Many of my readers are aware of the publication of Ross Nichols’s new book, The Moses Scroll that chronicles the whole Moses Shapira Saga and the question of whether or not the 19th century “Dead Sea Scroll” was most likely ancient or a modern forgery. I just received word from Nichols that his book is now available digitally! This book, along with the publications of Idan Dershowitz, see here, have put the entire Shapira affair back in the public eye and also stirred renewed academic discussions worldwide. To keep up with the latest, Nichols also has a blog devoted wholly to topics related to the Shapira Scroll and the kinds of questions is raises for biblical scholarship. Be sure you bookmark it to keep up with the latest.
Here is Nichols’s update:
I am pleased to announce that The Moses Scroll is now available in a new and feature-filled Kindle version. This means that you can read it on any supported Amazon device or with the free Kindle App on iOS or Android. The Kindle version provides some special features. First, the book is instantly delivered digitally to the reader’s device. There are plenty of eBook readers available as well as free Apps for smartphones and tablets. These popular E-readers and Apps for iOS and Android devices provide the reader with options suited to one’s personal preferences. In settings, one can choose the page color, line spacing, and font size and style. The reader can search the text, highlight sections, and even create flashcards or add personal notes. Readers can choose between continuous scrolling and a simulated, page-turning animation that gives one the feel of a printed book. Readers of eBooks can mark their location with a bookmark and switch between synced devices with no need to remember the last page read on another device. The electronic book also provides the reader with estimates for reading time remaining. To learn more of the features available in the Kindle edition, see the information here.
The Kindle edition of The Moses Scroll contains the text of the manuscript of the popular print edition, including footnotes and illustrations, but also allows the reader to set up the book according to personal preference.
The paperback sells for $25 and the Kindle edition is listed at $9.29 in the U.S. The paperback is available for free delivery with a Prime account, and the Kindle version is instantly delivered to your favorite device. It is also available in Kindle Unlimited.
In 1878, a Jerusalem antiquities dealer named Moses Wilhelm Shapira acquired a curious biblical manuscript consisting of sixteen leather strips. The manuscript, written in ancient, Paleo-Hebrew contained what appeared to be a form of the Bible’s Book of Deuteronomy but with significant variations. It was allegedly discovered by Bedouin tribesmen around 1865, east of the Dead Sea, in a remote cave, high above the Wadi Mujib (biblical Arnon). Shapira believed that his manuscript was both ancient and authentic. In 1883, he presented his scroll to the leading scholars of Europe. Newspapers around the world covered the unfolding story as scholars debated the genuineness of the leather strips. Ultimately the scroll was deemed a forgery and Shapira the forger. However, beginning in 1947, ancient scrolls discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea lead us to ask – were the critics wrong?
- The Moses Scroll documents the details of the entire saga based upon what we know today, including:
- A chronological telling of the fascinating story based upon 19th-century reports;
- An assessment of the genuineness of Shapira’s scroll;
- A new transcription of the manuscript as seen through the eyes of the 19th-century’s best Hebraists;
- The author’s own English translation of the original sixteen leather strips with a commentary and notes.
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