The Valediction of Moses: A Proto-biblical Book

Dershowitz (The Dismembered Bible), chair of Hebrew Bible and Its Exegesis at the University of Potsdam, presents an innovative analysis of biblical manuscripts that were discovered then dismissed as forgeries during the late 19th century. In 1878, British antiquities dealer Moses Shapira acquired leather strips found near the Dead Sea that appeared to be an unknown version of Deuteronomy. While the discovery fascinated the English public, the British Museum in 1883 declined to purchase the manuscripts after two experts declared them forgeries. Dershowitz, however, makes a convincing case that the texts are authentic and represent a version of Deuteronomy older than the canonical one, and that “the odd details that made Shapira’s manuscripts seem so dubious in the late 1800s have now transformed into evidence substantiating their antiquity.” For example, vertical creases showing leather had been folded once was considered evidence of forgery, but that same treatment of texts has been found in verified ancient manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. He goes on to explore the significant differences between the Valediction of Moses and the traditional Deuteronomic text, notably the Ten Commandments, which here includes the additional prohibition “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.” This is an astounding work of scholarship. (Apr.)