|PIC1|The Bible came to the heart of Russia’s political life when an exhibition held in the State Duma in Moscow displayed ancient and rare manuscripts to politicians for the first time in the modern history of the Russian Federation.

The exhibition, ‘The Bible in Russia’, was held to mark a number of significant dates in the history of the Bible in Russia - the 950th anniversary of Ostromirov's Gospel, the oldest preserved manuscript in Russian, the 130th anniversary of the Synodal Bible, the first translation of the Bible into Russian, and the 50th anniversary of the first mass edition of the Bible in Russian, produced by the Russian Orthodox Church after the Communist revolution.

Politicians were able to learn of the ways in which the Bible has moulded and shaped Russia’s history and culture at the exhibition, jointly organised by the Bible Society in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church Publishing Council and the Patriarchal Synodal Bible Commission.

An address by Patriarch Alexii II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, was read aloud to the Members of Parliament and the numerous Russian Orthodox archbishops and archpriests, Roman Catholic clergy, and leaders of the main Protestant Union present at the exhibition.

|TOP|In his address, the Patriarch gave thanks to the Bible Society for the role it played in promoting the Bible in Russia.

"The Bible has become popular and available to all readers in Russia only in recent years. This is thanks to the work of the Russian Orthodox Church Publishing Council and the Bible Society in Russia,” read the address.

Another address by the Chairman of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov, was also read in which he paid tribute to the Bible Society and stressed the importance of the Bible in strengthening society.

“The pre-condition for prosperity in Russia is the affirmation of moral values and a genuine respect for the cultural and spiritual heritage of this nation,” said Mr Gryzlov.

“We all know that these things have a solid biblical foundation. The history of Russia and our national culture have their roots in the Bible, and our educational traditions also have close ties with the Bible.

“I express my sincere appreciation to the Russian Orthodox Church Publishing Council and the Bible Society in Russia for their contribution to making the Bible available to millions of Russians."