Review of Washington DC's Museum of the Bible

The Museum of the Bible entrance doors

This winter, during a long stay in Washington, DC, I had the chance to visit the new Museum of the Bible, just off the National Mall.  While free timed entry tickets were assigned online, those times were not being observed at the museum.  Instead, people lined up outside in the cold and simply waited, sometimes for over an hour, to be allowed in.  This was very poorly done, as only one of the security entrances was being utilized.

However, after a long, cold wait, we finally were allowed inside, and our explorations began.  There weren't any signs saying, "Historical artifacts, this way!," or, "This way to see the Bible collection," so we decided to start at the top floor and work our way down.  This resulted in us not actually seeing the collection of old Bibles till our second visit, the next day.  (We actually left the first time believing the museum didn't have any Bibles!)

We enjoyed the special exhibits, The Living Dead: Ecclesiastes Through Art, and Christmas Illuminated (an exhibit put on by the Bavarian State Library).  There was also an exhibit from the Vatican Museums and Vatican Library, but compared to the others, it was underwhelming and disappointing, consisting of merely large print copies of works, while the other exhibit displayed actual art.

Pickled lemons and single-texture food, anyone?

The views from the rooftop promenade are beautiful, and the Manna restaurant offers additional seating in an outdoor rooftop garden.  The food at the restaurant left much to be desired, though.  It wasn't that great, and the titles of the entrees tried too hard to be relevant to the museum's theme (I mean, honestly, who wants to eat a "Scholar's Initiative?")  The cafe, Milk + Honey + Coffee + Tea, on a lower floor, offers snacks and coffee, and is more reasonably priced.

On the third floor, we very much enjoyed the walkthru exhibits depicting the stories of the Bible. The Old Testament is a 30 minute experience with smoked lights and short narrated videos telling the story of the Hebrew Scriptures. One part has a burning bush and God's voice is unfortunately a bit Sauron-like. (This exhibit is NOT for sensitive children.) It plays like a walk through haunted house, with moving walls, strange noises and lights,and fog machines. This is probably one the BEST and most enjoyable experiences in the museum. It may sound strange from the description, bu it must not be missed.  We could tell a lot of Jewish scholars had worked on it, since the stories had a lot of great Hebrew flair.  It was amazing, and very well done.

 

The New Testament walkthru wasn't as impressive, probably since the walls didn't move and there wasn't any smoke, but the art in the entrance was very innovative and interesting.  I enjoyed comparing the imitation movie posters to the actual Biblical stories, and was surprised at the level of imagery and meaning included.

The World of Jesus of Nazareth is a really cool replica village, with actors telling stories, "interpreters," and interactive rooms.  It reminded me very strongly of the Holy Land theme park in Orlando, with lots of picture taking spots.  The museum guide actually highlights "Selfie spots" on the map!

There's a ride visitors must pay extra to enjoy, the Washington Revelations Flyboard Ride.  It's $8, plus tax, per rider.  I was the only guest on the ride when I went. Riders stand on a platform, leaning on supports, while the platform moves, simulating the feeling of flying. On the screen, a computer simulated video plays, making one feel like she's flying over the National Mall, looking at spots where Scripture is written or has brought inspiration. Wind blows and water droplets mist the riders' faces.  The flyover is dizzy, and the film is disappointingly reminiscent of a computer generated Sims game, with very few of the shots being actual photographic film. Not worth the 8 dollars, in my opinion.

           

The second day, we finally discovered the floor that contains all the old Bibles, and it was as amazing as I'd hoped.  I only wish we'd been given better directions to find it in the first place, because we left the first day thinking the museum simply didn't have any old Bibles to display.  Many of the artifacts (a lot of pottery shards and parchment fragments) are on loan from other museums or individual collectors.

But the Bible room is amazing. THIS is what it's all about. Throughout, instead of background music, there are people's voices reading snippets of the Bible in different languages. Some parts of the exhibit, on the fourth floor, are like walking into a Renaissance church, with medievally garbed interpreters telling stories from large screens.  There's a large display about the King James Bible, complete with different copies of many of the editions, as well as a page from the Gutenberg Bible, and an edition of Luther's Bible.

I wanted to stay all day in the Bible collection, and I highly recommend this floor to anyone who visits the museum.  Go here FIRST!  If you don't have time to see any other parts of the museum, this is the exhibit you should see.

The second floor, the Impact of the Bible, has a lot of displays that highlighted ways the Bible has been influential through history, from a replica of the printing press, to fashion, to colloquial sayings we use.  This exhibit is large, and one could spend hours in here.

One feature of the Museum of the Bible that most of the other museums in the area don't have is the dedicated children's area. While several of the games aren't working, and there are no activity guides at the door, the play area and the arcade type games are great! The lighting is strange and not conducive to picture taking (and parents love taking pics of their kids playing), but this would make a great spot for storytime or guided activities for kids. During the summer, I imagine they'll resort to timed entry, since it would get over crowded. A permanent docent or two for this space is also a good idea. 

              

The bookstore is about on par with other National Mall museum gift shops.  However, since this is the Museum of the Bible, I expected a lot more Bibles on sale.  There were very few, and even as far as art or things inscribed or printed with actual Scripture, there was very little.  That was disappointing.  If there's one place where those sorts of things would be acceptable, THIS is it!

This is all the Bibles on sale. That's it.

Overall, I enjoyed our visit, but the overwhelming feeling I had was that the museum is very schizophrenic, not unified.  The main theme is Bible, but there's not much else to link each exhibit.  When taken one floor at a time, it's not as overwhelming, but who has time, when on a short visit to DC, to return to the Museum of the Bible four or five times?  It's almost too much for one museum.  The styles of the different exhibits and floors vary widely, and it's obvious different people designed and curated throughout, since the experience changes so dramatically from exhibit to exhibit.  There isn't one style used throughout, and it kind of makes me think if one single font were used, it would have a massive impact on the unity of the place.  As it is, each floor is like a single self-contained museum, with it's own artistic style, font, and feel.

I'd like to see self-guided journeys offered.  For instance, if you're there specifically because you want to see old Bibles, being pointed primarily to that section of the museum makes sense.  If you're interested in being immersed in the stories of the Bible, being directed to the Old Testament and village of Nazareth experiences would be best.  If you're visiting with young children, being informed about the Children's Experience should be paramount, especially if timed entry of that space does eventually get established, like at the Building Museum's popular play area.

I'll definitely visit again, and I hope that, over time, the hiccups in timed entry and museum visitor flow will be smoothed over.  If not, then maybe by then the cafe will offer fine Israeli wines to calm the stress of getting in!