In the beginning: bibles before the year 1000.

• Position: The World Yesterday

The Christian Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It has been produced in numerous editions, from the book form popularized more than 1,600 years ago, to tape recordings, CDs, and now on the Internet. However, few people know the fascinating history of the Bible. What were some of the first Bibles like? What materials were used to make them? In what language were they written?

"In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000" is a landmark exhibition showcasing the earliest biblical artifacts in existence, including pages and fragments written in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Coptic--many on display in the U.S. for the first time. Highlights include leaves from three of the six oldest surviving Hebrew codices; the oldest known manuscripts of the books of Numbers and Deuterono my; one of the earliest known manuscripts of the Gospels written in Latin; the oldest dated parchment biblical codex in the world; fragments from Codex Washingtonensis, fourth- and fifth-century Old Testament Greek manuscripts; a colorful painted cover of the Washington Manuscript Ill--The Four Gospels, depicting figures of St. Matthew and St. John; and a page from the earliest Bible with full-page illustration.

The roots of the Bible lie in the Middle East but, by the year 1000, it had reached Europe, transforming societies as it went...