BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Shapira Fragments. An Artifact of 19th-Century Jewish Christianity (Jonathan Klawans).
But, to my mind, they [Allegro and Tigay] and most others reviewing the matter lost track of one key fact that, at least to me, tips the balance decidedly away from authenticity. The version of Deuteronomy pedaled by Shapira is not only unparalleled, but also suspiciously commensurate with his own religious background and commitment. Let me explain.Professor Klawans concludes that "an authentic pre-Christian find is not among the possibilities."
THE BIBLE AND BEYOND PODCAST: Are the Shapira Deuteronomy Fragments (aka The Shapira Scroll or Valediction of Moses) Real or Forgeries? An Interview with Dr. Tony Burke. Shirley Paulson is the interviewer. This is a great introduction for the novice in the Shapira affair.
Dr. Burke makes a prediction:
I think what we’re going to get with it will be something similar to what developed with Secret Mark. Likely there will be some kind of an impasse, or a stalemate. You’ll get the sides with their entrenched opinions. People claiming it’s a forgery, or people saying it may not be. But at one point I’m sure it will be declared that nothing more can be determined without the actual manuscript. And that’s not a, that’s kind of fair. There’s only so much you can do with these inadequate images and so on. And of course, no one wants to stake their scholarly reputation on something that may turn out to be false.If we ever find one of the Shapira fragments, we have a good chance of resolving the question. If not, I suspect Tony is right. Both sides will find evidence that supports their confirmation bias and there will never be a consensus. We'll see.
Tony Burke's blog is Apocryphicity. I have linked to it many times. The Secret Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Jesus' Wife both come under discussion in the interview.
Background here and links.
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