The first thing that caught my eye was the artwork that appears in the first Bible on display as you go through the entrance. It gave me the impression of how valued that text was in the eyes of those published it. Just from seeing that I could tell that to them, the scriptures were very important and they truly valued being able to access them. I think today we have lost quite a bit of that appreciation and we take for granted how readily accessible the scriptures are.
I tried to make this photo large enough to be able to see the detail of the letter "I" that begins the text. There is an elaborate blue and red pattern that accentuates and adds character to the text. I couldn't help but think about how neat it would be to have a Bible such as this. I think it would help me appreciate it more! While I was on my mission, an investigator showed me a 200 year-old Bible that had been passed down in her family for generations. It was probably about 1 ft by 2 ft and the cover was pure wood with veins of gold leafing. The pages also had gold leafing on them. What a precious keep sake! I was in awe as I looked at that Bible and contemplated the time that must have gone into creating copies of a book such as that. What a remarkable art!
Another point of interest for me was reading about John Wycliffe. One part in particular stuck out to me about the principles that he was preaching. There was a line about him that explained how he was pushing for the Bible to be more integrated in the government. There is a lot of discussion today about the whole separation of church and state. I heard on the news lately that some association is trying to get a cross taken down at a military base because it is imposing on those who aren't Christian. Things like that frustrate me and it makes me anxious for the Second Coming because all of that will be taken care of : ) I respect Wycliffe a lot for pushing that agenda.
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