This contribution aims to revisit the representation of biblical palimpsest manuscripts within the context of museum collections. For centuries, palimpsests comprising erased biblical texts and non-biblical upper texts have been employed to construct and illustrate the text of the Bible, often depicted as “hidden treasures from antiquity.” Yet, who defined the value of these “treasures,” and in what ways? Standard scholarly discourses will be described and analysed in consideration of current debates on colonialism and ethical issues. Alongside a preliminary overview of biblical palimpsests in modern museum collections, several more detailed examples will be provided, including nineteenth-century British acquisitions of Codex Dublinensis Rescriptus and Codex Zacynthius, as well as the narratives constructed concerning these two New Testament palimpsests. By investigating the historical use of the manuscripts, the hope is to critically reflect upon our perceptions and discourses related to biblical artefacts in the contemporary digital age.