March 8, 2025 • 28 mins
Dr. Gene Bailey take you on a journey as you discover a story of a lost books of the bible. Once it was found, it became lost to history again, it could be one of the most significant finds of biblical archeology. What's amazing is this story takes place right in the center of some of the historic finds in biblical archeology in Israel.
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(00:00):
♪
[Narrator]Jerusalem, 622 BC.
The kingdom of Judah wasunder the rule of a king
named Josiah.
The temple lay inruins, a testament to the kingdom's
disarray brought on byrampant idol worship.
Josiah, a righteous king,was determined to restore
the temple to its former glory.
(00:22):
During the reconstruction,his workers returned
with an astonishing revelation.
We found a book, theyannounced, presenting
an ancient manuscript.
This was no ordinary find.
They had unearthed the LostBook of the Law, a discovery
that ignited a profoundrevival throughout Judah.
(00:43):
On today's episodeof Revival Radio TV,
we delve into theenigma of the discovery
of three lost booksof Scripture.
Could these texts be the keyto uncovering a lost history?
♪
In every generation,there have been revivals,
massive moves of the Spirit
(01:05):
that changed thecourse of history.
In every revival, therewere believers like you
who chose to answer the call
to become the one intheir generation.
Discover your callto be the one
in your generation.
(01:27):
Jerusalem, 1878.
(Jewish music)
The bustling streets werealive with eager tourists,
each driven by a shared dreamto walk the sacred paths
of the Bible and perhaps bring apiece of the Holy Land
back with them.
Amidst this growing throng ofpilgrims and explorers,
(01:47):
one shop stood out in the heartof Jerusalem's Old City.
Among the most prized itemswere Bibles, lovingly crafted
with made-to-order olive woodcovers, each one adorned
with intricateHebrew engravings.
Shapira's establishmentwas more than a store.
It was a gateway tothe ancient world,
a place where historyand faith intertwined,
(02:10):
beckoning visitors to take home
a tangible piece oftheir spiritual journey.
♪
Let me show you something veryspecial that I have here.
It's a carved olive wood Biblefrom Jerusalem, like the one
Shapira sold in his shop.
It even has Shapira'slogo, the Jerusalem Cross.
(02:31):
Another witness to thisBible is the famous writer
Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain.
And in fact, lookat this letter.
While he was in Jerusalem,Twain took a piece
of stationery with MediterraneanHotel printed on the top,
just above the date, September24, 1867, and wrote to the local
(02:52):
bookbinder on ChristianStreet in the Old City
these instructions.
Fix up the little Bible Iselected, the one that has backs
made of balsa-wood from theJordan, oak from Abraham's tree
at Hebron, olive woodfrom the Mount of Olives.
Put on it this inscription,"Mrs. Jane Clemens from her son,
(03:15):
Mount Calvary,September 24, 1867."
Samuel Clemens visitedJerusalem as a part
of writing this book,Innocence Abroad.
In it, he wrote his impressionof the desolation of Jerusalem
as an eyewitness to the factthat Holy Land was a land
(03:37):
without a people intendedfor a people without a land.
Moses Shapira, this is theonly known photograph
we have of him.
His story actually begins inthe middle of 19th century
Ukraine, in the area knownas the Pale of Settlement.
♪
Russia, 1855.
(03:58):
What drove Moses Shapirafrom his home to the heart
of Jerusalem?
And what unseen hand guidedhis path on the enigmatic
journey of a man whose lifewas marked by providence
and mystery?
Moses Shapira's story begins inthe middle of the 19th century
Ukraine, in the area knownas the Pale of Settlement,
(04:19):
where the Russian Tsar hadmandated that all Jews
live in small villagescalled shtetls, reminiscent
of those depicted inFiddler on the Roof.
♪
Long before Zionism began inthe 1890s, a divine stirring
began, calling the Jewishpeople back to the Holy Land.
(04:40):
Among those stirred wasShapira's father, who set out
on foot to Jerusalem andwas never heard from again.
At the age of 25, Shapiraleft his homeland and kin,
embarking on a journey withhis grandfather to the land
of his ancestors.
They arrived in Jerusalem in1856, where God had plans
(05:02):
for the young immigrant.
But illness beset Shapira,leading him to a hospital
where he was caredfor by a German nurse named Rosette.
Their bondgrew, and on April 23, 1861,
Moses marriedRosette.
Shortly thereafter,
Shapira opened his shopon Christian Street.
