Thanks to the superficially different, fundamentally similar ambitions of George Bush, Dan Brown and Mel Gibson, scores of Americans are experiencing a renewed interest in (and in some instances, a reaffirmed obsession with) all things Christian.
Whether you're politically religious, a conspiracy theorist or are simply looking for some tangible evidence to further substantiate your previously established beliefs, the Florida International Museum gives you the rest of the weekend to see Ink & Blood: Sacred Treasures of the Bible before it moves on to Daytona Beach.
This traveling exhibit tells the story of how the Bible came to be in English from the very earliest forms of writing to the King James Bible. Included are Dead Sea Scroll fragments, nearly 100 Hebrew, Greek and Latin manuscripts, and rare bibles spanning 3,000 years. Other authentic artifacts include a 15th-century Wycliffe New Testament — the first translation of the Bible into English; first editions of the King James Bible; and 500-year-old pages from Gutenberg's Bible, supposedly the most valuable book ever printed. Recent exhibit additions also specifically address, from an academic perspective, the historical foundations in The Da Vinci Code. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.inkandblood.com.
Ink & Blood is on display through May 14, at FIM, SPC-Downtown Center, 244 Second Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-341-7900. Special extended hours for the final days of the exhibit are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., and noon-6 p.m. Sun.; admission is $16 adults, $14 seniors, $9 students (children 6 and younger enter for free).
