I was raised in a church from a very young age, and learned the Bible as only words on a page. I never studied or was taught history or archeology.
If I ever did see an artifact, it was always the size of a book or a computer screen. Sadly, the Bible became confusingly dull for me. I knew all of the Sunday School stories by heart but had no understanding of its historical framework.
I didn’t know how one person was related to another, how one book of the Bible connected to another. I never ventured into numerous books of the Bible because no sermon or Bible study ever covered them.
Then I went to the British Museum, where the objects are three dimensions, are 3,000 years old, and had direct connections to the people and places in the scriptures. The Bible came alive for me in a new and exciting way.
I went on some Bible tours to get a feel for the main artifacts, but not with any intent to lead tours. But I did a lot of learning about the surrounding cultures of the Bible including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.
When I was reading the Bible, I often wondered, hey, is there an artifact in the British Museum that connects with this Bible verse? And many times I find that connection. Or I will wander through the galleries and find verses that connect with the artifacts.
I gave tours to friends, and the feedback about making the Bible come alive encouraged me to offer the tour to the public.
It’s always a joy and a pleasure to look at the artifacts and paintings, connect them to the Bible and share with others to make the Bible come alive in a new and exciting way.