NEWS FEATURE: Artifacts, replicas bring Biblical times to life

c. 1999 Religion News Service COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. _ Replicas of biblical artifacts such as the Rosetta Stone, as well as real items dating back thousands of years, are drawing tourists to a museum in this small community just east of Memphis. The nonprofit, nondenominational Biblical Resource Center and Museum is located amid a group of […]

c. 1999 Religion News Service

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. _ Replicas of biblical artifacts such as the Rosetta Stone, as well as real items dating back thousands of years, are drawing tourists to a museum in this small community just east of Memphis.

The nonprofit, nondenominational Biblical Resource Center and Museum is located amid a group of brick buildings that resemble doctors’ or attorneys’ offices. Inside, though, a wealth of biblical archaeological information and artifacts awaits.


“This has shown me the Bible is inextricably connected with the historical context out of which it grew,” said Don Bassett, who manages the museum with his wife, Nancy. “There is nothing mythical about it. It shows how closely related the Bible was to the lives of people in Bible times.”

Don Bassett is an ordained minister in the Church of Christ. He retired from the pulpit ministry after 35 years to direct the center, which has drawn several hundred visitors since it officially opened in June 1997.

Many religious groups tour the museum to view replicas of the Rosetta Stone and Taylor Prism, as well as real artifacts, including a tiny 2,000-year-old oil lamp.

The Rosetta Stone is an inscription written on a gigantic black stone in three languages by priests in ancient Memphis honoring King Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt in 196 B.C. The Taylor, or Assyrian, Prism is a hexagonal baked clay prism that contains accounts of the events in the reign of King Sennacherib of Assyria (705-681 B.C.). Both replicas were acquired from the British Museum Company in London.

“People asked why we go to the expense of getting replicas, but not everyone is able to go to the Louvre (in France) or the British Museum to see the (originals), and we want to make them available to as many people as possible,” said Bassett.

He not only travels frequently to Israel on digs searching for artifacts, but also visits museums throughout Europe and the United States to learn more about biblical archaeology.

“To go to the Bible lands and see an Arab shepherd with sheep and goats in Galilee, and to know Jesus was talking about something that people would see every day is incredible,” he said.


Bassett said one of the most remarkable occurrences he saw while visiting Israel was on the Plain of Dothan.

“We had to stop because of a camel caravan which was headed to Egypt,” he said. “It was just like in the story of Joseph when his brothers sold him to a caravan traveling to Egypt. Things like this convinced me of the historical accuracy of the Bible.”

Hill Roberts, a physicist from Huntsville, Ala., has toured the museum.

“The significance of the fact Don has replicas is that most research is done with the use of replicas,” Roberts said. “The originals are usually too fragile or have been destroyed from being exposed to people touching them.

“Don is a wonderful curator and is great at explaining why the items are important, and not just telling about their background. I think most clergy would probably know about the Rosetta Stone, but many probably don’t know its significance.”

Bassett trains Sunday school and religious teachers in biblical archaeology at the center. He also teaches junior and senior high school students the basics of archaeology and how it relates to the Bible.

More than 20 young people between the ages of 8 and 14 are enrolled in individual biblical study at the center. They spend one or two hours weekly studying maps, charts and other information. The center is developing biblical archaeological games for children.


“We are in no way trying to take the place of a church’s training,” said Bassett. “Our mission is to present to the public in general, and young people in particular, an appreciation of the historical and cultural context in which the original documents that comprise the Bible were written. We have focused on creating a nonsectarian approach to the Bible and related fields for students and teachers of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds.”

The center is funded privately by donors and is open weekdays and by appointment on Saturdays. No admission is charged, but donations are accepted.

Eds: For more information, call 1-901-854-9578 or visit the Web site at http://www.biblical-museum.org)

DEA END WHITE

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