is really is a good explanation of the experience. You start out in a small theater that covers the beginning of history from the Creation to the Fall to the Flood. Then you notice that the far wall of the theater has moved to expose an opening. Everybody moves through this opening and in to the experience. Over the course of your journey you'll sit down in several more theaters and experience several more presentations as well as time walking through artistic representations of Noah's Ark, the crossing of the Red Sea, the crossing of the Jordan River, and more. It wasn't a theater show, it wasn't a mere exhibit, it truly was an amazing, artistic experience that immerses you in the world of the Old Testament and helps you to see what it was all about. Interestingly this area does not talk about Jesus or point to passages that prefigure him in the Old Testament. I think that most (or all) observant Jews that go through this experience would agree with everything they saw. I had no idea what to expect when we started-only that it was to last about thirty minutes. I'd love to back and see it again now knowing what will be coming.
After exiting the Old Testament area we headed into the Galilee Village while waiting for the New Testament experience to begin.
The area began with an explanation of the historical background to the time period in which Jesus lived and ministered. I especially enjoyed seeing this replica of a mosaic from Pompeii.
Jews who returned from exile found themselves caught between shifting kingdoms that battled for control. Throughout this period, Jews struggled to preserve their distinct identify among external pressures and internal differences. Could they stay loyal to their God and Torah in this crucible? Exile and economic opportunity prompted Jewish migration to the east. These communities extended as far as China and India. They also journeyed west along the shores of the Mediterranean and south to Africa. Far away from home, Jews had to navigate between new cultures and their commitment to maintain their own identity, practices, and beliefs. Stories like Ezra, Tobit, and Esther served as an inspiration to Jews who sought to preserve their heritage even in the face of hostility.
~from exhibit signage
This was the period of the second temple.
It was a world that had been heavily influenced by Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and the split of his empire upon his death. The Hellenistic age spread Greek language and culture around the area making other spreads (such as the Gospel) easier.
Everything was impacted by the spread of the Roman Empire across the Mediterranean world.
As you enter the area you're immediately immersed in the surroundings of a first century village.
Flocks were very important to the area.
This 360 degree view gives you a look at the entire area, also you can see how the lights changed in a day/night cycle.
We headed back briefly to catch the show in the Galilee theater. It was a short period piece covering John the Baptist's ministry and his conflict with Herod Antipas (portrayed by John Rhys Davies).
This loom reminded me of several at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter, I think they're very popular historical props.
The signs were very well made.
This was an olive oil press.
Pseudo-oil lamps were throughout the area in the "inside" areas.
The well reflects the importance of water to life in the region.
Harvesting grapes followed months of hard labor: training vines, pulling weeds, pruning new growth, and maintaining stone walls. Finally, villagers met at the vineyard, gathered the grapes, and hauled them to the winepress. They sang and danced while stomping grapes into juice. Pulling from this long-standing annual celebration, the biblical prophet Amos envisioned a coming day of restoration that would be like a great harvest when the "mountains would 'drip sweet wine'" (Amos 9:13-15).
~from exhibit signage
Here is a video that Museum of the Bible just posted about this area.
Just outside the Nazareth Village area is the New Testament theater experience. Starting with John the Baptist the video tells the stories of early followers of Jesus and how they turned into the church--including Paul's persecution of the church and his conversion.
The posters illustrating different biblical characters were especially interesting.
Tomorrow's post will be a short one covering lunch.
