3 ms·
The original fragments of this text are no longer available after it was denounced as a hoax over 150 years ago. This researcher’s claims are mainly based on th
by camjohnson26 6y ago
The original fragments of this text are no longer available after it was denounced as a hoax over 150 years ago. This researcher’s claims are mainly based on the content of the text, which he says are echoed by later texts and have multiple coincidences. The article says that the researchers who focus on Biblical text origins are more convinced and the ones focused on physical details of the documents are less convinced as they “contain all the hallmarks of a modern forgery.” The response is that the transcriptions may not be accurate representations of the actual fragment.
It all seems very difficult to prove and the implications, a version of the Torah with most of the laws removed, just a little too convenient. Seems like healthy skepticism is warranted here.
- trasz 6y agoToo convenient now, but back when it was discovered, it would have been way more convenient if its contents fit the mainstream consensus at that time instead.
- throwawaygal7 6y agoSo, the mainstream consensus at that time was that the traditional date for deuteronomy should be replaced by a later date , based on historical-critical methods. These same dates and theories enjoy considerable love today. If the shapira fragments are a 9th century BC copy of deuteronomy, modern historical critical thoughts about the composition and dating of the pentateuch are wrong. Edit: Not a consensus I guess but the documentary hypothesis was emerging in the 1860s and 1870s shortly before these fragments made their debut.