Verbum Domini

1552 Tyndale New Testament

A well-preserved woodcut from a rare 1552 Tyndale New Testament.

A new exhibit in the Creation Museum, part of an impressive traveling exhibition of rare Bible manuscripts and artifacts from the famed Green Collection, was dedicated in mid-October, 2012. Leading the dedication ceremony was Steve Green, Chairman of the Board of the future Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, which has already collected more than 40,000 biblical antiquities. Mr. Green is the president of the retail chain Hobby Lobby.

Verbum Domini (“The Word of the Lord”) is made up of a couple dozen valuable Bible-related items in an exhibit that celebrates God’s Word throughout the ages. By visually weaving together the story of the Bible throughout the ages, the exhibit honors the world’s most indestructible book.

The initial display of artifacts included such impressive specimens as a page from one of the oldest near-complete Bibles in the world: Codex Climaci Rescriptus. It was produced in the fourth century AD in Aramaic, Jesus’ language. Two other rare items included a King James “HE” Bible (1611) and a Tyndale New Testament (1552, with woodcut illustrations).

The 1611 King James Bible.

The 1611 King James “HE” Bible.

The Green Collection, funded by the Hobby Lobby chain of arts and crafts stores, will eventually be housed in the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. At the exhibit dedication Steve Green declared that he was glad to be partnering with the museum in a proclamation of biblical teachings. He also observed that “we are like-minded. Our purpose in opening the Museum of the Bible and in loaning a part of our collection to the Creation Museum is to show visitors the value of the Bible in society. Also, our family’s love of the Bible motivated us to assemble this collection.”

The exhibit is housed in the Creation Museum’s former collections area, right next to the attractive Palm Plaza. There is no additional cost to view this collection. It is our hope that the exhibit will continue as a long-term relationship, with additional items to be placed in the Verbum Domini exhibit at the Creation Museum. We hope that every six months or so visitors to the Creation Museum will have the opportunity to see new spectacular items from the Green Collection/Museum of the Bible.