With the discovery of the eerily similar Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, investigators reopened the case, wondering whether the ill-fated merchant had, in fact, discovered the first Dead Sea Scroll, decades before the rest. But by then Shapira's scrolls had vanished.
Award-winning journalist Chanan Tigay set out to find the scrolls and determine Shapira's guilt or innocence for himself. The globetrotting hunt that follows vibrates with the suspense of a classic detective tale. Weaving meticulous research into fast-paced storytelling, Tigay spins a remarkable tale of history and theology; intrigue and scandal; greed, ambition, and the struggle for authenticity.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 3, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781515923428
- File size: 262877 KB
- Duration: 09:07:39
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
Sometimes an author can succeed as a narrator. Tigay's enthusiasm for his subject certainly bubbles through. But authors are not usually professional readers. And Tigay sometimes reads too rapidly. His grasp of the relevant languages is a big plus, however. The mysteries he writes about embrace far-off locations on several continents; it's hard to click the "off" button. In the latter part of the 1800s, an antiquities bookseller named Moses Shapira, headquartered in Jerusalem, discovered fragments of the Book of Deuteronomy, the earliest version ever found. Or were they forgeries? Not long afterwards, the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered. Similar circumstances? And where are Shapira's fragments now? The obsessed author finds out. This is a fine real-life mystery. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
December 14, 2015
This concise volume documents the little-known story of Moses Wilhelm Shapira, a discredited antiquities treasure hunter who, in 1883, made an amazing announcement. He claimed to have obtained several scrolls that contain a very early version of the book of Deuteronomy, authenticated as dating back to the time of Moses. Such a discovery, if genuine, would revolutionize biblical studies. Scholars have denied Mosaic authorship of this fifth book of the Pentateuch. And although these scrolls do not contain the complete book of Deuteronomy as contained in our modern Bibles, such a discovery would cause a major reconsideration of Mosaic authorship. The subsequent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls caused scholars to reexamine Shapira’s scrolls. Journalist Tigay takes us through the story of Shapira’s shame, his discovery, and his suicide, tracing each step of this complex and curious story across Europe and through the Middle East. In the end, Tigay offers a dynamic and satisfying account of a strange, remarkable man whose discovery could turn the world of biblical scholarship on its head.
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Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
Languages
- English
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