The Bible Has Long Deserved a Museum. Now it Finally Has One.

Diana Muir Appelbaum’s essay, “Who’s Afraid of the Museum of the Bible?,” is informative, skillfully argued, fair-minded, and leavened by wit and elegance. It is also much needed, since the museum has come under harsh assault from a variety of sources.

Before addressing the nature of that assault, I’d like to register very briefly my own favorable impressions of the museum, which I visited on December 30 with my daughter and some family friends. From the very first sight that greets one’s eyes—the two 40-foot-high bronze panels framing the entrance, bearing text from Genesis 1 on replicas of plates from the Gutenberg Bible, followed in the vestibule by a display of Psalm 19 on a papyrus leaf that dates back to the 3rd or 4th century CE—one is conscious of taking part in a highly singular experience.

In this six-floor building with its 430,000 square feet of exhibition space, visitors come face to face with the world of ancient Israel and Jesus of Nazareth rendered in works of art, more than 3,000 artifacts, and archeological discoveries laid out for inspection in display cases, immersive rooms, interactive exhibits, mini-theaters, and animated videos. Along the way, visitors will also learn the story, from ancient times to the present day, of the Bible’s impact on everything from art and culture, to human rights, to entertainment, to science and math, to, especially, the meaning of America.