By Lily McHale
The Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP) students took a special trip to the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. this past semester to learn more about the history and impact of the Bible.
The Museum of the Bible is home to hundreds of artifacts, religious manuscripts, and paintings related to Judaism and Christianity. The museum houses many objects from the Vatican and Israel. The exhibits take visitors on a historic journey from the time of Jesus, through the Middle Ages, and through modern day.
Junior Mary Greco was impressed with the amount of texts the museum displayed and how it demonstrated the impact of Christianity worldwide. “It was fascinating seeing all of the manuscripts in the different languages,” Greco said. “I saw Slavic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, English, etc, and it just proves that the Bible is the most influential and coveted book in the history of the world.”
The WHIP students were given a behind-the-scenes tour of how the museum acquires, restores, and prepares pieces for exhibits and shows. The students got to see a book from the black plague era that was used for funerals. The book was large with big writing which allowed everyone to read and sing along during ceremonies.
Junior Reagan Linde especially liked the moving paintings that depicted victims of the Holocaust as Jewish prophets. The art is currently being restored from damages incurred during a flood and will be shared with the public in the future.
“The museum of the Bible was a wonderful experience overall and the staff were very knowledgeable,” said Linde. “My favorite part was getting to see the items not on public display since they were being repaired, like the paintings of noteworthy prophets. The artist’s story was incredibly inspiring and it is wonderful that the museum was able to acquire those pieces.”