An artist’s rendering of the Museum of the Bible. (Image courtesy of the Museum of the Bible)

When the Museum of the Bible opens in late 2017, it pledges to have 72 hours-worth of exhibitions and experiences for visitors spanning its eight floors. But that number was calculated before news broke that U.S. Customs agents seized between 200 and 300 ancient clay tablets en route from Israel, because the artifacts may have been illegally imported.

Slated to be one of the largest museums in D.C., construction began on the plot two blocks from the Mall in February. According to their website , the Museum of the Bible will use “cutting-edge technology to bring the Bible to life. It will span time, space, and cultures, inviting everyone to engage with the Bible…The adventure and drama of the Bible will come to life in riveting presentations.” There are floors dedicated to the impact, narratives and history of the ancient text, as well as a biblical garden for the roof.

What makes this story even juicier is that the non-profit museum is an endeavor from Steve Green, the president of Hobby Lobby. The craft store became a national talking point after the Supreme Court agreed in 2014 that owners of closely-held corporations like Hobby Lobby couldn’t be compelled under the Affordable Care Act to provide contraception to employees if it offended their religious beliefs.

The Daily Beast reports:

A senior law enforcement source with extensive knowledge of antiquities smuggling confirmed that these ancient artifacts had been purchased and were being imported by the deeply-religious owners of the crafting giant, the Green family of Oklahoma City. For the last four years, law enforcement sources tell The Daily Beast, the Greens have been under federal investigation for the illicit importation of cultural heritage from Iraq.

The Museum of the Bible’s president, Cary Summers, told The Daily Beast that “improper paperwork” and bureaucratic red tape were to blame for the seizure. However, the investigation has included hundreds of hours of interviews, pointing to more than a mere typo or misfiling.

Here’s The Daily Beast again:

If someone looking to bring antiquities into the U.S. knows that the artifacts should never have left their country of origin, or lack proper provenance, the only way to get them through customs is to lie: about the country of origin, about the country of export, about the value, about the identity…One source familiar with the Hobby Lobby investigation told us that this is precisely what happened in this case: The tablets were described on their FedEx shipping label as samples of “hand-crafted clay tiles.” This description may have been technically accurate, but the monetary value assigned to them—around $300, we’re told—vastly underestimates their true worth, and, just as important, obscures their identification as the cultural heritage of Iraq.

Where does bearing false witness fall on Green’s religious beliefs?

If the investigation results in a criminal or civil prosecution, the Green family could permanently lose possession of the antiquities and face a fine. Luckily for them, they have 40,000 other ancient artifacts to fill their 430,000 square foot museum.

We’ve reached out to Museum of the Bible and to DeMoss, the PR agency handling the Museum’s media requests.

Here’s what God (as portrayed by Jim Parsons) might have to say about using the Lord’s name for such a venture: