“Sacred: Discover What We Share” is the title of a major exhibition presented by the British Library at its St. Pancreas, London facility. This “Must See” exhibition is drawn from the collections of the Library as well as other UK and Irish collections to highlight the development of the texts considered sacred by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.Starting with a fragment of the Psalms from the Dead Sea Scrolls, dated to circa C.E. 50, the display covers materials relating to the three religions up to the current time.
Given the nature of the British Library’s holding in ancient texts, this is a rich exhibition for anyone to appreciate.What is more, it is not just a collection of old documents, but a wonderful interplay of the ancient with the modern.Using the latest technology, visitors can turn the pages of some of the finest items in the libraries collection.To be able to electronically turn the pages of a 500 year old treasure provides a unique sense of connection with the past.
One purpose that the exhibition seeks to accomplish is to show the mutual origins of the three religions, thus contributing to the multicultural environment that is encouraged in the United Kingdom.A recent comment by an Israeli academic, Rivkah Duker Fishman, published in the Jewish Political Studies Review shows how tenuous that relationship has been.
