A REPORT on the preview reception and dinner for the In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000 exhibition appears in the Washington Times.

An eclectic group of social and cultural connoisseurs gathered to celebrate what is, in a sense, a double whammy since the exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Freer Gallery of Art. "An exceptional gift of magnificent collections, a fine building and a generous endowment that was presented to the nation in 1906 by Charles Lang Freer," in the words of Julian Raby, director of both the Freer and Sackler. "When the gallery opened to the public in 1923, it was the first fine arts museum in the Smithsonian."

Freer "was no biblical scholar," Mr. Raby noted by way of explaining how a museum devoted to mainly Asian art has undertaken an exhibit devoted to biblical scholarship. "But so important was scholarship and research to him that he supported a group of scholars to produce some of the most important 20th century studies on biblical texts of the early period." Few if any biblical manuscripts in the Freer have been on view since 1978, he added. Some never have been seen in public before.

I think Bede (mentioned in the first part of the article) would be pleased to have his work displayed in such good manuscript company.