Lanier Theological Library (LTL) is located in northwest Houston. Books and resources for various religious denominations are stored here. The library offers lectures as well as other activities that promote education. It is a cozy place where silence and peace prevail. People from different countries come to appreciate its beauty and immerse themselves in the wisdom of its books. Learn more about it on houston1.one.
Who opened LTL?
LTL was opened to visitors in October 2010 by Mark Lanier, an American lawyer, founder and CEO of the Lanier Law Firm. He filed high-profile lawsuits that resulted in the refund of billions of dollars. Among his famous clients are the manufacturer of cosmetic and sanitary-hygiene products Johnson & Johnson and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.
Lanier taught at the Sunday school of Champion Forest Baptist Church for over 20 years. Books have always been his passion. The lawyer started with a small cozy library at home. When it turned out to be too small, the man moved it to a nearby building and began creating the book collection with the help of a librarian.
English design
Mark developed the establishment by combining his favorite architectural elements of the Oxford University Library (Bodleian) and some others nearby. He was inspired when visiting his son, who was studying at an English university. Lanier drew the library project and general contractor Curtis Miller built the library.
Collections
The area of the library is more than 5000 sq. m. It has more than 100,000 books on archaeology, biblical studies, Egyptology, theology, linguistics, church history, psychology, ethics, logic, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and aesthetics. It also contains a large collection of periodicals and historical documents.
Lanier managed to transform the library into a valuable place for scientists, theologians and ordinary people interested in philosophy and religion. For this, he came up with the idea of developing a repository for the personal collections of famous scientists. In particular, LTL acquired the collections of Israeli-American biblical scholar David Bevin, Israeli archaeologist Trude Dothan, the researcher and translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Peter Flint, former Catholic priest and translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls Florentino García Martínez and others. Most of them are kept in the main hall of the library.
In addition, the first edition of the King James Bible of 1611 is kept here. It is an English translation of the Bible made under the authority of King James I. There is also another edition known as the Second Folio Edition or The Great He Bible. If you want to open it, you can look at the copy in the west wing of the library. Search for it on the coffee table in front of the first fireplace.
To encourage people to visit the place, Lanier has placed several exhibits of special interest. This includes first edition books by English writer and Christian apologist Clive Staples Lewis and a map of Narnia from Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. The Lewis Collection includes 60 first editions of his books and a 9-page manuscript of Lewis’s famous 1939 address after the outbreak of World War II.
Lewis (1898–1963) was a novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, essayist, theologian and Christian apologist from the Irish city of Belfast. He held academic positions at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He is most famous for his fiction and non-fiction Christian apologetics. In the early 1930s, Lewis went from atheism to theism and later to Christianity. Faith accompanied him throughout his life and wartime radio broadcasts on the topic of Christianity made Lewis famous.
Valuable artifacts
LTL has a large collection of artifacts that range from Iron Age pottery to Roman currency. The halls of the library are lined with ancient lamps, bowls, vases, jugs, statuettes from the ancient world… These artifacts provide archaeologists with valuable information about ancient cultures.
In 2015, LTL received two tablets similar to those brought by Moses from Mount Sinai. The 10 Commandments are engraved on the front and back of each tablet in Paleo-Hebrew letters. Each plate weighs 22kg, but they sit beautifully on a hinged walnut table, so you can easily view both sides of the plates.
In 2017, LTL acquired an original jar containing the Dead Sea Scrolls, which was created between 50 B.C. and 50 A.D. It was excavated in one of the buildings of Qumran in April 1966. This is the site of the remains of an ancient settlement on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.
A fragment of the original scrolls is kept behind a display case, which can be viewed but cannot be photographed. The Dead Sea Scrolls (also known as the Qumran Scrolls) are ancient manuscripts discovered at Qumran over a period of several years, beginning in 1947. They were found in 11 caves near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea and named after this place. The texts are of great historical, religious and linguistic significance. They represent the earliest surviving manuscripts of the biblical canon, as well as non-biblical texts that demonstrate the diversity of religious thought within Judaism.
Cozy space
The library serves as a space for theologians and people who are just looking for a quiet place to work. The facility attracts local residents, as well as international students and scholars who want to study rare works found only here.
The Library is visited by Muslim scholars, Jewish rabbis and government officials, such as the late US Supreme Court member Antonin Scalia. LTL regularly hosts events with renowned authors, guest speakers and scientists to develop its visitors both academically and spiritually.
Stone chapel
Next to the place is a stone chapel. It is a replica of a Byzantine chapel from 500 AD. Texas artist Richard McCluskey painted its ceilings with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, as well as quotations from the Holy Scriptures in the original Hebrew and Greek languages. He also decorated the ceiling of the library’s main hall.
The chapel was built using photographs taken in 1909 of the original church ruins in the Turkish town of Tomarzi. Typical of many Byzantine churches in the region, it was laid out in the shape of a cross.
Architecturally, the chapel is designed as a place to teach and help spread the good news about Jesus. The cruciform plan with a dome over the central axis recalls God’s sacrifice on the cross. The windows are made of alabaster, a type of gypsum. Like the library, the chapel serves as a quiet place for reflection and prayer.
The library and chapel are open to everyone for studying and scientific purposes, prayer and contemplation. Books and resources can be used only in the library. The opportunity to have access to these resources and to communicate with visitors representing different geographical and cultural traditions is a real blessing.