"Good museums educate. Excellent museums inspire."

easured by that maxim, the new Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum (inaugurated by "Vessels in Time: A Journey Into the Biblical World") is one of the best anywhere in Adventism--a technically strong and accessible exhibit that never loses sight of its goal to make the life ways of the biblical world understandable to contemporary people.

Having spent many hours in large archaeological collections in Paris, London, Rome, and New York, I'll admit to having steeled myself for what I would encounter on the lower level of the School of Religion's Hackman Hall. For the typical layperson, which I am for all things archaeological, such collections can sometimes seem remote, an exercise in gaining information that rarely moves the spirit.

Despite my reservations, I quickly became a fan of the new museum, perhaps just because it is smaller and less ambitious than collections in major metropolises. The signage and illustrations, designed and executed by Giselle Hasel, wife of curator Michael Hasel, are superb and inviting. The museum's sequenced collections of ancient vessels are arranged in clear chronological order and with reference to major historical events occurring at the same time. The re-creation of a rural Hebrew house from the era of the united monarchy underscores the human scale of the entire exhibit.

Display cases do not overwhelm: each item seems specifically chosen for its place. Artifacts displayed span an impressive 3,300-year history from the Early Bronze Age to the first century A.D., and illustrate both urban and rural life, developments in clothing, trade, commerce, and agriculture, and the rise of the monarchy in ancient Israel. A major feature of the museum is the innermost atrium, designed to illustrate the interior of Solomon's Temple. The unusually high ceiling and richly decorated walls of this space provide fascinating glimpses into the building that was the center of Israel's worship.

A magnificent 1/72 scale model of the massive royal audience chamber of the Persian capital of Susa also brings the biblical story of Esther approaching Ahasuerus (Xerxes) fearsomely to life.

Most tellingly, the kids who visited the museum on the night I was there seemed to be greatly enjoying it as well.

A museum that can "work" for scholars, middle-aged laypersons, and children--all at the same time--is doing many things very well.

For more information about museum hours and exhibits, call 423-236-2030, or visit www.archaeology.southern.edu.