(05:22):
Over the next decade,his reputation
and business flourished.
But was it merely chancethat brought Shapira
to these crossroads, or wasthere a greater force at work,
guiding his steps toward adestiny yet unwritten?
This was the golden age ofbiblical archaeology,
and Shapira's story is right inthe middle of the famous
(05:43):
discoveries that were takingplace in 19th century Jerusalem.
It is said that Queen Victoriaherself used her own money
to promote the quest touncover the ancient truths
of biblical archaeology.
Moses Shapira'straditional education,
steeped in Hebrew texts,
uniquely positioned himto become one of the earliest
(06:04):
scholars in the studyof Paleo-Hebrew.
His deep understanding ofthese ancient scripts
set the stage for hispivotal role in interpreting
significantarchaeological finds.
One such find is the MeshaStele, also known
as the Moabite Stone.
This artifact, inscribed inPaleo-Hebrew, was the first
(06:26):
of its kind to be discovered.
The stele provides crucialhistorical insights into
the Moabites, a peoplementioned in biblical texts.
Intriguingly, the narrative onthe Mesha Stele parallels
the account in 2 Kings of theOld Testament, the connection
between the Moabite Stoneand the biblical narrative.
(06:50):
Could this stele be evidenceof the accuracy of the Bible?
Scholars say yes, butShapira's scholarly pursuits
didn't end there.
He also was asked to translatethe Siloam inscription found
in the City of David.
His translation recognizedthat this inscription
supported the biblicalstory of the construction
of a water tunnel duringKing Hezekiah's reign,
(07:13):
as recorded in 2 Kings 20.
These discoveries helped solvespeculation about the accuracy
and historicity of thebiblical accounts.
By the end of 1871,Moses Shapira had become
a respected dealerin antiquities,
eventually specializingin manuscripts.
Thanks to successful venturesinto Yemen and Egypt,
(07:36):
Shapira then acquired avaluable collection
of Hebrew manuscripts.
The Royal Museum in Berlinpurchased some of them
and the famed British Museumpurchased many others.
So suspended outside hisshop, a white sign bearing
the gold letters readMoses W. Shapira,
Bookseller and Antiquarian.
(07:58):
The five-fold Jerusalem crossoccupied the center of the site,
and beneath it was thedesignation, Correspondent
to the British Museum.
One day, some Arab visitors,including a noted sheikh,
entered the cluttered shop andmade their way to find Shapira
in his usual place.
He sat at a table in alittle nook, surrounded by
(08:21):
a precious collection of copiesof the Talmud, Gospels,
and the Torah scrolls.
However, Shapira's visitorshad come to speak of the chance
discovery of someblackened leather strips
with barely discerniblewriting on them.
Shapira's interest wasimmediately piqued.
The story was, therewas a group of Bedouins.
(08:43):
These Bedouin tribesmensought refuge in a cave
in the desolate wildernesseast of the Dead Sea,
a place where history'ssecrets were long buried.
This valley, once knownin ancient times as the Arnon River,
etched into the Book of Numbers,was no ordinary place,
a land steepedin biblical history.
(09:04):
Inside this cave, somethingfar more enigmatic awaited,
a bundle meticulously wrapped infaded cloth, blackened strips
of ancient leather inscribedwith cryptic symbols,
a language lost to time.
Shapira too felt the pull.
It called to him as if hehad always been a part
of its story.
(09:25):
♪
[Narrator] Jerusalem, 1878.
Could it be that historyhas repeated itself?
Sixty years before the fameddiscovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls,
a group of Bedouinsstumbled upon an ancient
scroll near those samemysterious waters.
The story is almosttoo similar to ignore.
(09:47):
Ancient scrolls, hidden in acave, wrapped in cloth,
coated with a tar-likesubstance, originally dismissed
as a forgery untilscience proved otherwise.
But is this merecoincidence, or does it hint
at a pattern lost to time?
This was not the first timesuch discoveries were made.
As early as the 3rd century,Origen, a church father,
(10:11):
spoke of manuscripts unearthedfrom jars near the Dead Sea,
a tale echoed by Eusebius.
And again, around 800 CE,Bishop Timotheus of Baghdad
wrote of another such find.
Each discovery, strikinglyalike, raises questions
that challenge ourunderstanding of the past.
(10:33):
Are these simply randomoccurrences, or do they
suggest a deliberate effort topreserve ancient scriptures,
scriptures waitingto be found?
