Word of God: 5. Revelations

Word of God: 5. Revelations

From Intrigue by BBC Radio 4

March 12, 2025 · 29 min · Season 10 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode reveals a significant breach of trust in biblical scholarship involving stolen gospel fragments and an elite scholar's betrayal.

In April 2019, Dr Roberta Mazza receives an email from an academic in charge of Research at the Museum of the Bible which leads to the exposure of one of the most extraordinary breaches of trust in biblical scholarship. Through exclusive interviews, Ben Lewis reveals how the Museum of the Bible discovered that precious gospel fragments they had purchased for hundreds of thousands of dollars may have been stolen from a collection at Oxford University. The episode follows the museum's quest to verify their collection's legitimacy, leading to a devastating discovery that a renowned Oxford professor had allegedly been selling artefacts that weren't his to sell. From papyrologist Roberta Mazza's early suspicions to the museum's internal investigation, Ben pieces together how an elite scholar's apparent betrayal came to light. As evidence mounts, the story builds to a dramatic doorstep confrontation, where Ben attempts to get answers from the professor at the centre of the scandal - raising profound questions about the intersection of academia, wealth, and the ownership of sacred texts. Presented by Ben Lewis Produced by Clem Hitchcock Executive producers: Philip Abrams and Jago Lee…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Lewis

Topics covered

  • biblical scholarship
  • museum investigation
  • academic trust
  • artefact ownership
  • scholar betrayal
  • gospel fragments

Keywords

  • Museum of the Bible
  • Dr Roberta Mazza
  • Ben Lewis
  • Oxford University
  • gospel fragments
  • academic integrity
  • artefacts
  • scholarship scandal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Museum of the Bible

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