A number of exhibits are still running or will soon open at the Museum of the Bible.
Sacred Drama: Performing the Bible in Renaissance Florence runs through September 30. It offers a rare opportunity to learn about Sacred Drama (Sacra Rappresentazione), a theme never before featured in an exhibition in the United States.
Sacred dramas were theatrical performances of Old and New Testament stories and of the lives of the saints. Religious communities used sacred dramas to provide moral instruction and civic education to children, the future citizens of Florence. Museum of the Bible is the first institution to bring this little known, yet very influential Renaissance-era cultural experience to U.S. audiences.
The exhibition features the theatrical machinery used in these performances, including crucifixes with movable arms, as well as paintings and drawings inspired by sacred dramas. Visitors will also encounter manuscripts and early printed texts of these sacred dramas—a rare look into this popular Renaissance dramatic genre. In fifteenth-century Florence, Sacra Rappresentazione was popular among all social classes.
Access to Sacred Drama is included in general admission.
Noblewomen and the Bible: Seven Stories from the House of Stolberg runs through September 30. A noble family from Germany that began in 1210 during the Crusades is one of Europe’s longest surviving noble households still in existence today. It survives with Philipp, current Prince of Stolberg-Wernigerode, with more than 100 House of Stolberg descendants.
While most museum exhibitions that focus on European nobility feature mostly men, Noblewomen and the Bible reveals the stories of seven women of the House of Stolberg who lived between 1504 and 1955, highlighting how the Bible served as the guiding principle for their decisions.
In total, the exhibition spans 451 years of history and includes contributions from fifteen lenders of more than 60 artifacts, including personal letters, Bibles, books, jewelry, and rosaries. It even includes a “treasure chest” from the 1700s with over 500 pieces of parchment, each inscribed with a biblical phrase or verse.
Access to Noblewomen and the Bible is included in general admission.
Pilgrim Preacher: Billy Graham, the Bible, and the Challenges of the Modern World opens Sunday, August 5, and runs through January 27, 2019.
This exhibit will provide a historical examination of the life, work, and cultural significance of William Franklin “Billy” Graham Jr. (1918 – 2018). It will focus on his use of the Bible in his ministry from the late 1940s through his retirement in 2005.
The exhibit will be divided into two sections. The first will examine the development of Graham into a global revivalist, starting with his roots in the American revival tradition and the postwar context of his early ministry. The second will explore the impact of his work in the realms of religion, society, and politics.
Access to Pilgrim Preacher is included in general admission.
Tickets to museum of the Bible are available for both general admission and group reservations. Tickets are required for entry and are available at www.museumoftheBible.org.
