ACU visitors and students often ask the library staff, “Where is the ‘big Bible’ that once was displayed in the ACU library?” This is the 1,094 pound Waynai Bible that was made by Louis Waynai back in 1930. It was donated to ACU by Rosen Heights Church of Christ in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1956.
The Bible was moved from its home in ACU’s Brown Library in April 2013, and is currently on loan to the Museum of the Bible and the Green Collection’s traveling exhibit. As part of the terms of this loan agreement, the Waynai Bible underwent extensive conservation treatment to repair its embrittled pages, all at no cost to ACU. It is reported that the conservator used 7.5 miles of Japanese mending paper to repair the Bible!
Now that the repair is complete, the Waynai Bible will be part of a traveling exhibit arranged by the Museum of the Bible in honor of the anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It will be “the flagship” of their exhibit this fall, and will be displayed in Augsburg and Wittenberg. A special crate will be built for secure transport.
Click here to view The Museum of the Bible’s live streamed video of the Big Bible and its restoration efforts the past three years in Washington, DC.
“The Green Collection and its exhibitions of biblical artifacts exist so that people can experience the creation of a book that has altered history, shaped cultures, inspired minds and changed lives,” said John B. Weaver, dean of the ACU library. For more information, see www.explorepassages.com.