Home / Exhibits / Special Exhibits The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story
Learn About the Exhibition
Explore the cultural, political and personal events that shaped Jerusalem and the surrounding region more than 2,000 years ago in The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story, on display from December 12, 2008 – April 12, 2009. Examine ancient manuscripts including The War Scroll - one of the original Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. Witness history first hand and be among the first to view a host of other authentic artifacts from this fascinating time and place, which to this day remains one of the world's most important and influential cultural intersections.
Press Play to hear Exhibition Curator Dr. Matthias Henze discuss why this exhibit is “the closest we can get to the historical Jesus.”
“In 2004, The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition evoked a remarkable response from tens of thousands of museum visitors,” said Joel A. Bartsch, president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. “The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story continues the journey begun in The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition and broadens the dialogue—beyond the fascinating Qumran community that created the Scrolls—and into the dawn of the Christian era.”
Through original artifacts and rare manuscripts, this exclusive exhibition explores the compelling stories behind these often fragmented, yet clearly intertwined cultures, stories that evoke strong feelings that are still deeply held by people around the world.
“What makes this exhibition so compelling, however, is not the objects alone. It is the story we are telling that brings the objects to life. This is the closest we can get to the historical Jesus,” said Dr. Matthias Henze, guest curator of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. “For example, an oil lamp remains just that – unless the visitor makes the connection that this object was used during the time of King Herod, who expanded the Second Temple complex in Jerusalem and is known from the New Testament for the notorious massacre of innocent babies.”
This exhibition was organized by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Rice University in cooperation with The Biblioteque Nationale de France, The British Library, the École Biblique et Archéologique Française Couvent Saint-Étienne, The Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan and the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation.
The Curatorial team includes Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel: Ms. Gila Hurvitz, Chief Curator for Special Projects; and Ms. Daphna Tsoran, Acting Curator at The Institute of Archaeology; Dr. Matthias Henze, Watt J. and Lilly G. Jackson Chair in Biblical Studies, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Rice University, Houston, Texas; and Dr. Weston Fields, Executive Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation.
The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story is generously underwritten by Glen Rosenbaum, The Stanford and Joan Alexander Foundation, Albert and Ethel Herzstein Foundation, The Nathan J. Klein Fund, Vinson & Elkins, LLP, Weatherford International Ltd., the Stein Family/Triple S Steel Supply and David and Bonnie Weekley.
