By Ross k. Nichols
The Moses Scroll
Reopening the Most Controversial Case in the History of Biblical Scholarship
The Moses Scroll contains:
- 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
- A new translation of the sixteen leather strips
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About THE Author
Ross K. Nichols
Ross K. Nichols is an autodidact, educator, and Amazon best-selling author who advances Historical and Objective Research and Exploration of the Bible. He is the founder and President of the HOREB Institute, headquartered at the Athenæum in Jackson, Louisiana, a name inspired by the 19th-century London publication known for its pursuit of scientific and literary excellence. The Institute is located in the lower story of the historic St. Albans Lodge No. 28, F.&A.M. (chartered in 1827) and serves as a hub for the study of antiquity within a setting dedicated to historical preservation.
Nichols’ primary research interests include the Hebrew Bible with a focus on the Pentateuch from a historical-critical perspective, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and 19th-century (and significant) discoveries that shed light on our understanding of the Bible. He is the author of the best-selling works The Moses Scroll (2021) and These Are the Words: Essential Biblical Hebrew Vocabularies (2022), which was recently expanded into a Transliteration Edition (2025). His work also includes the publication and republication of significant historical manuscripts, such as Fragments of a Leather Manuscript Containing Moses’ Last Words to the Children of Israel (2021) and the Torah Tablet series.
Maintaining a strictly independent platform, Nichols remains unencumbered by institutional or denominational constraints, allowing for an unfettered pursuit of historical truth. With extensive field experience in Israel and Jordan, he has led numerous tours and expeditions throughout the Holy Lands, sharing archaeological and linguistic insights with global participants. He has lectured at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and authored the entry “Shapira Fragments” for Brill’s Online Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Complementing his biblical research, Nichols has been a student and practitioner of Freemasonry for nearly thirty years. He is a principal officer of St. Albans Lodge No. 28 in Jackson, Louisiana, a member of the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle (QCCC), the world’s premier Masonic research body, and the Philalethes Society, an international fellowship of Masonic scholars. A 32° Scottish Rite Mason, Royal Arch Mason, and Shriner (A.A.O.N.M.S.), he views these historical and fraternal affiliations as vital extensions of his commitment to the search for truth and the preservation of ancient wisdom.
His primary digital hub and springboard, rossknichols.com, serves as the central gateway to his research, media, and published works. Visitors can subscribe to his newsletter for updates or join The Yachad (Together)—a dedicated community of members who support his ongoing research and gain access to exclusive content.
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About the Book
Reopening the Most Controversial Case in the History of Biblical Scholarship
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; and the author’s own translation of the original sixteen leather strips with a commentary and notes.
It is said to be as old as the Moabite Stone, which is generally supossed to date back to about 900 before the Christian era. – The Jewish Chronicles (August 3, 1883)
The writing of the Shapira manuscript… is in favor of the genuineness of the document. – Christian David Ginsburg (British Bible Scholar – 1883)
The mystery of a nineteenth-century discovery of a Dead Sea manuscript: a forgery, or the oldest Bible in the world? – John Marco Allegro (Archaeologist & Dead Sea Scrolls Scholar – 1965)
In brief, there is no longer any doubt that Shapira’s parchments were genuine … the fate of the precious Shapira Strips is a warning to us not to let negators, no matter how great their reputations, perpetuate irreparable damage. (Cyrus H. Gordon, Riddles in History, 1974)
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