Lanier Theological Library (LTL) is a 17,000 sq. ft non-circulating research library located in northwest

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. It was built by Mark Lanier, who has taught

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

at Champion Forest Baptist Church for more than 20 years, and is part of his 35-acre estate. He designed the library by combining his favorite architectural features from the libraries in and around the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. The LTL displays Christian artifacts such as handwritten letters by author

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

, artwork from his ''Chronicles of Narnia'' book series, two copies of the original 1611

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

Bible and a fragment of the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...

. It includes more than 120,000 volumes and periodicals with daily additions.

Design

Lanier Theological Library is 17,000 square feet on 10 acres including a stone chapel reconstruction of a 500 A.D. Byzantine chapel adjacent to the LTL and an English village with a train, cobblestone street and dining hall. The chapel's ceilings feature scenes from the Bible painted by Texas artist Richard McCluskey. He also painted the ceiling of the library's main hall. It opened to the public in October 2010 and is maintained and facilitated by the Lanier Theological Library Foundation. The LTL is free for public use during regular operating hours and uses the Library of Congress Classification system.

Artifacts and private collections

The LTL specializes in

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

, church history, the Dead Sea Scrolls,

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. The LTL has acquired numerous private collections from many accomplished scholars, including

David Bivin David N. Bivin (; born July 20, 1939, in Cleveland, Oklahoma) is an Israeli-American biblical scholar, member of the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. His role at the Jerusalem School involves publishing the journal ''Jerusalem Perspective ...

, Chaim Cohen, Alan Crown,

Trude Dothan Trude Dothan (‎; 12 October 1922 – 28 January 2016) was a professor of archaeology at the Hebrew University, who focused on the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in the region, in particular in Philistine culture. Winner of the Israel Prize in Ar ...

, Peter Flint, Florentino Garcia-Martinez,

Moshe Goshen-Gottstein Moshe Goshen-Gottstein (; 6 September 1925 – 14 September 1991) was a German-born professor of Semitic linguistics and biblical philology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and director of the lexicographical institute and Biblical rese ...

, William W. Hallo,

Larry Hurtado Larry Weir Hurtado (December 29, 1943 – November 25, 2019), was an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, and Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology at the University of Edinburgh ( ...

, Robert Lindsey, Abraham Malamat, Carol and Eric Meyers, David Owen, Randall Price, Alan Segal, and

Emanuel Tov Emanuel Tov (; born Menno Toff, 15 September 1941) is a Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist, emeritus J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been intimately invo ...

. These collections are displayed in the library’s main hall and remain available for patrons’ use.

Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran Scrolls Jar

An original fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls is on display at the LTL. This fragment contains some of the Hebrew words found in Amos 7:7-8:1. In 2017 the LTL acquired an original Qumran Scrolls Jar, one of four worldwide in private hands (others are in Norway, England, and Bethlehem). This jar is approximately 2,000 years old, having been produced between 50 BCE and 50 CE. It was excavated in April 1966 by Dr. Solomon H. Steckoll within one of the buildings on the main plateau of the Qumran site at the edge of the Dead Sea. The jar is 23.7 in (60.1 cm) high, 11.8 in (29.9 cm) in diameter, and 36.6 in (92.9 cm) in circumference. The opening at the top of the jar is 5 in. (12.7 cm) wide.

First edition, first issue 1611 KJV Bibles

A “First Edition, First Issue” King James Version Bible, printed in 1611, commonly known as “The Great He Bible” and a “Second Folio Edition” of the KJV Bible, commonly known as “The Great She Bible” are owned by and displayed at the LTL. Less than 200 of “The Great He Bibles” exist today. The Old Testament of “The Great She Bible” was printed in 1613, but the New Testament was printed in 1611.

Facsimiles

In 2015, A. E. Tracy Potts gave the LTL two tablets resembling what

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

brought down from Mt. Sinai, as described in Exodus and Deuteronomy.

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten C ...

are carefully inscribed on the front and back of each tablet with paleo-Hebrew letters which have been sandblasted into the stone. Each tablet weighs 50 pounds. Other

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of r ...

s on display include a

Great Isaiah Scroll The Isaiah Scroll, designated 1QIsaa and also known as the Great Isaiah Scroll, is one of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls that were first discovered by Bedouin shepherds in 1947 from Qumran List of manuscripts from Qumran Cave 1, Cave 1. The scroll i ...

from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Commentary on Habakkuk, and the Rule of the Community.

