Season 1, Episode 8: The Story and Discovery of the Oldest Hebrew Prayer Book with Osnat Gad and Herschel Hepler

Episode description: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (“Rabbi Solly”) is the senior rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, Shearith Israel, located in Manhattan, New York City. Considered one of America’s great Jewish thinkers, Rabbi Solly outlines the Jewish connections to America’s founding. Talking with Museum of the Bible CEO and Unscrolled guest host Dr. Carlos Campo, Rabbi Solly also shares some helpful resources to learn more about biblical Israel and the strong bond and traditions stemming from the Hebrew Bible.   Guest bio: Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik is one of America's preeminent Jewish thinkers, educators, and religious leaders. He is the senior rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.  Show Notes:  https://meirsoloveichik.com/ https://www.shearithisrael.org/ “The Gifts of the Jews” by Thomas Cahill, https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Jews-Changed-Everyone-History/dp/0385482493 “Jerusalem: The Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore, https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore/dp/0307280500 “Call Me Back with Dan Senor,” podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/call-me-back-with-dan-senor/id1539292794  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

In 2006, an idea to create a website that would help people read the Bible more consistently launched what is now known as YouVersion, one of the most downloaded Bible apps in the world. Getting its start during the early days of iPhones and applications, YouVersion has continued to grow and innovate through the years and is now on schedule to hit 1 billion downloads by the end of 2025. Join host Matthias Walther and YouVersion founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald as they talk about YouVersion and how today’s tech-focused world can still create new, meaningful ways to read the Bible.   Bobby Gruenewald is the founder and CEO of YouVersion, one of the largest Bible apps in the world, and serves as the Innovative pastor at Life.Church in Oklahoma.   https://www.youversion.com https://www.life.church  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible  

When author and podcaster Carlos Whittaker noticed that he used his phone for an average of seven hours a day, he realized it was time to make a change. This change started him on a journey in which he would give up all modern tech for seven weeks and stay with communities who lived at a slower, but more purposeful pace. Join Unscrolled host Matthias Walther and Carlos as he shares what it’s like to live at “God’s speed” and how the Bible became more alive through his experience.   Carlos Whittaker is an author, speaker, podcaster, and storyteller “bringing hope to humans all over the world by cultivating spaces where people are free to engage in genuine dialogue.”  https://www.carloswhittaker.com/ https://www.carloswhittaker.com/reconnected https://www.instagram.com/loswhit  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible  

Philip Yancey is an American author who grew up in a strict fundamentalist Christian home, which led to a mistrust and eventually deconstruction of his faith. Yancey turned his attention to books and the Bible and eventually began to reconstruct his faith in God. Join Unscrolled host Matthias Walther as he talks to author Philip Yancey about his faith journey, upbringing, and how his writing and reading helped reconstruct his faith.   Guest bio:Philip Yancey is a Christian, American author who has written 36 books, selling over 15 million copies. Philip Yancey grew up in a strict, fundamentalist church in the South, where he viewed God as a punishing figure and witnessed contradictions in teachings of love and grace. After his father died of polio despite fervent prayers, Yancey wrestled with faith, finding solace and new perspectives in books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and C. S. Lewis’s works. He felt betrayed by the church’s racism and dogma, eventually discarding his beliefs and later rediscovering a faith marked by beauty and goodness. As a writer, he pursued answers to deep spiritual questions in bestsellers like “Disappointment with God,” and “What’s So Amazing aAbout Grace?,” often drawing from his own journey and guiding readers with similar struggles. His memoir, “Where the Light Fell,” recounts this personal evolution, while his life’s work aims to connect with those who feel marginalized by traditional religion.   Show Notes:  https://philipyancey.com/  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

