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A dramatic exhibition of
authentic Dead Sea Scroll
fragments, manuscripts and
rare Bibles from around the
world to tell the story of the
most printed book in history,
"the Bible", opened Feb.
16, 2007 at the Museum
of Idaho, Idaho Falls, Idaho. "Ink
and Blood; Dead Sea Scrolls
to the King James Bible" takes
you on a journey through
5,000 years of history with more than 100 authentic
and renowned biblical artifacts.
The exhibition includes actual Dead Sea
Scroll fragments, the very earliest fragments in
existence. The Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest
known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish Torah or Christian
Old Testament) dating back to 250 BCE. The first
Scrolls were discovered in Qumran, Israel in 1947
and excavations continued through 1956. Portions
of all the
the Hebrew
Bible (Christian
Old Testament)
Books with the
exception of
Esther were
found. Some
are biblical in
nature, some scrolls are
civic. There were
no New Testament
manuscripts
found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In the 19th century, there was much debate
among Christians over the validity of the Hebrew Bible because the oldest known copies in Hebrew
were from the 9th and 10th centuries. The Dead Sea
Scrolls provided examples
almost 1000 years earlier
than previously known.
However, priceless
Dead Sea Scroll fragments
are just one part of an extraordinary display of rare
ancient Biblical manuscripts
and historic Bibles traveling
the country. Artifacts include
clay tablets from ancient
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Mesopotamia that are
5,000 years old, Jewish, Greek and Latin Biblical
manuscripts, a medieval manuscript Wyclif
Bible from the 15th Century, and the first editions
of the King James Bible. The first ever
successful printing - the Gutenberg Bible - is
the most famous book ever printed, and the most
valuable. All surviving copies are illuminated or
decorated, making it one of the most beautiful
books every printed as well. The exhibition has
four leaves on display. The exhibition concludes
with the Aitkens Bible, the first Bible printed on
American Soil.
Dr. William Noah is a physician and student of
the Bible and the Curator of "Ink & Blood: Dead
Sea Scrolls to the King James Bible." It took several
years to organize the exhibition, much time
contacting Biblical Scholars from around the
world and tireless research. "These priceless,
ancient documents continue to inspire us today
and they came to us at a tremendous cost,
Many died in order that we might be able
to read their words today," Noah says. As the
name of the exhibition implies, the Bible has
has been passed down through the ages through
the diligences of scribes and the blood of
martyrs. "It's really unprecedented," Noah said.
"You're going to walk through 5,000 years of history
all in one setting."
The Bible may be the most read story in the
world, but Noah "believes the story behind the
Bible is one worth telling too." Don't miss the
world's largest and most comprehensive
exhibition on the history of the Bible.
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