Now back to Shapira's shop.
For the price of a bakshish,just a few gold coins,
the Bedouin tribe handedover the leather scrolls,
many being more legiblethan the others.
(10:54):
For several weeks, in aworkspace above the best
tourist stop in Jerusalem'sOld City, the 16 leather
strips of text began to yieldtheir long-held secrets.
The message on themanuscript amazed Shapira.
He soon came to believe thathe might have performed
the most significantarchaeological discovery
(11:17):
of all time.
Shapira recognized thenarrative as a version
of the Bible's Bookof Deuteronomy,
but with notable differences.
Like Deuteronomy, Shapira'sscroll contained a version
of the Ten Commandments,but combined the first two
commandments into one andadded a new commandment,
(11:37):
number 10, you shall not hateyour brother in your heart.
Doesn't that soundlike Jesus' words?
So this scroll is likethe Deuteronomy scrolls
that were found later inthe Dead Sea scrolls
that were also writtenin Paleo-Hebrew.
♪
[Narrator] Berlin, 1883.
(12:00):
When Moses Shapira translatedthe ancient scroll,
he turned to Germany, a landwhere he had connections
within the Berlin Museum andamong key German scholars,
scholars who had been developingthe documentary hypothesis,
a theory thatintended to undermine
the Bible's authenticity.
The reception of Shapira'sscrolls was mixed,
(12:22):
leaving him unsatisfied.
But why?
Could it be that Germany,the birthplace of liberal
theology, was not ready toconfront what these scrolls
might reveal?
Shapira then set his sights onEngland, a nation that stood
at the heart ofa spiritual war.
(12:42):
In the 19th century,England was the epicenter
of a fierce battle betweenhumanism, liberal theology,
and a biblical Christianitythat revered the Word of God.
Was this a simple geographicchoice, or was Shapira drawn
to the pulse of a conflictthat had global implications?
England was not just anynation, it was the home of men
(13:06):
like John Wesley and GeorgeWhitefield, the driving forces
behind the First andSecond Great Awakenings.
It was a country using itsempire to spread missionaries
across the world.
Queen Victoria herself hadinitiated biblical archaeology
in the Holy Land, seeking touncover the sacred truths
(13:27):
of Scripture.
In London, Charles Spurgeon,the Prince of Preachers,
filled the world's firstmega-church with sermons
that stirred thehearts of thousands.
Yet, just across town, KarlMarx preached the tenets
of atheist communism, whileCharles Darwin advanced
(13:48):
his theory of humanistevolution, challenging
the very notion of a creator.
Could it be that London, acity torn between faith
and doubt, was the truebattleground for the souls
of the world?
In this volatile environment,the discovery of an ancient
biblical manuscriptwas more than just
an archaeological find.
(14:09):
It was a spark that wasabout to ignite a global
spiritual revival.
The eyes of the world were onLondon, especially in America,
and when the news brokeof what may be the oldest
biblical manuscriptever found, well,
it made headlines worldwide.
The London Museum put themon display, and for weeks,
(14:30):
people stood in linejust to see them.
Even the Prime Minister,William Gladstone, who was
excited because he could readsome of the Hebrew because he,
like many Britishpoliticians of the day,
was a Bible scholar.
The whole generation wassteeped in the Bible.
[Narrator]Gladstone sensing the monumental implications,
(14:50):
swiftly appointedDavid Ginsburg, the leading biblical
scholar of his time,tasked with authenticating
the Shapira Scrolls.
Initially, Ginsburg wasoptimistic, believing
the scrolls might begenuine ancient artifacts
with the potentialto revolutionize
biblical scholarship.
Prime Minister Gladstone,equally excited,
(15:11):
began raising funds to acquire
the scrolls for theBritish Museum.
But as Ginsburg examinedthe scrolls further,
doubts began to emerge.
The text was in Paleo-Hebrew,a script only seen
on stone inscriptions.
The idea that a scroll couldsurvive thousands of years
in a cave was almostunthinkable in the 1880s,
(15:32):
long before theDead Sea Scrolls would prove otherwise.
This skepticism, combinedwith limited archaeological
knowledge of the time,led many to question
the scrolls' authenticity.
Yet, the Shapira Scrollswere more than just
a historical curiosity.
They were a potential threatto established religious
and academic beliefs.
(15:54):
If authentic, they couldhave confirmed the integrity
of the biblical text inways that challenged
contemporary scholarship.
