I went back a second time and spent another $20 on this exhibition, this time with my ‘apprentice’ chillycraps and my mei xinyun. The reason being I wanted to take better photographs of the exhibits this time. (Read my write up on the previous visit here.)

While the exhibits are the same, there is a slight variation in the curator’s presentations and so I learn some new things or at least catch whatever I missed the other time. In the last room especially, the presentation was slightly longer than the previous time I was there and I know more about how Erasmus’ new Latin Bible ensured the accuracy of the Latin translation and root out almost 1000 over years of errors and mistranslations, and also how William Tyndale’s work on the English translation indirectly created the modern English language we speak today. Of course, we also learn how the English translation then go on to influence the translation of Bibles of many other languages. Likewise, the work of Martin Luther (who was a contemporary of William Tyndale) fostered the development of a standard version of the German language. The curator in the last room also touched upon German dock workers facilitated the spread of copies of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses throughout Germany within two weeks, and then throughout Europe within two months.

Anyway, we left the exhibition each learning something new on our own. Please also check out the write up from chillycraps and my mei xinyun.

If you are interested, you might also want to check up on the following documentary on the “Battle For The English Bible” (divided into 6 parts) uploaded to Youtube:

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6

Recommended Reads:
Erniesurn: Midweek Motivations
Wall Street Journal: How Facebook Ruins Friendships

I went to the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition last Friday (4th Sep). There weren’t much of the scrolls I see except some fragments and personally I would say it would be better called the ‘History of the Bible Exhibition’ instead.

After clearing the entrance we are shepherded into a small room where we are shown a short video – talking about the invention of writing – from Sumerian cuneiforms to Egyptian hieroglyphs and then to the alphabet. It also talked about how inscriptions are first placed on stone blocks, then to tablets and finally to animal skin parchments, papyrus and then paper. In it is also the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they are used to verify the other translation of Bibles we have today.

Following that, we are led upstairs to the exhibits which are displayed in 3 different rooms (or halls, or whatever you like to call them) and each section is dedicated to a part of the history of the Bible and a guide will give you a brief account of history of the Bible in that room. In the first room contains some fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls, and also the Holocaust Survivor Scroll. In this room, a brief historical background of the Second Temple period and the Jewish Rebellion against the Roman Empire between 68 – 73AD is given. You will hear about the tragic end of the Jewish defenders of the fortress at Masada, and how the scrolls were destroyed and then left in their sorry state. At the end of it you will understand how the fragments are pieced together and also the scientific methods which are used to identify and confirm that each fragment is placed where it should belong.

In the second room we were then given a brief account on how the English Bible came about, how the printing press make mass publication possible, and how the other language then proliferated. There are several copies of the old Bibles in different languages on display in the room – and some as as huge as bricks and some going as far back as the reign of Edward VI.

Going on to the third room, are the display of the works of the main figures of that led to Protestant Reformation, for e..g John Calvin, William Tyndale, Martin Luther etc. There is a brief talk on how each of these figures contributed to Protestant Christianity and the theology that were passed down to us in the modern church today.

This is why I said it would be more aptly called the ‘History of the Bible Exhibition’ instead. There isn’t very much of the Dead Sea Scrolls you will see here and frankly I wouldn’t expect the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem to allow all of their most important relic to be taken away and put on display elsewhere. Even so, I am surprised that photography (though without flash) is even allowed. That is the reason why I will be going back for another viewing, because I would like to take better photos of some of the displays.

The following is photos of some of the displayed items I took using the Blackberry Storm.