Fact or Fiction? A Deep Dive into the amazing story of the Shapira Scrolls - with Prof. Dershowitz

Join us as we take a deep dive into the amazing story of Moses Shapira and the so-called “Shapira Scrolls.”
Our expert guide for this exploration is Professor Idan Dershowitz from the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University. Professor Dershowitz has dedicated several years to studying the captivating story of Moses Shapira and the “Shapira Scrolls.”
Shapira, a 19th-century manuscript and antiquities dealer, brought to light leather manuscripts bearing a unique version of the Book of Deuteronomy, allegedly discovered by Bedouins in a cave near the Dead Sea. After brief deliberation, the scholars of Shapira’s day decided the manuscripts were fakes and that Shapira was behind their forgery. Shapira soon committed suicide.
In 2021, Dershowitz published “The Valediction of Moses,” a book that presents new evidence exonerating Shapira and supporting the authenticity of these manuscripts. Dershowitz argues that these now-lost artifacts were not only ancient but likely contained an older version of Deuteronomy than the one found in our Bibles - essentially a proto-biblical text.
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Amazon affiliate link for the book
The Valediction of Moses: A Proto-Biblical Book
amzn.to/4heams3
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Please note that this is an in-depth exploration intended for viewers with some prior knowledge about the Shapira Scrolls in particular. If you are new to this topic, we recommend looking for introduction-level videos on KZbin or over the internet to get a foundational understanding before diving into this content.
Important Sections in This Video:
00:00:09.639 - Who Was Moses Shapira?: A captivating introduction to the story of Moses Shapira and his role as an antiquities dealer.
00:09:36.920 - Discovery of the Shapira Scrolls: Insights into the discovery of the Shapira Scrolls and their initial reception by scholars.
00:38:00.000 - The Controversy Begins: Examination of the skepticism and accusations of forgery that surrounded the scrolls, and the complexities of this debate.
00:50:00.000 - Recent Scholarship and Renewed Interest: Overview of the renewed academic interest in the Shapira Scrolls, highlighting recent studies and their implications.
01:10:00.000 - Professor Idan Dershowitz's Perspective: A deep dive into Professor Dershowitz's research and findings regarding the authenticity and significance of the Shapira Scrolls.
01:25:00.000 - Implications for Biblical Studies: Discussion on how the Shapira Scrolls could potentially change our understanding of the Hebrew Bible and biblical history.
01:40:00.000 - Conclusion: Summary of key points and the ongoing debate about the scrolls' authenticity.
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Credits:
Original music: Shlomi Keynan -‪@ClassiKaynan‬
Video editing: ‪@ironic5008‬
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