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0 Dirk Obbink called claim about bible fragments a ‘malicious attempt’ to harm his career
An international mystery concerning the alleged theft of priceless ancient papyrus biblical fragments from a collection held at Oxford University has led to the arrest of a classics professor on suspicion of theft and fraud.
Dr Dirk Obbink, an associate professor in papyrology and Greek literature at the university, was detained by officers from Thames Valley police.
The force had received a report claiming the papyrus fragments that had been housed at the renowned Sackler Library in Oxford, which ended up in a biblical museum in the US, had been stolen.
Officers said the alleged theft was reported to them on 12 November. They made the arrest last month and the person detained has been released while inquiries continue.
Obbink, 63, has denied any wrongdoing, and has said the claims are a “malicious attempt” to harm his reputation and damage his career.
It is alleged that materials held at the Sackler Library had ended up in the US, in a collection belonging to the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. It was founded in 2017 by the Green family, billionaire American evangelical Christians who own Hobby Lobby, a chain of crafting stores.
Obbink was suspended from duties at Oxford in October 2019 after an investigation into the disappearance of ancient papyrus fragments from the Oxyrhynchus collection, cared for in the Sackler Library and owned by the Egypt Exploration Society (EES).
The EES says the materials were removed from Oxford University premises and allegedly sold to the Museum of the Bible.
Dr Carl Graves, the EES director, said the society had given statements to the police investigation about what had gone missing. He said the Museum of the Bible had been cooperative and the missing fragments – 13 in total – had been returned.
Graves said: “These are early fragments of the gospels or biblical fragments. They are testament to Egypt’s early Christian heritage and are early evidence of biblical scripture. We don’t value them monetarily but they are priceless and irreplaceable.”