Ancient artifacts

The LTL possesses a vast collection of ancient artifacts ranging from the

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

to the late

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. Pottery, lamps, vases, chalices, serving jugs, and numerous figurines from the ancient world line the halls of the LTL. Archeologists and scholars use these artifacts, with dates ranging from 2000 BCE to 5 CE, to glean valuable information about ancient cultures.

C. S. Lewis collection

Patrons of the LTL can enjoy the second largest collection of C. S. Lewis artifacts in the US. It includes 60 first edition books, starting with Lewis’s first book, Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics. The collection features a 9-page autograph manuscript of Lewis’s famous address in 1939 after the outbreak of World War II, now known as “Learning in War-Time”. There are four original illustrations from Prince Caspian by Pauline Baynes, illustrator for The Chronicles of Narnia stories, as well as several original handwritten notes and letters from C. S. Lewis. Lewis was in a group of scholars known as “

The Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who prai ...

”, including

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

, Charles Williams, and

Owen Barfield Arthur Owen Barfield (9 November 1898 – 14 December 1997) was an English philosopher, author, poet, critic, and member of the Inklings. Life Barfield was born in London, to Elizabeth (née Shoults; 1860–1940) and Arthur Edward Barfield (186 ...

Lectures

The LTL hosts lectures by world-renowned theologians and scholars of diverse nationalities and theological backgrounds. Library speakers have included: * Father Justin,

Saint Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai ...

at the base of

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Musa (), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is one of several locations claimed to be the Mount Sinai (Bible), biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the sacred scriptures of the thre ...

, Egypt *

Richard Bauckham Richard John Bauckham (; born 22 September 1946) is an English Anglican scholar in theology, historical theology and New Testament studies, specialising in New Testament Christology and the Gospel of John. He is a senior scholar at Ridley H ...

, University of Cambridge *

John Behr John Behr (born 16 October 1966) is a British Eastern Orthodox priest and theologian. Since 2020, he has served as the Regius Professor of Humanity at the University of Aberdeen. He is the former dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Se ...

, University of Aberdeen *

Michael Card Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies ...

, Christian singer-songwriter and author *

D. A. Carson Donald Arthur Carson (born December 21, 1946) is a Canadian evangelical theologian. He is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and president and co-founder of the Gospel Coalition. He has wr ...

, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School * Lynn H. Cohick, Northern Seminary * Weston Fields, Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation *

Edward Fudge Edward William Fudge (July 13, 1944 – November 25, 2017) was an American Christian theologian and lawyer, best known for his book ''The Fire That Consumes'' in which he argues for an annihilationist Biblical interpretation of Hell. He has been c ...

, American Christian theologian and lawyer *

Yosef Garfinkel Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew: יוסף גרפינקל; born 1956) is an Israeli archaeologist and academic. He is a professor of Prehistoric Archaeology and of Archaeology of the Biblical Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Biography Yosef G ...

, University of Jerusalem *

Simon Gathercole Simon James Gathercole (born 8 July 1974) is a United Kingdom New Testament scholar, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, and Director of Studies at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Biography Gathercole completed a degree in Classi ...

, University of Cambridge * Kathryne Hayhoe, Texas Tech University *

Richard B. Hays Richard Bevan Hays (May 4, 1948 – January 3, 2025) was an American New Testament scholar and George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He was an ordained minister in the United M ...

, Duke Divinity School * James Hoffmeir, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School *

, University of Edinburgh * Andrew Macintosh, University of Cambridge *

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is an Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the F ...

of University of Oxford * Scot McNight, Northern Seminary * John Piper, Bethlehem College and Seminary *

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual an ...

, U.S. Supreme Court * Peter Williams,

Tyndale House Tyndale House (also known by its sister organization Tyndale House Foundation) is a Christian publisher in Carol Stream, Illinois. History Tyndale was founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. Taylor in order to publish his paraphrase of the Epistles ...

, Cambridge *

N.T. Wright Nicholas Thomas Wright (born 1 December 1948), known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is an English New Testament scholar, Paul the Apostle, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of Durham and Lord Spiritual in the UK Pa ...

, University of St. Andrews

References

External links

Official LTL Website

Biblical Literacy
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Houston Christian libraries Education in Houston Libraries established in 2010 Libraries in Houston Library buildings completed in 2010 Research libraries in the United States