Oxford Professor Arrested for Theft of Ancient Bible Fragments and Their Sale to Washington's Museum of the Bible
- by Michael Stillman
Dr. Dirk Obbink (from the Oxford University website).
An Oxford University professor has been arrested in connection with the theft of some ancient Egyptian biblical fragments. The mostly papyrus fragments belonged to the Egyptian Exploration Society but were housed in the Sackler Library at Oxford. Arrested was classics professor Dr. Dirk Obbink, an expert on ancient biblical writings and fragments, who apparently also had a business in selling such material (presumably, at least for the most part, legitimately).
The fragments ended up in the possession of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. They made their way there after being purchased by Hobby Lobby, the large chain of American craft stores. Both Hobby Lobby and the Museum of the Bible are owned by the Green family of Oklahoma, devout evangelical Christians. This is not the first time the parties' zeal for building an important biblical museum has led to some unfortunate purchases. In 2010, the same year as several of the alleged purchases from Dr. Obbink were said to have been arranged, representatives of Hobby Lobby and/or the Greens purchased an enormous number of cuneiform tablets and other artifacts which had been illegally taken out of Iraq. There were numerous red flags in that transaction that should have made it suspicious to someone representing the buyer. It is not clear whether there were warning signs in this transaction or if the sales by an Oxford professor lifted the transaction above suspicion. In the Iraq case, Hobby Lobby and the Greens returned all of the items to Iraq and paid a $4.6 million fine.
Representatives of Hobby Lobby have reportedly said the fragments were sold to them by Dr. Obbink and have supplied some documentation. Those parties and the Museum of the Bible have not contested the Egyptian Exploration Society's claim of ownership. They have already returned all of the items to the EES.
Suspicions have evidently been ongoing for several years. In 2016, the EES failed to reappoint Dr. Obbink in charge of their collection of papyri found in Oxyrhynchus in Egypt because of “concerns which he did not allay.” The EES discovered that not only were several items missing, but that the cataloguing records for them had also disappeared. Access that would have allowed someone to remove such records would have been limited to a small number of people. The fact that they were missing these items was only determined because they kept a back-up copy of the catalogue entries.
Last year, Dr. Obbink was denied any further access to the collection. This came after the EES was shown a 2013 contract for sale of some of their fragments allegedly from Obbink. The contract was supplied to them by representatives of the bible museum. In a published statement, the EES said, “The MOTB [Museum of the Bible] has informed the EES that 11 of these pieces came into its care after being sold to Hobby Lobby Stores by Professor Obbink, most of them in two batches in 2010.”
Last October, Prof. Obbink was suspended from his duties at Oxford as a result of the EES investigation. At that time, he vehemently denied all of the charges in a letter sent to the Waco (Texas) Tribune. If this seems an odd place for an Oxford professor to respond, he served as a visiting professor at Baylor University in Waco at various times between 2010-2018. Baylor is associated with the Baptist Church and is noted for a deep religious orientation. During part of this time, Baylor was the site of the Green Scholars Initiative, sponsored by the Green family, with which representatives of the Greens, if not family members themselves, were present and involved with the University. Obbink, who is a Nebraska native, may have been offered a permanent position at the University at this time.
In his statement to the Waco newspaper, Prof. Obbink said, “The allegations made against me that I have stolen, removed or sold items owned by the Egyptian Exploration Society collection at the University of Oxford are entirely false. I would never betray the trust of my colleagues and the values which I have sought to protect and uphold throughout my academic career in the way that has been alleged.
"I am aware that there are documents being used against me which I believe have been fabricated in a malicious attempt to harm my reputation and career. I am working with my legal team in this regard.” The “documents” he mentioned would evidently include the one from 2013 in the possession of the Museum of the Bible indicating he sold several items to them. Earlier, Obbink said he had received some payments for consulting from the museum, but never for the sale of ancient bible fragments.
Sotheby’s Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone 25 June – July 7
Sotheby’s, July 7: Ludwig van Beethoven. Autograph sketches for the overture "Die Weihe des Hauses", op.124, [1822], UNPUBLISHED. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, 1813, first edition, 3 volumes, contemporary half calf. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, 1855, first edition, first issue, original green cloth, the Doheny copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Binding—Sangorski & Sutcliffe—Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, London, 1872, third edition, in a magnificent jewelled Peacock binding. £15,000 to £20,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: George Eliot. Middlemarch, Edinburgh and London, 1871, first edition in the original parts. £20,000 to £30,000.
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Hassall (Joan) A large collection of over 300 original woodblocks of engravings for various books, v.d., with Hassall's engraver's glass water-globe (Qty) - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Eragny Press.- [Bradley (Katherine Harris) & Edith Emma Cooper], "Michael Field." Whym Chow, Flame of Love, one of only 27 copies, inscribed by Bradley, the rarest book from the press, 1914. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: [Moore (Thomas Sturge)] [Wood Engravings], 71 wood-engravings printed by David Chambers from the original blocks, the only set on Japanese Hosho paper, from an edition of 5 sets, [1970]. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: La Fontaine (Jean de) Contes et Nouvelles en vers, 2 vol., engraved plates after Eisen, fine early 19th century blue morocco, gilt, by Bradel l'ainé, Amsterdam [Paris], 1762. - Est. £2,000-3,000
Forum, July 9: Erotica.- Prostitution.- Pretty Women of Paris (The); Their Names and Addresses, Qualities and Faults..., [Paris], privately printed at the Press of the Prefecture de Police, 1883. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: Vale Press.- Ricketts (Charles) & Lucien Pissarro. De la Typographie et de l'Harmonie de la Page Imprimée…, [one of 216 copies], bound in dark blue morocco tooled in gilt, by Sarah T.Prideaux, 1898. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Martin (John) Illustrations of the Bible, complete set of 20 mezzotints, good impressions, rarely found in early states, [c.1831-1835]. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum, July 9: Golden Cockerel Press.- Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (The), one of 500 copies, Mary Gill's copy, Waltham St. Lawrence, 1931 with a signed proof of engraving on japon numbered 10/10 (2) - Est. £5,000-7,000
Forum, July 9: Boccaccio (Giovanni) The Decameron, 3 vol., vol.1 extra-illustrated by John Buckland Wright with c.150 erotic original drawings in pen & ink and pencil, 1886 [extra-illustrated c.1940]. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Cox (Morris) Collection of Gogmagog Press Books, 35 vol., rare complete collection of printed books issued by the press, limited editions, most signed by Cox, 1957-83. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Wynkyn de Worde.- [Terentius Afer (Publius)] [Comedie...], [Paris, Josse Badius: sold in London by Wynkyn de Worde, & others], [15 July 1504]. - Est. £4,000-6,000
Forum, July 9: Mosley (James) Ornamented Types. Twenty-Three Alphabets from the Foundry of Louis John Pouchée, 2 vol., one of 10 copies for presentation, from an edition of 210, 1992-93. - Est. £1,000-2,000
Freeman’s, June 30. Thomas Jefferson’s “Birth of the New Nation” letter, carried to Paris with the Treaty of Peace, by a Jewish patriot. $100,000-200,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. “The rockets’ red glare.” A British midshipman’s log recording the bombardment of Fort McHenry. $60,000-80,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry Commission signed by James Madison, 1812. $40,000-60,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776. $15,000-25,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. One of the Earliest Printed Announcements of American Independence, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000-15,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. "The Two Big Guns of the N.Y. Yanks": A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000-12,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. A Unique Contemporary Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words to His Followers, the Day Before his Violent Death. $8,000-12,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. The State of Minnesota Officially Certifies the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution Of the United States. $8,000-12,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York. $8,000-12,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000-12,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: An Early Continental Army Recruitment Poster. $6,000-9,000.
Freeman’s, June 30. Samuel Jones, the Statesman Behind the Newly Discovered "Jones Declaration": His Annotated Set Used in His Working Law Library. $6,000-9,000.
