Intrigue12 Feb 2025

Word of God: 1. In the Beginning Was the Word

In July 2017, Dr Jeff Kloha is preparing to start his dream job as Director of Collections at Washington DC's new Museum of the Bible when he discovers his new employer’s biggest donor has been caught up in a government investigation.

The donor, Hobby Lobby, has been ordered to return 3,500 artefacts and pay a $3 million settlement.

Through exclusive interviews with museum officials and evangelical scholars, investigative journalist Ben Lewis pieces together the extraordinary story of how the Green family - owners of the Hobby Lobby craft store empire - embarked on an unprecedented collecting spree of biblical treasures. Their ambitious mission: to create a museum showcasing the Bible's history through ancient objects.

But as Lewis discovers, their rush to acquire 40,000 items in just three years would bring them into the orbit of a complex network of antiquities dealers in problematic ways.

And it sparks a scholar turned super sleuth to start asking questions…

This episode has been edited since broadcast.

Presented by Ben Lewis Produced by Clem Hitchcock Executive producers: Philip Abrams and Jago Lee Story editor: Andrew Dickson Sound design by Richard Courtice Original music composed by Max de Wardener Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Assistant Commissioner Podcasts/Digital: Chris Walsh-Heron

A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4.

Episodes of Intrigue: Word of God are released weekly on Wednesdays, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you’re in the UK, you can listen to the latest episode a week early, first on BBC Sounds.

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