In the end, the scrolls weredismissed as forgeries,
sold at auction for a mere £20sterling, and subsequently
lost to history.
The mystery deepened whenMoses Shapira, the man behind
the scrolls, was founddead in his hotel room,
(16:16):
under suspicious circumstances.
Was Shapira's tragic fatemerely the consequence
of a man undone by circumstance?
Or is there morehidden in the shadows?
His death only added to theenigma of the Shapira Scrolls,
a puzzle that remainsunsolved to this day.
It's an amazing story thatreads like an international
(16:38):
detective mystery.
There's renewed interestin this lost scroll
because it supports theauthenticity of the Bible.
And today, there are groupsof people all over the world
coming through archiveslooking for Shapira's
lost scroll, with so manyscholars coming out in support
of the scrolls in thelight of hindsight.
(16:59):
It's also a cautionary taleto not throw away artifacts,
because later, theymay actually turn out
to be legitimate.
This has happened to fragmentsof the dead sea scrolls
that initially were declaredforgeries and are now
validated as technologyimproves and new ways
of imaging, well,they're invented.
(17:22):
[Narrator] London,England, 1896.
These twin sisters whoselives defy the conventions
of their time, transforming theminto real-life action heroes.
These remarkable women werenot just scholars who spoke
seven languages, theywere adventurers, driven
by a relentless pursuit ofknowledge and a fearless spirit,
(17:44):
setting out fromthe familiar landscapes
of Victorian England to thescorching deserts of Egypt.
Agnes and Margaret weredriven by a profound interest
in Jewish culture,languages, and texts.
Their fluency in ancientHebrew opened doors
to secrets long buried inthe sands of time.
(18:05):
Their contributions tobiblical scholarship
were nothing short ofrevolutionary.
They uncovered manuscriptsthat would reshape
our understanding ofreligious history.
The hunt for early Biblemanuscripts was among the most
romantic of all the 19thcentury's grand quests.
Now meet these two amazingwomen adventurers,
(18:28):
they were real-lifeIndiana Jones characters.
Agnes Smith Lewis and MargaretDunlop Gibson were twin sisters
who made significantcontributions to biblical scholarship.
They were active members of thechurch and devout Christians.
Agnes and Margaret were bornin Scotland and they were both
(18:50):
educated at home.
Steeped in the Bible, atthe height of the Scottish
Revival, they developed a keeninterest in the languages
and the biblical studiesfrom a very early age.
These two remarkable womenemerged as epic adventurers
earning the monikerSinai Sisters.
Driven by an insatiable thirstfor knowledge, they traversed
(19:12):
perilous deserts sittingatop camels, seeking
ancient manuscripts hiddenwithin forgotten monasteries.
Their daring exploitscaptivated the public,
weaving a tale as thrilling asany cinematic masterpiece.
These intrepid sisters,revered in both popular lore
and academic circles, left anindelible scholarly legacy.
(19:36):
Among their most celebrateddiscoveries was the Syriac
manuscript of the Gospels ofSinai, an invaluable relic
dating back to the late 4thcentury, representing one of
the earliest complete Gospels.
[Narrator] Cairo, 1890.
♪
In the ancient shadow of thepyramids, another remarkable
(19:58):
discovery was made inCairo, the Cairo Genizah.
This hidden chamber containedover 200,000 documents
offering a treasure trove ofancient biblical manuscripts.
Could the secrets of theGenizah shed light on
historical insights?
So let me tell you anotheramazing story about
(20:19):
discovering ancientbiblical manuscripts.
The word Genizah isof Hebrew origin.
It comes from a Hebrew rootwhich means hiding or storage.
In Jewish tradition, a Genizahrefers to a storage area,
typically within a synagogueor another sacred space,
where worn out or damagedreligious texts and documents
(20:39):
are stored respectfully due
to their containingthe name of God.
In fact, just to be safe, theysometimes save any paper that
might have the name of Godwritten on it or mention God
or be considered sacred, justto be sure that they don't
throw away something thatshould have been saved.
For example, a personal letterwhere they may have discussed
(21:00):
prayer or the Torah, etc.
So could it be thatJosiah found
a Genizah when they wererepairing the temple
and found a Torah scroll?
Or could it be that's whythere were so many scrolls
found in the Dead SeaScrolls collection?
Well, listen to this.
