Is the Oldest Hebrew Bible Text Still Missing — or Have We Already Seen It?
In 1883, the Jerusalem antiquities dealer Moses Wilhelm Shapira presented a set of blackened leather strips written in ancient Hebrew script. He claimed they had been discovered around 1865 in a cave east of the Dead Sea, with traces of linen still stuck to the back in a black substance thought to be pitch—details that would only later sound familiar through the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The fragments contained a radically compact version of a work resembling our canonical Deuteronomy, but with significant differences. Written in the first person, as a farewell address delivered by Moses himself, the text moves from Horeb to the plains of Moab, and contains a distinctive version of the Ten Words (Commandments)—including one unknown in all other ancient versions—followed by blessings and curses that correspond directly to them. Strikingly, the text omits the entire central law code (Deuteronomy 12–26)—the very section most modern scholars regard as a later addition to the book.
The recorded fragments’ journey took them from a cave in ancient Moab to Jerusalem, Leipzig, Berlin, and finally London. They ultimately passed through the hands of a British bookseller and were last seen in a Masonic lodge in 1889, before vanishing without a trace.
Initially dismissed as forgeries, the manuscripts were forgotten. But the mid-20th-century discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls changed everything. Suddenly, every feature once used against Shapira’s find—paleo-Hebrew script, word-division dots, vertical ruling lines, linen wrappings, and a black pitch-like coating—became recognized hallmarks of genuine ancient manuscripts.
The Book That Reopened the Case
Published in 2021, The Moses Scroll by Ross K. Nichols is the first modern reconstruction, translation, and presentation of the lost Shapira text. It guides readers through the remarkable 19th-century saga—from Jerusalem to Leipzig, Berlin, and London—drawing on forgotten correspondence, museum archives, and eyewitness reports.
Even though the search for the actual leather fragments continues, thanks to 19th-century transcriptions made by leading scholars who personally examined them, we still have the complete text. The Moses Scroll reproduces this text—a covenant document in the first person of Moses himself, preserved through the pens of those who once held the strips in their hands.
What Scholars Are Saying
Even critics now agree the Shapira case must be revisited—and they cite The Moses Scroll as the modern point of departure.
“The trajectory we should follow runs from Bleek, through Shapira, down to Ross K. Nichols, who similarly asks, in his semi-academic, semi-theological book, The Moses Scroll: ‘What did Moses Write?’”
— Jonathan Klawans, Dead Sea Discoveries 29 (2022)
Klawans adds that the book
“will no doubt prove of interest and use… for its retelling of the narrative (with generous quotation from contemporary correspondence and reportage) as well as its inclusion of an alternate transcription and translation of the fragments.”
In Semitica 63 (2021), paleographer Matthieu Richelle calls The Moses Scroll
“a fascinating account of the dramatic story that unfolded in 1883,” and thanks Nichols for sharing sources, whether [scholars] believe the strips are genuine or not, urging a re-examination of the case.
Meanwhile, James H. Charlesworth (Princeton Theological Seminary; Princeton Dead Sea Scrolls Project) concludes:
“I am convinced that no one in the late 19th century could have faked such a complex work on Deuteronomy… Ross K. Nichols is now a leading authority on Shapira’s discovery.”
Dr. James D. Tabor (retired Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Charlotte) writes:
“The Moses Scroll represents a sea change in Shapira studies… For the first time we have a critical edition, with translation and notes… The book is a thrill to read—part detective saga and mystery—but solid historical documentation.”
Why You Should Read It
Because this is not just another theory about a lost manuscript—it is a firsthand return to the evidence itself.
If authentic, the Shapira Strips would predate all known biblical manuscripts and preserve a shorter, older Torah: a covenant text spoken by Moses, unencumbered by later editorial layers. Even those who doubt authenticity now acknowledge that the evidence must be re-examined.
The Moses Scroll lets you read the text itself, trace its path through 19th-century Europe, and follow the story of a discovery dismissed too soon—and rediscovered in our own day.
“What did Moses write?”
Read The Moses Scroll—and decide for yourself.
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