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Thursday, December 09, 2021

BAR debates the Shapira scroll affair

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Shapira Scrolls—Authentic or Forged? Scholars debate the scrolls’ authenticity in Biblical Archaeology Review.

As usual, the BAR articles are behind a subscription wall. But, also as usual, the BHD essay gives you the background story and some highlights from the articles.

PaleoJudaica has followed this year's renewed debate on the Shapira Scroll fragments, notably here and here, but also start here and follow the links back.

The big problem is that the scroll fragments are now lost, and presumed destroyed, and we have no usable photos of them. All we have are bad drawings and entirely illegible photos. I have suggested a possible way forward here. No one has taken me up on it yet. I remain interested in whether the idea has any merit.

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