In the 1890s in Egypt, theywere remodeling the ancient
(21:21):
Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo,and they found a hidden room
that contained over 200,000documents going back over
1,000 years.
Well, the word of thisdiscovery slowly leaked out.
In fact, in Moses Shapira'snotes, he documents several
Torah manuscripts he recoveredfrom the ancient synagogue
(21:41):
in Cairo and then soldto the British Museum.
♪
[Narrator] In the unfolding sagaof historical discovery,
the intrepid sisters playedan indispensable role
in the initial revelationof the Cairo Genizah.
In 1896, their journey ledthem to the venerable
Ben Ezra synagogue in Old Cairo.
(22:02):
There, they unearthedand acquired several
ancient Hebrew manuscripts froma local synagogue official.
Despite their expertise inHebrew, the sisters found
themselves perplexed by someof the biblical Hebrew texts
they encountered.
Sensing the profoundimportance of these documents,
they sought the expertiseof Solomon Schechter,
(22:23):
a distinguished Jewishstudies scholar from Oxford
University, renownedfor his proficiency
in biblical Hebrew.
Schechter, invigorated by thediscovery, secured permission
to explore thesynagogue's Genizah.
Amidst the dust and shadows,he meticulously sifted through
the time-worn manuscripts andfaded scrolls, unearthing
(22:45):
a vast collection ofover 200,000 ancient
Jewish documents.
Within this ancient synagogue,a long-forgotten chamber had
safeguarded a trove of Jewishhistory for over a millennium,
including some biblicalmanuscripts that paralleled
those later found among theDead Sea Scrolls, such as
ancient Torah scrolls andthe Damascus document
(23:07):
about the Zadokite priestin the Jerusalem Temple.
Through strategic negotiation,Solomon Schechter gathered
a substantial portionof these documents.
He transported sackfuls ofmanuscripts back to London
via ship for detailed study.
This monumental event not onlyunveiled the Cairo Genizah, but
(23:27):
also ignited a wave ofscholarly research, revealing
one of the most significantrepositories of Jewish history
and culture.
Their efforts revealed a richtapestry of Jewish life,
documenting everything fromeveryday correspondence to
religious texts and legaldocuments offering insights
into ancient wisdomand tradition.
(23:47):
Scholars were struck by thehumanity captured within
these ancient texts.
For an example, listen to thisthat was found in the Genizah.
One mother named Rachel wrotea letter to her son that dates
back to the Middle Ages, andit stands out as a testament
to the enduring bonds offamily and a mother's love.
(24:08):
She writes to her son whois living in Cairo,
but the letter's in Yiddish.
Dear son, I'm so proudof your marriage.
I'm overjoyed bygranddaughters.
But why do youwrite so rarely?
I miss you so much.
(24:28):
Write more lettersto your mother.
Could you send me asimple shawl from Cairo?
It would be a comfort on coldnights, and be a piece of you
with me.
Write soon, dear son.
Love you always.
Your mother.
♪
(24:49):
Rachel's letter reminds usof the power of history
and the humanity that binds usall across time and space.
Through these ancient texts,we glimpse not only the past,
but also the timelesstruth that unites us
as human beings.
The revelations being broughtout by biblical archaeology
continue to reinforce theintegrity of God's Word.
(25:13):
And now we're learning newthings about Second Temple
Judaism in the time of Jesusthat help shed light
on biblical scholarship.
It's silencing the Biblecritics and helping the church
go and preach intoall the world.
This is the most exciting andimportant time in the church.
(25:33):
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, as we learnand we go back in history,
we are thrilled to see not onlythe continued validation
of Scripture, but Father, Ithank You in the stories
and the letters that we're ableto see that we understand
that this is a very real gospelthat we hold in our hands.
(25:54):
It's a very real book thatgives us insight in who
Jesus is and who the Godof our fathers was.
So Lord, we give You all thepraise for what You're doing.
Help ignite again in usthe value of the gospel.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let me take this momentto talk to you at home.
(26:15):
You're watching this programthat started many years ago.
Hundreds of hours ofprogramming and research
has gone into all of theepisodes of Revival Radio TV
to help youunderstand one thing.
It's for you and I to beencouraged to be the one,
to step up in our generationand share who Jesus is.
We all want to see revival.
(26:36):
And I know, like you, Ienjoy all of these stories
when we go back, whetherit's some scholarly research
or stories of divine healing andwhat God did in the 50s
and tent meetings.
All of these things go intowho we are as believers.
