Bryan College Dedicates Recently Gifted Torah Scroll, circa 1870

An over 150-year-old Torah scroll has now been dedicated on Bryan College’s campus by President Doug Mann and the Christian Studies Department. The scroll is to be displayed in Bryan’s Livesay Learning Center.

On March 29, 2023, Bryan College dedicated a Torah Scroll given by an anonymous donor. The aim of this event was to gratefully receive and dedicate the scroll before it is brought to the Livesay Learning Center, where it will be kept safe and accessible in a display case generously provided by our friends at Simply Bank.

The Torah Dedication began with a time of prayer and worship, followed by an introduction from Dr. Judd Davis, Chair of the Christian Studies Department. The Torah scroll was then presented by a student to President Mann and Dr. Benton Jones. In the moments following, Dr. Davis shared the significance of this dedication, and what it represents for the students, faculty, and staff of Bryan College: “In the Old Testament, God’s law was written on tablets of stone. Our desire is that His Holy Spirit will write His law on tablets of human hearts.”

The Torah Scroll is made of forty-five preserved calf skins and was produced by a Jewish Yemen community in 1870. It was the donor’s goal to place this scroll in the hands of an institution that is founded on and upholds the Word of God. We are honored and humbled to now display the Torah Scroll in the Livesay Learning Center and invite the community to view it in its new location.

For more information on visiting the Bryan College Campus, visit https://www.bryan.edu/campus/visitors/.