The Origins of the Bible
The Smithsonian’s Asian and Eastern art museum, The Sackler Gallery on the National Mall, is hosting an exhibit of some of the oldest Bible artifacts in existence inan exhibit called In the Beginning: Bibles before the Year 1000.
Over the centuries, the iconic Bible as it’s known today has changed and evolved to what we know it to be today. But it’s original form included stories and teaching that over the ages have been modified or completely eliminated.
Some of the examples on display are from the period when “books” (bound or covered manuscripts) first started replacing scrolls. Fragments of some of these earliest bibles, dating back over 1,000 years feature pages, manuscripts with jeweled bindings and codices written in eight languages including Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic. Some also include illustrations.
The highlights of the over 70 biblical artifact include the oldest parchment Bible in existence, a page from the oldest Bible with a full-page illustration, several of the oldest Hebrew codices and one of the oldest manuscripts of the Gospels.
Many of the pieces have never been on public display in the U.S.
The exhibit continues through January 7th.
From the Hands of Scribes Demonstration
See a demonstration by a master calligrapher of how ancient scribes and calligraphers created these pieces of religious and readable art and pioneered the book as we know it.
Demostrations are on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15 & 16, in the Sackler pavilion at 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2:00–4:00 p.m.
The Sackler Gallery
1050 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20013
Hours 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily
Admission
All Smithsonian museums are free.
Nearest Metro subway station – Smithsonian station – Blue and Orange lines
For additional reading on the history of the bible, check out these books available from Amazon.com.
Photo credits: Smithsonian Institution __________________________________________________________
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