Ink and Blood: A Review of the Exhibit

The exhibit “Ink and Blood” is now showing in an extended run at the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls. Called “a barnstorming traveling circus of ancient Bibles” by Edward Cook on his blog, it consists of a large collection of relatively early Old and New Testament manuscript fragments, including some very small pieces of Dead Sea Scroll fragments, and a large collection of early Latin and English bibles. The exhibit has received mixed reviews in the blogosphere (see Cook’s review or also here or here or here). After driving up from Salt Lake City to check it out myself, I felt it could use another review. In short, it is a bit of a barnstorming traveling circus and it is not particularly critical in a scholarly sense. Nonetheless, not everything has to play to the tweed and tenure set. I recommend it for anyone interested in biblical manuscripts and, in particular, early printed English bibles, provided they have even a bit of a geeky interest in old books.

The exhibit was put together by William H. Noah, M.D., of Tennessee, whose family and patients must be very tolerant of his interest in bibles and biblical manuscripts. The collection spans a long period of time, including 3000 years or so B.C. up until the printing of the English bible in America. Among the earlier pieces in the collection are some very small fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a fragment of a 3^rd Century A.D. manuscript of the Gospel of John, and fragments of 4^th Century A.D. manuscripts of the Septuagint (early Greek translation of the Old Testament). Hand-produced Latin bibles of the Middle Ages are also present, along with several beautiful copies of Books of Hours (early prayer books). The core of the exhibit, however, is a large collection of the first bibles in English. Included are copies of Wycliff’s early (1400s) translation from the Latin, Tyndale’s New Testament (the first English translation from the Greek), a Great Bible (produced by Thomas Cranmer at the request of Henry VIII), and a first edition Geneva Bible (often called the Pilgrim’s Bible). It’s a veritable smorgasbord of bibles!

Now, all museum exhibits have an argument to make (or an axe to grind), and the focus of this exhibit is Noah’s portrayal of the development of the bible as a heroic story culminating in the production of a bible in English for the common people. And not just any bible, mind you, but the King James Bible, a translation portrayed as the acme of all English translations in the exhibit materials. This is a bit of an overly simplistic telling of what is actually a more complex history. Personally, I found the adulation the exhibit gives to the King James translation to be a bit ironic. On the one hand the exhibit rightly notes how the Latin translation had become unreadable for nearly all lay people by the middle of the second millennium C.E. On the other hand, it’s odd to then exalt the King James translation, which is now more than a bit antiquated itself. It’s English, yes, but does anyone really talk like that anymore?

I should also point out also that one of the manuscripts (the Marzeah Papyrus) has not yet been fully authenticated and may well be a fake (see a nice discussion here). I caught a couple of simplifications in some of the supplementary exhibit texts. While you have to credit Noah, a non-specialist, for putting together a generally objective and accurate history (as far as it goes), if you’re a heavy duty biblical scholar, or even a medium duty one, you may well take issue with the exhibit organization and the supplementary materials.

But hey, there’s a reason for barnstorming! Those of us out in here in the sticks don’t get to just hop a plane to London (and Leipzig, and St. Petersburg, and St. Catherine’s Monastery) to check out the Codex Sinaiticus. The bibles and manuscripts are wonderful to see, and I’d still recommend going even if you’re only half the geek I am. I was thrilled to view the 3^rd Century fragment of the Gospel of John. While small, you can clearly see the hand of the scribe (probably not one of the better scribes for the time) and a page number at the top! It provides a direct link to ancient Christians who had to produce their Gospels by hand instead of downloading them off the internet. The prayer books are beautifully illuminated, and seeing one open to the beginning of Vespers with the Latin for “Oh God make speed to save us” on the page also made me feel connected to more distant keepers of the Daily Office.

The printed English bibles are also very much worth viewing. I was surprised to see how many of these early Bibles had marginal cross references (e.g. “see Romans 1:5”). The Geneva Bible has extensive marginal commentary directing the reader to “proper interpretation;” also ironic since early reformers first wanted people to have direct access to the biblical text and then apparently quickly worked to rein in the people's interpretations!

For those of us who aren’t likely to have many opportunities to visit original documents such as these, the exhibit allows you direct access to the types of details usually only seen by scholars. I could certainly have a ball haggling with the curator over some of his more dramatic claims, and there is a good reason that scholars produce nuanced histories. Nonetheless, I was captivated by that old, old fragment of the Gospel of John and stunned by the fine-lined beauty of the illustrated medieval bibles! The exhibit has drawn thousands of visitors. Clearly, there is a huge interest on the part of the general public in seeing these documents and getting a dose of manuscript history. I challenge the scholarly community to roll up its sleeves and do a better job; to share their work with the general public in as direct a manner. In the meantime, while I’ve nitpicked Noah’s story here, I still very much appreciate having been given the opportunity to see this collection and I commend him for sharing it with the public!