National Bible Museum to Open With 1000 Torahs
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Steve Green, the president of crafts store chain Hobby Lobby, loves the Bible. How much? Somewhere in the realm of 30 million dollars.
A devoted Pentecostal Christian, Green wants to use his family’s sizeable fortune to create a 300,000 square foot National Bible Museum that brings to life the history of his favorite book. Green’s already impressive private collection contains 30,000 items and is valued between $20 million to $40 million.
Scott Carroll, a former history professor who specialized in biblical manuscripts at the “Christ-centered” Cornerstone University, will serve as executive director, with a stated goal of creating “the Smithsonian of biblical antiquities.” And while the location has yet to be decided Dallas, which is on the Bible Belt, is at the top of the list.
According to a recent article in The New York Times, sacred Jewish texts are getting caught up in the mix. Green’s collection contains over 1000 Torahs, including several that survived the Holocaust and one that dates to the Spanish Inquisition.
Just how the all-Christian team behind the National Bible Museum plans to present their significant cache of Judaica, is not yet known.
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