“I’ve talked to lawyers and both the Constitution and statute are clear. He’s qualified as he has been for all his previous elections."SEYMOUR, Ind. – A southern Indiana museum is displaying rare fragments of Bibles spanning six centuries thanks to a donation from an Indianapolis collector.
The framed fragments at the Conner Museum in the Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour include a 1476 Bible Scripture printed in Venice and a 1935 verse printed in Oxford. The display also includes texts from London, Cambridge and a Philadelphia print shop, The Tribune of Jackson County reported.
Don Hill said the display was put together by the Cleveland Club of Printing House Craftsmen for the 500th anniversary of the invention printing in 1940. He isn't sure how the donor, David Churchman of Indianapolis, acquired it.
The display offers insight into the history of printers, who were persecuted for producing the Bible, Hill said.
He noted that Bibles were handwritten by scribes and monks until the printing press was invented, and that Johannes Gutenberg produced just 180 Bibles between 1450 and 1456.
Many people didn't understand how a religious document could be made so easily, he said.
"It was almost witchcraft. ... It's any wonder we have the Bible today because of everything they (printers) did to preserve it and hide it."
Besides the Bible display, the museum that opened in 2003 showcases the history of printing, from cave drawings to bookbinding. Visitors can touch original working presses, including an 1850 press used to produce The Tribune newspaper.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, visit www.soinart.com.
