Shapira vs. Dead Sea Scrolls: An Authenticity Test

Shapira vs. Dead Sea Scrolls: An Authenticity Test

Two scrolls. Both were reportedly discovered by Bedouin in caves near the Dead Sea. One was condemned as a forgery. The other is accepted as ancient and authentic.

In this class, Ross K. Nichols revisits one of the most influential arguments against the Shapira Scroll: the claim that its leather strips were cut from the lower margin of a Torah scroll. First advanced in the nineteenth century, this “cut margin” theory became central to the verdict against Shapira — and it is still repeated today.

But was the case really closed?

This episode compares the old accusations against what we now know from the Dead Sea Scrolls, including one remarkable manuscript from Qumran that raises fresh questions about the long-standing verdict.

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