Green Collection

The collection is named for the Green family, founders and leaders of Hobby Lobby, the world's largest privately owned arts and crafts retailer. The collection was assembled beginning in November 2009 by its original director, ancient/medieval manuscript specialist Scott Carroll, in cooperation with Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby and the collection's benefactor.[7][8]

Codex Climaci Rescriptus

The capstone of the Green Collection is the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, known as Uncial 0250 (in the Gregory-Åland numbering); which is a palimpsest whose underwriting includes pages from a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, as well as pages from a Christian Palestinian Aramaic uncial manuscript of the Old and New Testament. Paleographically the Greek section has been assigned to the eighth century (or seventh century), and the Christian Palestinian Aramaic section to the sixth century.

A John Wycliffe Bible in the Green Collection

Other items in the Green Collection include:[9]

• The world's largest private collection of Jewish scrolls, including Torahs that survived the Spanish Inquisition, scrolls confiscated by the Nazis and recovered in concentration camps and others from across the globe
• One of the world's largest holdings of unpublished biblical and classical papyri, including texts that date back to the lost Library of Alexandria
• Rare illuminated manuscripts and previously unknown biblical texts and commentaries
• The earliest-known, near-complete translation of the Psalms in Middle English, including the Canticles and commentary predating Wycliffe's translation
• An undocumented copy of Wycliffe's New Testament in Middle English
• Some of the earliest printed texts, including a large portion of the Gutenberg Bible and the world's only complete Block Bible in private hands
• Early tracts and Bibles belonging to Martin Luther, including a little-known letter written the night before his excommunication
• An undocumented fragment of the Tyndale New Testament, published while he awaited execution
• Numerous items illustrating the contribution of Jews and Catholics to the King James translation of the Bible and other historical artifacts

Formed in the summer of 2010, the Scholars Initiative provides university mentors and student scholars at participating institutions with research opportunities on items from the Green Collection.[27][28]

Academics and textual experts participating in the Scholars Initiative include:[29]

• Mariam Ayad, University of Memphis: Lead Mentor-Scholar, Papyri Project and Egyptian and Coptic Texts
• Gordon Campbell, University of Leicester: Co-Senior Scholar, King James Version Project
• Robert Duke, Azusa Pacific University: Scholar of Hebrew Texts
• Jeffrey Fish, Baylor University: Scholar of Greek Texts
• Ralph Hanna, University of Oxford: Senior Scholar, Richard Rolle Project
• David Lyle Jeffrey, Baylor University: Senior Scholar, Christian Tradition and Spirituality
• Alister McGrath, University of Cambridge: Senior Scholar, KJV Critical Text Project
• Curt Niccum, Abilene Christian University: Distinguished Scholar of Ethiopic Texts
• Dirk Obbink, University of Oxford: Senior Scholar, Papyri
• Thomas Oden, Drew University: Senior Scholar, African Texts
• David Riggs, Indiana Wesleyan University: Distinguished Scholar of Latin Texts
• Marcel Sigrist, École Biblique: Senior Scholar, Cuneiform
• Daniel B. Wallace, Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, and Dallas Theological Seminary Mentor-Scholar:
• Peter Williams, University of Cambridge: Scholar of Aramaic Texts
• Benno van den Toren, University of Oxford: Distinguished Scholar of Dutch Texts

Indiana Wesleyan University Professor Jerry Pattengale serves as Executive Director of the Green Scholars Initiative.

In 2012, Steve Green announced his family's intention to open a permanent institution, which he claimed would be a scholarly museum, not an evangelistic outreach ministry, within the next four years to house the Green Collection. The mission statement of the museum, however, as found in its 501(c)3 tax filings for 2011, the most recent year available, is "To bring to life the living Word of God, to tell its compelling story of preservation, and to inspire confidence in the absolute authority and reliability of the Bible."[30] More recently, Green told a press conference that the Museum will focus on the Bible's impact, history and narrative, explaining that while he might hope that the museum would bring people to Christianity, the museum is not created as a tool of evangelizing, “We’re not discussing a lot of particulars of the book. It’s more of a high-level discussion of here’s this book, what is its history and impact and what is its story."[5]

The Greens identified Washington, DC, Dallas, and New York City as finalists for the museum's location.[31]

In July 2012, the Green Collection announced the purchase of the building housing the Washington Design Center in DC, for a reported $50 million, to house the as-yet-unnamed national Bible museum.[32][33][34][35] The building is located two blocks from the National Mall at 300 D. Street SW, near the Federal Center SW Metro station. The museum will reportedly charge admission, as do other private museums in Washington, such as the National Building Museum, the International Spy Museum, and the Newseum.[36]

The museum was constructed in the former Design Center, an historically protected Renaissance Revival building close to the National Mall and the United States Capitol.[4][5][37][38]

• Official website