So we want to make sureyou have the opportunity
to invest in Revival Radio TV.
(26:58):
These shows aren't free.
Brother Copeland lets us putthis on the network
absolutely free to us,but we need support.
So if you'd like to make acheck, just make it payable
to Revival Radio TV, send itto Fort Worth, Texas 76192.
Or if you'd like to text togive, just simply use the code
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(27:23):
You can call 877-281-6297.
Or you can go online togovictory.com/RRTV
and follow the prompts tomake your donation online.
Thank you for helping us aswe continue to bring more,
more stories of revival, morestories that you haven't
(27:43):
heard before, more insightinto things that we thought
were settled.
And now we're learningthere's a whole new level
of truth that proves this,
Jesus is Lord.
♪
♪
[Narrator]Jerusalem, 622 BC.
The kingdom of Judah wasunder the rule of a king
named Josiah.
The temple lay inruins, a testament to the kingdom's
disarray brought on byrampant idol worship.
Josiah, a righteous king,was determined to restore
the temple to its former glory.
(00:22):
During the reconstruction,his workers returned
with an astonishing revelation.
We found a book, theyannounced, presenting
an ancient manuscript.
This was no ordinary find.
They had unearthed the LostBook of the Law, a discovery
that ignited a profoundrevival throughout Judah.
(00:43):
On today's episodeof Revival Radio TV,
we delve into theenigma of the discovery
of three lost booksof Scripture.
Could these texts be the keyto uncovering a lost history?
♪
In every generation,there have been revivals,
massive moves of the Spirit
(01:05):
that changed thecourse of history.
In every revival, therewere believers like you
who chose to answer the call
to become the one intheir generation.
Discover your callto be the one
in your generation.
(01:27):
Jerusalem, 1878.
(Jewish music)
The bustling streets werealive with eager tourists,
each driven by a shared dreamto walk the sacred paths
of the Bible and perhaps bring apiece of the Holy Land
back with them.
Amidst this growing throng ofpilgrims and explorers,
(01:47):
one shop stood out in the heartof Jerusalem's Old City.
Among the most prized itemswere Bibles, lovingly crafted
with made-to-order olive woodcovers, each one adorned
with intricateHebrew engravings.
Shapira's establishmentwas more than a store.
It was a gateway tothe ancient world,
a place where historyand faith intertwined,
(02:10):
beckoning visitors to take home
a tangible piece oftheir spiritual journey.
♪
Let me show you something veryspecial that I have here.
It's a carved olive wood Biblefrom Jerusalem, like the one
Shapira sold in his shop.
It even has Shapira'slogo, the Jerusalem Cross.
(02:31):
Another witness to thisBible is the famous writer
Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain.
And in fact, lookat this letter.
While he was in Jerusalem,Twain took a piece
of stationery with MediterraneanHotel printed on the top,
just above the date, September24, 1867, and wrote to the local
(02:52):
bookbinder on ChristianStreet in the Old City
these instructions.
Fix up the little Bible Iselected, the one that has backs
made of balsa-wood from theJordan, oak from Abraham's tree
at Hebron, olive woodfrom the Mount of Olives.
Put on it this inscription,"Mrs. Jane Clemens from her son,
(03:15):
Mount Calvary,September 24, 1867."
Samuel Clemens visitedJerusalem as a part
of writing this book,Innocence Abroad.
In it, he wrote his impressionof the desolation of Jerusalem
as an eyewitness to the factthat Holy Land was a land
(03:37):
without a people intendedfor a people without a land.
Moses Shapira, this is theonly known photograph
we have of him.
His story actually begins inthe middle of 19th century
Ukraine, in the area knownas the Pale of Settlement.
♪
Russia, 1855.
(03:58):
What drove Moses Shapirafrom his home to the heart
of Jerusalem?
And what unseen hand guidedhis path on the enigmatic
journey of a man whose lifewas marked by providence
and mystery?
Moses Shapira's story begins inthe middle of the 19th century
Ukraine, in the area knownas the Pale of Settlement,
(04:19):
where the Russian Tsar hadmandated that all Jews
live in small villagescalled shtetls, reminiscent
of those depicted inFiddler on the Roof.
♪
Long before Zionism began inthe 1890s, a divine stirring
began, calling the Jewishpeople back to the Holy Land.
(04:40):
Among those stirred wasShapira's father, who set out
on foot to Jerusalem andwas never heard from again.
