Two reports have recently come out detailing the latest turn in the story of Dirk Obbink and First-Century Mark. According to der Zeit and Christianity Today, Obbink is living in a houseboat south of Oxford where he has been avoiding the authorities. From CT:
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| Obbink with the famed pool table. (source) |
Obbink was arrested in 2020 and then sued in 2021. Shortly after that, court records show, he moved to a houseboat named the James Brindley and started hiding from the private investigators attempting to serve him summons.
A neighbor signed an affidavit that she saw Obbink on the boat a little before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 11, and the summons had been removed from the houseboat door.
“The main cabin door was open,” the affidavit says. “Mr. Obbink would have had to remove the envelop to open the door.”
The British woman helpfully photographed Obbink for the investigators, who presented it to the US federal court as evidence and asked for a default judgment.
Obbink is also facing criminal charges in England. The investigation is ongoing.
Given that Obbink hasn’t responded , the federal court has “certified a default judgment” against him. Apparently that means he now owes Hobby Lobby $7m. Perhaps most striking is that there are still some 80 papyri unaccounted for! Someone should check that houseboat.
