Word of God: 1. In the Beginning Was the Word

In July 2017, Dr Jeff Kloha is preparing to start his dream job as Director of Collections at Washington DC's new Museum of the Bible when he discovers his new employer’s biggest donor has been caught up in a government investigation.

The donor, Hobby Lobby, has been ordered to return 3,500 artefacts and pay a $3 million settlement.

Through exclusive interviews with museum officials and evangelical scholars, investigative journalist Ben Lewis pieces together the extraordinary story of how the Green family - owners of the Hobby Lobby craft store empire - embarked on an unprecedented collecting spree of biblical treasures. Their ambitious mission: to create a museum showcasing the Bible's history through ancient objects.

But as Lewis discovers, their rush to acquire 40,000 items in just three years would bring them into the orbit of a complex network of antiquities dealers in problematic ways.

And it sparks a scholar turned super sleuth to start asking questions…

Presented by Ben Lewis

Produced by Clem Hitchcock

Executive producers: Philip Abrams and Jago Lee

Story editor: Andrew Dickson

Sound design by Richard Courtice

Original music composed by Max de Wardener

Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke

Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams

Assistant Commissioner Podcasts/Digital: Chris Walsh-Heron

A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4.

Episodes of Intrigue: Word of God are released weekly on Wednesdays, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you’re in the UK, you can listen to the latest episode a week early, first on BBC Sounds.