In 2016, Associate Curator Herschel Hepler came across an image online of a small prayer book that would change what we know about the history of Jewish books and Jewish heritage in Afghanistan. After years of research, this small book turned out to be the oldest Hebrew prayer book known today, dating back to AD 700, which once traveled the Silk Roads and was preserved in the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan.  In this episode, Osnat Gad, a Jewish jewelry designer who can trace her family heritage back to Afghanistan, and Hepler share how significant this find is and how it changed everything we knew about that region.  Guest Bio:Osnat Gad, Jewelry Designer and Owner of OGI Ltd Herschel Hepler, Associate Curator of Hebrew manuscripts at Museum of the Bible  https://www.jtsa.edu https://www.jtsa.edu/news/the-worlds-oldest-jewish-book-on-display-at-the-jewish-theological-seminary/ “No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes” By Anand Gopal https://www.museumoftheBible.org/exhibits/alq   Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point broadcast ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. Growing up in a pastor’s home, Jeremiah was immersed in ministry from an early age. He later became senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, now one of San Diego’s largest churches.     In 1982, Jeremiah launched Turning Point, which has since grown into an international broadcast ministry reaching millions across radio, television, and online platforms. Dr. Jeremiah continues to be a prolific author and a sought-after speaker with a passion for preaching and teaching the Bible in a career spanning more than 50 years. In this episode, Dr. Jeremiah sits down with Museum of the Bible Chief Curatorial Officer Dr. Bobby Duke and Unscrolled host Matthias Walther to talk about the importance of preaching the Bible and its powerful narrative.   Guest bio: Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point ministries, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, and author of many books and Bible studies. davidjeremiah.org Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media: Instagram: ⁠@museumofBible⁠ X: ⁠@museumofBible⁠  Facebook: ⁠museumofBible⁠  Linkedin: ⁠museumofBible⁠YouTube: ⁠@museumoftheBible⁠ 

Shane and Shane were two musically gifted solo artists who just happened to share the same name when they first met in college and started creating music together. Now, 28 albums later, the pair have no plans to slow down. Over the last 20 years, this duo has been part of Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart six times, with songs like “Psalms II,” “Clean,” and “Bring Your Nothing.” Join us as we discuss songwriting, worship, and the Bible with Shane & Shane, hosted by Museum of the Bible CEO Dr. Carlos Campo and Unscrolled host Matthias Walther.  Guest bio: Shane Bernard and Shane Everett combined to form the worship group “Shane & Shane”  Shane & Shane: www.shaneandshane.comStay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

In 2004, a high-security prison 20 minutes southwest of Nazareth, set out to expand, but their plans changed when they came across one of the greatest archaeological finds since the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr. Bobby Duke, Museum of the Bible’s chief curatorial officer, shares with Unscrolled host Matthias Walther how the Megiddo Mosaic was discovered and excavated, the fascinating stories of the characters involved, and what its inscriptions tell us about early Christian worship spaces and the early Christian church from 1,800 years ago. The mosaic is exclusively on display at Museum of the Bible in DC.Guest bio:Dr. Robert “Bobby” Duke, Chief Curatorial Officer at Museum of the BibleIsrael Antiquities Authority - https://www.iaa.org.ilThe Megiddo Mosiac - https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/megiddoAngel.com/MOTBStay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible

There are many styles of apologetics, but Andy Steiger and Wesley Huff stand out in that they don’t just focus on the discussion, but rather the person behind the question. In this newest conversation, Museum of the Bible chief marketing officer and Unscrolled host Matthias Walther sits down with the president and director of Apologetics Canada to talk about the different styles of defending the Bible and Christianity, and why they strive to take a counter-cultural approach to their discussions.Guest Bio:Andy Steiger, founder and president of Apologetics CanadaWesley Huff, central Canada director for Apologetics CanadaGuest Links:ApologeticsCanada.com“Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World” By Andy Steiger“Joe Rogan Experience #2252 - Wesley Huff”“Five Views on Apologetics”"Can I Trust the Bible?" TrailerStay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible

Former NFL coach, Football hall-of-famer, and recipient of Museum of the Bible’s Pillar Award, Tony Dungy joins CEO, Dr. Carlos Campo, and Unscrolled host, Matthias Walther, to talk about lessons he has learned from family, football, and the Bible.Tony Dungy is a former NFL defensive back and served as a head coach for the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis, helping the Colts win the Super Bowl in 2007. Dungy was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 and now serves as an analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. In addition to football commentary, Dungy is an author and serves as a mentor for Mentors for Life and is a contributor to “All Pro Dad.”profootballhof.com/players/tony-dungyx.com/TonyDungyTony Dungy's Author Page on AmazonStay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofbible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBibleOur Website: https://www.museumoftheBible.orgCopyright © 2025 Museum of the Bible. All rights reserved. #museumoftheBible #Unscrolled #TonyDungy