Due to a strong response from East Tennessee, organizers today announced that the exhibit Ink and Blood: Dead Sea Scrolls to the English Bible is being extended to May 1. <\/p>\n
Featuring authentic Dead Sea Scroll fragments, rare ancient Biblical manuscripts and historic Bibles, the unprecedented exhibition opened in Knoxville Feb. 5 at the old Convention Center below the Holiday Inn downtown. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince we opened,\u00a0tens of thousands have seen the more than 100 specific Hebrew, Greek and Latin transcripts and rare Reformation Bibles from around the world,\u201d said Dr. William Noah, curator of the museum exhibition. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe interest from the people of East Tennessee in this seldom-told story of the Bible and the people who died to keep it alive has been fantastic. Plus, we continue to hear from people and groups who want to see the exhibit, and that\u2019s why we decided to extend the closing date to Sunday, May 1.\u201d <\/p>\n
Numerous church and school groups have seen the exhibit, Noah said, but the historical nature of the exhibit has appealed to a wide secular audience as well. <\/p>\n
Noah worked for many years with Biblical scholars from around the world to gather the priceless ancient documents. He focused on the Bible in English and was overwhelmed by the fact that people were martyred for printing or possessing Bibles. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese priceless, ancient documents inspire us today, and they came to us at a tremendous human cost,\u201d Noah says. \u201cAs the name of the exhibition implies, the Bible has been transmitted to us through the diligence of scribes and the blood of martyrs.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rare items include: <\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 authentic Dead Sea Scroll fragments of the books of Genesis and Isaiah <\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 several 5,000-year-old pictographic clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia (the earliest form of writing in history) <\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a 2,600-year-old scroll containing the oldest known Hebrew writing on papyrus in the world and the earliest known written example of the Hebrew name for God, Elohim <\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 numerous Bibles, including a medieval manuscript Wyclif Bible from the 15th century, which was the first translation of the Holy Book into English.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The exhibition also features a working replica of Gutenberg\u2019s press, which brought the Bible to the masses in the 16th century with a profound impact on society. In addition to the interpretive displays, historians are available to answer visitors\u2019 questions. Visitors see multimedia presentations, and lectures given by visiting scholars will continue. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe story of the Bible is intriguing, educational, and moving, no matter what one\u2019s age or religious beliefs,\u201d Noah said. \u201cAs they burned John Rogers at the stake for his English interpretation of the Bible, his last words were, \u2018Seal this with my blood!\u2019 What could be more moving that that?\u201d <\/p>\n
Ink and Blood adult tickets are $15. Matinee, senior citizen and student tickets are $12. Children 8-18 are $8; and children under the age of 8 are free.\u00a0 <\/p>\n