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Ballarat is one of Australia’s largest inland cities,
with a population of 88,000. It is located about 110km northwest of Melbourne.
The area was first settled by farmers in 1837, but the discovery of gold in
1851 caused an influx of miners. By 1853 there were 20,000 miners! In 1854 some
of the miners rebelled against the State Government officials over unjust
treatment and the Eureka Stockade was built, which is now a tourist site. The
flag created by the rebels (a white cross on a blue background) is still used
by trade unionists in Australia. The city prospered and by 1870 there were
60,000 residents. However the gold trade declined and the city went into
recession. Like other cities that were founded on farming and mining, the
passing years have seen many peaks and troughs in the economy. Ballarat in 2008
is a handsome city and there are still many attractive buildings that were
erected during the gold rush.
During the Ballarat Heritage Weekend we had about 80 of
our oldest Bibles on display, dating from 1602 to 1900, to co-ordinate with the
‘heritage’ theme. The display was in the “Mining Exchange” building where the
goldminers used to sell their gold to dealers in small rooms around the hall.
The organizers had advertised the biennial weekend widely throughout the State,
and there were many visitors from country towns. Staff at the Exchange wore
period costume, and there was a very friendly atmosphere, with classical music
being played in the background.
The display next to ours was a local bookbinder who
restores books, and a highlight on the Sunday was when he pulled apart an old
Bible in preparation for restoring it.
We estimate that about 150 people visited our display
over the two days. Three Jews, including a young Israeli man, were among the
visitors, all of whom were surprised to see the Hebrew scrolls section. We also
had a folder with some of our Israel stamp “First Day Covers” which showed the
history of Israel in stamps, from the very first issue in 1948. Another folder
had modern Israel coins. There was a small display on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and
their significance.
There is a display of Illuminated Manuscripts,
including Bibles, in the State Library in Melbourne at present, and some people
who had seen that display were interested in our illuminated manuscript
facsimiles.
We have a facsimile of the Lorsch Gospels, the original
of which was prepared and presented to Emperor Charlemagne in 810 AD. It was
such a fine book that 1000 copies were made in the USA in 1967. This book is in Latin, but the names in the
genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 are identical with the English names in the Bibles
through the next 1200 years. The Bible display also includes Bagster’s
“Hexapla” Bible which has a Greek version of the New Testament across the top
of pages, and then 6 columns below with translations in English across the
bottom. They start with Wycliffe 1385, and end with the KJV 1611. The visitors
were able to see names like David, Jesse, Nathan, and Adam, that read the same
in Latin and English. Twelve hundred years unchanged, showing that basic facts
in modern versions have remained the same.
Click on the picture below to view it in a larger window
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The Mining Exchange, with vintage cars parked out the front.
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An aerial view inside the Mining Exchange. The BibleNews display is off to the front right.
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Our display is circled in yellow.
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Display from the front.
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Display at the back - mainly Judaica.
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Display at the right - History of the Bible.
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 From the doorway
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 Some Visitors |
The Gutenburg Bible and Rosetta Stone.
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A 'Lady' in heritage costume.
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A 'Gentleman' from around 1860.
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A lovely couple!
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Jean showing some visitors in the display.
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Ellen giving a guided tour through the display.
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 Barry and Heather Tooley, from Ballarat.
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 The Ballarat Bookbinder , Milton, next to our display.
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 At work on repairing a large Bible. |
 The Bible with its spine removed.
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