Amman, Aug. 18 (Petra) – The Council of Church Leaders in Jordan on Tuesday discussed the vision and proposed content for the Baptism Site Museum, focusing on developing an integrated museum narrative that reflects the site's religious, spiritual, historical and cultural significance.
The meeting, held at the St. Ignatius Academy for Knowledge Innovation in Amman, brought together several church leaders, Chairperson of the Baptism Site Development Corporation Tharwat Masalha, and Director General of the Jordan Museum and President of the Jordan Museums Association Ihab Amarin.
Bishop Christophoros Atallah and Archbishop Iyad Twal welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of joint efforts to develop museum content that reflects the unique religious and historical significance of the Baptism Site, one of the world's most prominent Christian pilgrimage destinations.
Sadir Brooks, curator of the Baptism Site Museum, presented the initial concept for the museum's exhibition plan, outlining its main themes and narrative, the sequence of exhibition halls, and approaches to presenting the Baptism Site through a comprehensive visitor experience.
Participants discussed the central themes proposed for the museum narrative, including "wilderness," "water" and "witness," as well as the references and narratives associated with them.
The discussions also addressed the museum's central story, the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist, the meaning and significance of baptism, historical and archaeological evidence related to the site, and the history of Christianity in Jordan from its earliest days to the present.
The meeting further explored the proposed design of the exhibition halls and methods for presenting content to visitors, taking into account the diversity of churches and Christian traditions and aiming to convey the site's message clearly and comprehensively to pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
Participants agreed to provide the museum project team with spiritual, biblical and patristic references related to the baptism of Jesus Christ to enrich the exhibition texts and support the development of a comprehensive Christian narrative that respects the diversity of churches and reinforces the credibility of the museum's spiritual message.
The meeting included an exchange of views on transforming the proposed themes into integrated interpretive content that strengthens the museum's message and highlights the Baptism Site's religious, historical and tourism significance.
//Petra// AJ
