Hobby Lobby's president is the chairman of the Museum of the Bible. Here's what you need to know about the museum following Hobby Lobby's smuggling scandal.
When news broke on Wednesday that Hobby Lobby's president had been involved in smuggling ancient Iraqi artifacts into the United States, many people were confused.
However, while Hobby Lobby's agreement to pay the US government $3 million comes as a surprise to many, president Steve Green's passion for ancient artifacts is well-documented. Green is the chairman and driving force behind the Museum of the Bible, a $500 million private museum slated to open in November.
The Green collection, which the Hobby Lobby president and his father have grown substantially over the last five years, is the world’s largest private collection of biblical texts and artifacts, Fox News reported in May. These works are set to be displayed at the Museum of the Bible when it opens to the public.
Here's everything you need to know about the museum, as Green and Hobby Lobby deal with the $3 million fallout of the smuggling case.
The Museum of the Bible will be in a 430,000-square-foot center in Washington, D.C.
Construction on the museum began in 2015, and is now nearing completion as the November opening date approaches.
Source: PBS
The museum is located two blocks from the National Mall.
The Museum of the Bible will host 40,000 biblical and religious artifacts, such as this Gospel Book from 17th century Turkey.
Bibles on display range from the world's largest Bible to Elvis Presley's personal Bible.
Green's collection alone include Dead Sea Scroll fragments, Babe Ruth’s Bible, and the world’s largest collection of Torah scrolls.
It is unclear if any of the 5,500 artifacts, which Hobby Lobby purchased for $1.6 million in 2010 and has agreed to return in its Department of Justice settlement, were slated to be displayed at the museum.
The first exhibit to arrive at the museum was a 3,200-pound replica of the Liberty Bell that had to be lowered into the building while it was still under construction.
Exhibits will use design and technology to put a new spin on Biblical stories and history.
An illustration of the Sea of Galilee and other Biblical sites attempt to bring the narrative to life for visitors.
In addition to exhibits, the museum will have a restaurant that serves foods from the Bible, with the menu changing based on season and regional focuses.
The museum will also be home to a "biblical garden."
To enter the garden, visitors walk through 40-foot-tall bronze doors covered in Biblical verses.
Unlike many of Washington, D. C.'s museums, the Museum of the Bible is privately funded, with much of its backing coming from the Green family.
“As many people as we can educate about this book, the better,” Green told the Washington Post in 2014. “I think seeing the biblical foundations of our nation — for our legislators to see that, that a lot of that was biblically based, that we have religious freedoms today, which are a biblical concept, it can’t hurt being there.”
Source: The Washington Post
The fact that the museum is privately funded has raised concerns that it will focus on the Bible exclusively from a Christian perspective, promoting a specific evangelical interpretation of the Bible over an academic one.
Museum of the Bible workers have said these criticisms are baseless, noting that the Israel Antiquities Authority is partners with the museum.
Source: Fox News
The Museum of the Bible did not respond to a request for comment on if the Hobby Lobby case would impact the museum.
"We should have exercised more oversight and carefully questioned how the acquisitions were handled," Hobby Lobby president Steve Green said in a statement. "We have accepted responsibility and learned a great deal."
Hobby Lobby's president is the chairman of the Museum of the Bible. Here's what you need to know about the museum following Hobby Lobby's smuggling scandal. Read Full Story
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