Adventist Heritage officially launched a historic collection of rare Bibles at Avondale University Church on Sabbath, August 30. The Legacy of Faith exhibition will now travel to churches and schools across the South Pacific Division.
Consisting of around three tonnes of Bibles in multiple languages, the collection originated in Poland through Pastor Henrik Patryarcha, who began collecting Bibles in the 1970s. His passion led to the acquisition of rare and valuable editions, some dating back 500 to 600 years.
“He eventually got old and transferred part of the collection to Australia to Pastor Roman Chalupka’s family in Melbourne,” said South Pacific Division field secretary Dr Darius Jankiewicz, who knew Pastor Patryarcha when growing up in Poland. “Pastor Chalupka took this collection all around the churches in Victoria. But he died couple of years ago and the entire collection, including whatever was remaining in Germany and Poland at that stage, came to Australia and the South Pacific Division became the owner of the entire collection.”
The collection features notable items, including a replica of the Gutenberg Bible—the first printed Bible—as well as a unique “gold Bible” made from just 24 specially designed plates, only a handful of which exist worldwide. The collection also features Bibles in several languages, including German, Polish, Chinese, Hebrew and Greek.
Avondale Seminary lecturer Dr Emanuel Milen highlighted the significance of the project. “The Bible has transformed society and has been handed down to us at great sacrifice,” he said. “Understanding its history builds appreciation and awareness, especially in a society that is losing touch with it. This project is about building that awareness and transforming lives.”
Adventist Heritage team member Elizabeth Travers said the plan is to make the collection accessible. “We want to take it on the road, interstate and across churches, giving people an immersive experience—not just with the Bibles themselves, but with the story of how God’s Word came to us,” she said. “Long term, we hope to establish a permanent Bible museum, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.”
To support the initiative, fundraising is underway for resources such as a display van, with the broader vision of creating an interactive Bible museum experience at Avondale.
“This was the original dream of the Polish collector,” Dr Jankiewicz added. “That through these Bibles people would come to know God, and see how He has preserved His Word through the centuries.”
