It was a mystery of biblical proportions. Well, maybe not biblical proportions, but it certainly involved Bibles and several high-profile people who were quite distressed.

The issue, which arose earlier this year, was that Bibles were going missing in the Arizona state Capitol. Someone was taking them from tables in the House members’ lounge and hiding them under couch cushions or in the nearby fridge.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale, worked with capitol security personnel to get an investigation underway, according to the Arizona Republic. In late March, they installed a camera in the lounge, and, soon after, it caught the perpetrator on tape.

“A hidden camera inside a private Capitol lounge for lawmakers busted Biblegate wide open. Video shows Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton of Tucson picking up and hiding the two Bibles on tables in the members-only space adjacent to the House of Representatives,” 12 News in Phoenix reported.

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Once there was video evidence, it didn’t take long for Stahl Hamilton to apologize and try to explain herself. In a statement offered Wednesday on the House floor, she described her actions as both a playful prank and an effort to make a statement about the importance of separating church and state.

“I recognize my actions could have been seen something as less than playful — and offensive,” she said, according to the Arizona Republic. “The intent was never to be destructive, to never desecrate or to offend.”

Stahl Hamilton also noted during her remarks that she holds the scripture “very dear” to her heart. She’s an ordained Presbyterian pastor who got into politics partly to model the right way to share religious values from an elected position.

“I’m an ordained minister. I got into politics because I was so angered by the number of Bibles on desks at the Arizona State House. Holding a Bible — or any religious text — doesn’t make you a good person,” Stahl Hamilton tweeted in June 2020.

Now, Stahl Hamilton is in hot water for her recent behavior, although it’s not yet clear if she’ll face disciplinary action. House Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert, told the Arizona Republic that her “antics” were offensive to some of her colleagues.

“I feel like a disappointed dad,” he said.

But other Arizona Republicans have emphasized that broken trust can be regained.

“That’s one of the things that we’ll be looking for — regaining the trust,” said Rep. Lupe Diaz, who is also a pastor, to 12 News, after describing Stahl Hamilton’s Wednesday apology as a “first step.”

Arizona Democrats, meanwhile, have raised concerns about Republicans’ approach to the situation. They’ve questioned whether it was appropriate to place a camera in the House members’ lounge.

“We have members wondering what is public record and what is not,” said House Democratic Leader Rep. Andrés Cano, D-Tucson, to the Arizona Republic.

Grantham told the paper that the camera was removed once the Bible mystery was solved.