About 11,500 antiquities are being given back to the Iraqi and Egyptian governments by Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby and chairman of the Museum of the Bible.
According to Christianity Today, “ancient clay seals and fragments of papyrus” housed in the Museum of the Bible were possibly “looted or stolen” and lack “complete documentation.”
Green had acquired the antiquities prior to the museum’s grand opening in Washington, DC, in November 2017 but admitted in a statement issued on Sunday that he fell short when it came to “appreciating the importance of the provenance of the items I purchased.”
In the official statement, Green acknowledged that the Museum’s early mistakes that resulted in “a great deal of criticism over the years,” which he asserted “was justified.”
“The criticism resulting from my mistakes was justified,” Green wrote on the Museum’s website.
“My goal was always to protect, preserve, study, and share cultural property with the world,” he continued. “That goal has not changed, but after some early missteps, I made the decision many years ago that, moving forward, I would only acquire items with reliable, documented provenance.
“Furthermore, if I learn of other items in the collection for which another person or entity has a better claim, I will continue to do the right thing…
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