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

Chanan Tigay

May 2016 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Chanan Tigay

About this audiobook

In the summer of 1883, Moses Wilhelm Shapira-archaeological treasure hunter and denizen of Jerusalem's bustling marketplace-arrived unannounced in London claiming to have discovered the world's oldest Bible scroll. When news of the discovery leaked to the excited English press, Shapira became a household name. But before the British Museum could acquire them, Shapira's nemesis, French archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau, denounced his find as a fraud. Humiliated, Shapira fled the country. Six months later he was dead. With the discovery of the eerily similar Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, investigators reopened the case, wondering whether the ill-fated merchant had, in fact, discovered the first Dead Sea Scroll, decades before the rest. But by then Shapira's scrolls had vanished. Award-winning journalist Chanan Tigay set out to find the scrolls and determine Shapira's guilt or innocence for himself. The globetrotting hunt that follows vibrates with the suspense of a classic detective tale. Weaving meticulous research into fast-paced storytelling, Tigay spins a remarkable tale of history and theology; intrigue and scandal; greed, ambition, and the struggle for authenticity.

About the author

Chanan Tigay is an award-winning journalist who has covered the Middle East, 9/11, and the United Nations for numerous magazines and newspapers. Born in Jerusalem, Chanan holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. He is a professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University.