At the age of 25, Shapiraleft his homeland and kin,
embarking on a journey withhis grandfather to the land
of his ancestors.
They arrived in Jerusalem in1856, where God had plans
(05:02):
for the young immigrant.
But illness beset Shapira,leading him to a hospital
where he was caredfor by a German nurse named Rosette.
Their bondgrew, and on April 23, 1861,
Moses marriedRosette.
Shortly thereafter,
Shapira opened his shopon Christian Street.
(05:22):
Over the next decade,his reputation
and business flourished.
But was it merely chancethat brought Shapira
to these crossroads, or wasthere a greater force at work,
guiding his steps toward adestiny yet unwritten?
This was the golden age ofbiblical archaeology,
and Shapira's story is right inthe middle of the famous
(05:43):
discoveries that were takingplace in 19th century Jerusalem.
It is said that Queen Victoriaherself used her own money
to promote the quest touncover the ancient truths
of biblical archaeology.
Moses Shapira'straditional education,
steeped in Hebrew texts,
uniquely positioned himto become one of the earliest
(06:04):
scholars in the studyof Paleo-Hebrew.
His deep understanding ofthese ancient scripts
set the stage for hispivotal role in interpreting
significantarchaeological finds.
One such find is the MeshaStele, also known
as the Moabite Stone.
This artifact, inscribed inPaleo-Hebrew, was the first
(06:26):
of its kind to be discovered.
The stele provides crucialhistorical insights into
the Moabites, a peoplementioned in biblical texts.
Intriguingly, the narrative onthe Mesha Stele parallels
the account in 2 Kings of theOld Testament, the connection
between the Moabite Stoneand the biblical narrative.
(06:50):
Could this stele be evidenceof the accuracy of the Bible?
Scholars say yes, butShapira's scholarly pursuits
didn't end there.
He also was asked to translatethe Siloam inscription found
in the City of David.
His translation recognizedthat this inscription
supported the biblicalstory of the construction
of a water tunnel duringKing Hezekiah's reign,
(07:13):
as recorded in 2 Kings 20.
These discoveries helped solvespeculation about the accuracy
and historicity of thebiblical accounts.
By the end of 1871,Moses Shapira had become
a respected dealerin antiquities,
eventually specializingin manuscripts.
Thanks to successful venturesinto Yemen and Egypt,
(07:36):
Shapira then acquired avaluable collection
of Hebrew manuscripts.
The Royal Museum in Berlinpurchased some of them
and the famed British Museumpurchased many others.
So suspended outside hisshop, a white sign bearing
the gold letters readMoses W. Shapira,
Bookseller and Antiquarian.
(07:58):
The five-fold Jerusalem crossoccupied the center of the site,
and beneath it was thedesignation, Correspondent
to the British Museum.
One day, some Arab visitors,including a noted sheikh,
entered the cluttered shop andmade their way to find Shapira
in his usual place.
He sat at a table in alittle nook, surrounded by
(08:21):
a precious collection of copiesof the Talmud, Gospels,
and the Torah scrolls.
However, Shapira's visitorshad come to speak of the chance
discovery of someblackened leather strips
with barely discerniblewriting on them.
Shapira's interest wasimmediately piqued.
The story was, therewas a group of Bedouins.
(08:43):
These Bedouin tribesmensought refuge in a cave
in the desolate wildernesseast of the Dead Sea,
a place where history'ssecrets were long buried.
This valley, once knownin ancient times as the Arnon River,
etched into the Book of Numbers,was no ordinary place,
a land steepedin biblical history.
(09:04):
Inside this cave, somethingfar more enigmatic awaited,
a bundle meticulously wrapped infaded cloth, blackened strips
of ancient leather inscribedwith cryptic symbols,
a language lost to time.
Shapira too felt the pull.
It called to him as if hehad always been a part
of its story.
(09:25):
♪
[Narrator] Jerusalem, 1878.
Could it be that historyhas repeated itself?
Sixty years before the fameddiscovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls,
a group of Bedouinsstumbled upon an ancient
scroll near those samemysterious waters.
The story is almosttoo similar to ignore.
(09:47):
Ancient scrolls, hidden in acave, wrapped in cloth,
coated with a tar-likesubstance, originally dismissed
as a forgery untilscience proved otherwise.
But is this merecoincidence, or does it hint
at a pattern lost to time?
This was not the first timesuch discoveries were made.
