After World War II, Gullixson hall was added to the campus
to house much needed classrooms and the library. The inscription
above the door reads Christus Lux Mundi, Latin for
“Christ the Light of the World.” We often associate light with
learning (think of cartoons when a light bulb appears above the
head of someone who has an idea), so it’s an appropriate symbol
for a library and classroom building, indeed.The front entry houses a wall of wooden sculptures done by
Arnold Flaten, which declares that our God makes promises with
his people and keeps them.
On your way up the steps, notice the old water jug on the
landing. It dates back to the time of Jesus and was found in
Israel by a faculty member and a group of students. They brought
it back and placed it here as a reminder of Jesus’ first miracle
when he turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. He used
ordinary water from an ordinary jar and did an extraordinary
thing. That’s the way he works with us ordinary folks today,
too.
People come to Luther Seminary from all over the world – our
library is one of the reasons. Visitors can tap into the wealth
of books on hand or request resources from around the globe. The
library is also home to a number of art pieces from around the
world, expressions of the gospel in various cultures and
settings.
Up one more flight of steps is the rare book room. When
Gullixson was first built, the room was a chapel set up with
radio equipment, so students could broadcast the gospel using
the most advanced technology of the time. Since then, it has
been renovated to house examples of the first time Lutherans
used technology to spread the gospel. Books printed before
Columbus sailed to America sit on these shelves, but many more
date from the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries when books were printed by the hundred using the
printing press in the language of the people. Luther used this
technology to create books and fliers that communicated his
ideas about the gospel and the church.
|