Remarks by Mr. Steve Green,

Founder and Chairman of the Museum of the Bible,

At the Official Repatriation Event for Gospel Manuscript 220

Theotokos Eikosiphoinissa (Kosinitza) Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery

Drama, Greece

September 29, 2022

Your Excellency, Archbishop Elpidophoros Your Excellency,

Metropolitan Panteleimon

Venerable Abbess Antonini

Honorable representatives of the Hellenic government

Honored guests and friends

Thank you for the kind invitation to this celebration of the homecoming of this manuscript of the four gospels, after 105 years. I am honored to be with you in this place of devotion to and worship of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Apostolic preaching of the Gospel began on the first Pentecost Sunday, as the Holy Spirit was given to the church and the apostles sent to preach Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul preached in these cities nearby. The apostle Andrew first preached the Gospel in Byzantium. The successor of St Andrew, His All-Holiness, ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, is the 270th successor and longest serving archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome. We praise God for blessing the preaching of the Gospel through his servants for these many centuries. Even through difficult times of severe persecution and deaths of many saints, and the destruction and loss of many churches, nevertheless God has remained faithful to his promises and his people. The Good news of his Son, Jesus Christ, continues to be preached through the church, through God’s people in Christ, for century upon century.

The Gospel manuscript that is restored today to this monastery is a beautiful reminder of Gods faithfulness in preserving his Word and the Gospel from generation to generation. The Gospel is the same Gospel that was preached by the Apostles. The words of this Gospel manuscript are still chanted to this day in the churches. And this Word has been translated, from the time of the Apostles, into hundreds upon hundreds of languages, over 2000 languages now. The Word of God has come even to America. At Museum of the Bible, we celebrated this history of the Bible, from the time of the biblical Patriarchs and the Apostles down to our own day and the continuing work of translation and missionaries in our own day. We are grateful for the partnership with the Ecumenical Patriarchate that helps us tell that history in our museum. I thank Fr Agathangelos for his efforts to bring that to fruition.

The return of this Gospel manuscript is a reminder of the faithfulness of God. Of the preservation of his Word, and despite persecutions and efforts to destroy, this manuscript is returning home. I pray that this manuscript and its message continue to bring light to this community and be a reminder of God’s promise: that the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

I am humbled to receive the award from His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon, to the glory of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.