The Waynai Bible, a thousand-pound, KJV Bible crafted by Louis Waynai of Los Angeles, California, has been moved from Brown Library to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C..

“The agreement with the Museum of the Bible came about when they requested to borrow the Bible for an exhibit,” said Mac Ice, director of special collections and archives.

Ice said there were two mutual realizations that lead to the partnership between Special Collections and the museum.

“One, the Bible needed significant conservation work in order to ensure its long-term stability, and two, this is a really neat item that many folks would like to see, so we agreed to a cyclical rotation where the Bible would be on display here on campus for one year every four, and the other three years it would be used in various ways in Museum of the Bible exhibitions.”

A blog published by the Brown Library on Jan. 24,  said the agreement allows for students to see the Waynai Bible at some point as well as represent the university abroad.

“ACU and Museum of the Bible agreed to a four-year loan cycle for the world’s largest Bible, so that ACU students will see it at home in Brown Library at least once while they are enrolled at ACU. After a year on display at ACU, the Waynai Bible returns to the Museum of the Bible for three years, where it represents ACU to millions of visitors in Washington, D.C.,” the blog said.

The Waynai Bible was crafted from 1928-1930, purchased in 1947 by Rosen Heights Church of Christ in Ft. Worth and then finally donated to the university in 1956. 

In total, the Bible measures 43.5 inches tall, 98 inches wide and 34 inches thick. It has 8,048 pages and weighs 1,094 pounds.

Ice said he believes the creation of this bible allows for more interest and awareness.

“I think the value arises from Mr. Waynai’s intention: to create awareness of the Bible, and hopefully interest in it.  It certainly is an attention-grabbing item, and hopefully that translates into interest in the Bible.”