I was raised in a church from a very young age, and I always learned the Bible as 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. Then I went to the British Museum, where things are three dimensions and 3000 years old, and the Bible came alive for me.
I regularly do research on the surrounding cultures of the Bible including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rom. As I read the Bible, I often wonder, hey, is there an artifact in the British Museum that connects with this Bible verse? And many times I find that connection. It’s always a joy and a pleasure to discover that connection and share it with others.