D.C.'s Museum of the Bible Officially Opens This Week - CBN News John Jessup

D.C.'s Museum of the Bible Officially Opens This Week

11-11-2017

CBN News John Jessup

The new Museum of the Bible – a project seven years in the making – officially opens its doors this week.

Blocks away from the U.S. Capitol and in the heart of Washington, D.C., it's the first museum solely dedicated to God's holy word.

CBN News got an early sneak peek of the 430,000 square foot, eight-story building. Click on the video below for a personalized tour.

Once past the bronze Gutenberg Gates and security, the very first thing visitors will see is a 140-foot long digital LED display, which boasts a series of breathtaking colorful scenes in a pictorial canopy.

It's the first glimpse at the museum's technological edge, but the museum has much more to beyond the latest gadgets and gizmos.

Here is a floor-by-floor preview of the museum's exhibits and galleries:

• First floor: Lobby, atrium, media wall, gift shop, children's gallery (Courageous Pages), coffee shop
• Second floor:  Impact of the Bible gallery, featuring a 20 to 40-foot long scratchboard panel chronicling how the Bible shaped America's founding and still reverberates today.
• Third floor: History of the Bible gallery to trace the origins and evolution of the Bible
• Fourth floor:  Narrative of the Bible gallery
• Exhibit space for international museum galleries including more than 700 artifacts from the Israel Antiquities Authority currently on display, performing arts hall, research library
• Sixth floor: Biblical garden, viewing gallery, restaurant

Dr. Tony Ziess is the museum's executive director. He told CBN News the goal is to expose people to the Bible and help them engage with the holy book.

"No other book has had such an impact on civilization, particularly western civilization," Zeiss said. "It's exciting to know that we're a part of exposing this book and getting people engaged in all walks of life — whether they come from a faith-based perspective or a non-faith based perspective. Whether they're Hebrew or whether they're Protestant or Catholic or Ethiopian. Whatever they happen to be."

The museum has taken a decidedly non-sectarian approach, saying its mission is to help people engage with the Bible and bring its rich stories to life.

With a $500 million investment and global cultural and scholastic partnerships, the Museum of the Bible hopes that its mission translates into more people reading and appreciating the best-selling book of all time.

Watch tour here: Museum of the Bible

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