Author’s Blog
London’s First Look at Shapira’s Leather MSS
On 20 July 1883, Moses Wilhelm Shapira arrived unannounced at 1 Adam Street in London, headquarters of the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF). He was greeted by Walter Besant, the secretary of the PEF. Shapira informed Besant that he had brought with him to London a...
One Week in Leipzig – 30 June-6 July 1883
On 30 June 1883, Moses W. Shapira arrived in Leipzig carrying a curious leather manuscript. The sixteen blackened strips of leather consisted of two copies of an unknown text resembling in some ways the Bible’s Book of Deuteronomy, but with many notable...
The Moses Scroll – Autographed Copies
Since the publication of my book, The Moses Scroll, several people have written and requested an autographed copy. I am pleased to let everyone know that I have finally ordered a few dozen copies for this purpose. If you want an autographed copy, please email me at...
The Moses Scroll Goes Digital
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. I guess you could call me a bibliophile. I love...
Moses Shapira’s 9 May 1883 Letter to Hermann Strack
In early 1883, Moses W. Shapira came upon a book by a German scholar named Friedrich Bleek, published in 1860 under the title, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, [Introduction to the Old Testament]. The book presented a critical, academic approach to the study of the...
The Shema and the Shapira MSS – A Linguistic Look for English Readers
Deuteronomy 6:4 is arguably the most well-known verse in the Torah. It is recited and has been recited by millions upon millions since Moses first presented these timeless words in the Plains of Moab. Traditionally observant Jews and other biblically oriented people...