Proclaimer Blog
The British Museum – possibly the best thing about London?
I love living in London – and one of the best reasons is that it is the home of the British Museum. Look – I've got to be honest, when I was young I thought the BM was the dullest place in the Universe (second only, possibly, to The Royal Opera House, somewhere else I now love). But now I'm older and wiser and – importantly – spiritually alive, I realise that the British Museum is a feast for a believer.
OT great Walter Kaiser wrote an interesting article back in 2005 about the 15 greatest biblical archaeological finds (it's still online here). Most are in Israel, one or two are squirrelled away (e.g. some of the more fragile papyrii). But a surprising number of the finds are in the BM. Yep! You can go and see them. I believe the Bible to be true because of faith in the Scriptures. But to see archaelogical finds that confirm its veracity, sometimes against all the historical odds, is amazing. (As an aside there has been a recent BBC series about how the Bible's history is all poppycock).
If you can't get to London (or even if you can and want some help) there is an excellent Day One travel guide. These little guides are superb and this one, in particular, stands out. It's written by Brian Edwards and Clive Anderson who know what they're talking about. (They also do guided tours – more information here). I'm on my sixth or seventh; I keep giving them away as I want people to go and see the stuff too!
Yes, faith is what gives us confidence in the Scriptures (see for example Hebrews 11.3) (try explaining that to an unbeliever!). But, in God's goodness and graciousness our faith is confirmed and helped by such things as archaeological discoveries. Each year we send our Cornhill students to visit the BM for precisely this reason. Amazingly, their preaching is helped too! Go and see the Cyrus Cylinder and then try and preach Ezra 1 without mentioning it! You can't! (I loved it so much, I bought a copy. The Cyrus Cylinder is currently on tour, but if you pop into my office you can always see the other one!).
OK, I'm getting boring now. But if you stop by London for any reason, let me encourage you to visit the BM and take a tour.*
[As an interesting aside, Professor Donald Wiseman died last year (read his obituary here). Donald was linked for a time with the British Museum and his influence can sometimes be seen in the wall plaques desscrbing certain finds in biblical terms. Sadly, my friend Clive Anderson tells me, these are gradually being removed and biblical references erased.]
* Do watch out for tours being conducted by Jehovah's Witnesses. Stick to Day One tours or buy the guide from the bookshop and have a DIY tour.