The Lost Book of Moses: The Hunt for the World's Oldest Bible [Paperback]

In 1883, Moses Wilhelm Shapira arrived unannounced in London claiming to have discovered the world’s oldest Bible scroll in a desert cave east of the Dead Sea. With his phenomenal find, Shapira swiftly became world famous—but, just as quickly, his scroll was discredited as a clever forgery. With the discovery of the eerily similar Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, however, investigators reopened the case, wondering whether Shapira had, in fact, discovered the first Dead Sea Scroll, seven decades before the rest. Here, in a globetrotting narrative with all the suspense of a classic detective story, award- winning journalist Chanan Tigay sets out to find the scrolls and determine Shapira’s guilt or innocence for himself.Extremely enjoyable. . . . It will delight anyone who finds religion or its history even remotely arresting. At once a mystery and a historical yarn, Mr. Tigays book is also a reminder that humor and a real sense of fun can enliven a serious piece of work.A rollicking tale all its own,The Lost Book of Mosesis a page-turning adventure that will engross proof-seeking readers everywhere.The heart of Tigays book is a gripping account of his quest& This admirably researched book offers a fine occasion to understand Shapira as a product of a modern fetish for authenticity and a rivalry between European nation-states obsessed not just with colonial expansion but with their own origins.Tigays fascination with this obscure mystery is infectious, and his writing is crisp and lively. Tigay keeps the reader in suspense until the very end& Indeed, John Le Carr? would be hard pressed to devise such a tantalizing mystery or a more complex leading man.Tigay has constructed a thrilling and suspenseful true story of lost antiquities and intrepid modern investigations, managing to mine this tale for realistic entertainment more worthy of Indiana Jones than most Raiders sequels& This books reality puts such fictions as Dan BrownsThe Da Vil“ä