As early as the 3rd century,Origen, a church father,
(10:11):
spoke of manuscripts unearthedfrom jars near the Dead Sea,
a tale echoed by Eusebius.
And again, around 800 CE,Bishop Timotheus of Baghdad
wrote of another such find.
Each discovery, strikinglyalike, raises questions
that challenge ourunderstanding of the past.
(10:33):
Are these simply randomoccurrences, or do they
suggest a deliberate effort topreserve ancient scriptures,
scriptures waitingto be found?
Now back to Shapira's shop.
For the price of a bakshish,just a few gold coins,
the Bedouin tribe handedover the leather scrolls,
many being more legiblethan the others.
(10:54):
For several weeks, in aworkspace above the best
tourist stop in Jerusalem'sOld City, the 16 leather
strips of text began to yieldtheir long-held secrets.
The message on themanuscript amazed Shapira.
He soon came to believe thathe might have performed
the most significantarchaeological discovery
(11:17):
of all time.
Shapira recognized thenarrative as a version
of the Bible's Bookof Deuteronomy,
but with notable differences.
Like Deuteronomy, Shapira'sscroll contained a version
of the Ten Commandments,but combined the first two
commandments into one andadded a new commandment,
(11:37):
number 10, you shall not hateyour brother in your heart.
Doesn't that soundlike Jesus' words?
So this scroll is likethe Deuteronomy scrolls
that were found later inthe Dead Sea scrolls
that were also writtenin Paleo-Hebrew.
♪
[Narrator] Berlin, 1883.
(12:00):
When Moses Shapira translatedthe ancient scroll,
he turned to Germany, a landwhere he had connections
within the Berlin Museum andamong key German scholars,
scholars who had been developingthe documentary hypothesis,
a theory thatintended to undermine
the Bible's authenticity.
The reception of Shapira'sscrolls was mixed,
(12:22):
leaving him unsatisfied.
But why?
Could it be that Germany,the birthplace of liberal
theology, was not ready toconfront what these scrolls
might reveal?
Shapira then set his sights onEngland, a nation that stood
at the heart ofa spiritual war.
(12:42):
In the 19th century,England was the epicenter
of a fierce battle betweenhumanism, liberal theology,
and a biblical Christianitythat revered the Word of God.
Was this a simple geographicchoice, or was Shapira drawn
to the pulse of a conflictthat had global implications?
England was not just anynation, it was the home of men
(13:06):
like John Wesley and GeorgeWhitefield, the driving forces
behind the First andSecond Great Awakenings.
It was a country using itsempire to spread missionaries
across the world.
Queen Victoria herself hadinitiated biblical archaeology
in the Holy Land, seeking touncover the sacred truths
(13:27):
of Scripture.
In London, Charles Spurgeon,the Prince of Preachers,
filled the world's firstmega-church with sermons
that stirred thehearts of thousands.
Yet, just across town, KarlMarx preached the tenets
of atheist communism, whileCharles Darwin advanced
(13:48):
his theory of humanistevolution, challenging
the very notion of a creator.
Could it be that London, acity torn between faith
and doubt, was the truebattleground for the souls
of the world?
In this volatile environment,the discovery of an ancient
biblical manuscriptwas more than just
an archaeological find.
(14:09):
It was a spark that wasabout to ignite a global
spiritual revival.
The eyes of the world were onLondon, especially in America,
and when the news brokeof what may be the oldest
biblical manuscriptever found, well,
it made headlines worldwide.
The London Museum put themon display, and for weeks,
(14:30):
people stood in linejust to see them.
Even the Prime Minister,William Gladstone, who was
excited because he could readsome of the Hebrew because he,
like many Britishpoliticians of the day,
was a Bible scholar.
The whole generation wassteeped in the Bible.
[Narrator]Gladstone sensing the monumental implications,
(14:50):
swiftly appointedDavid Ginsburg, the leading biblical
scholar of his time,tasked with authenticating
the Shapira Scrolls.
Initially, Ginsburg wasoptimistic, believing
the scrolls might begenuine ancient artifacts
with the potentialto revolutionize
biblical scholarship.
Prime Minister Gladstone,equally excited,
(15:11):
began raising funds to acquire
the scrolls for theBritish Museum.
But as Ginsburg examinedthe scrolls further,
doubts began to emerge.
The text was in Paleo-Hebrew,a script only seen
on stone inscriptions.
The idea that a scroll couldsurvive thousands of years
in a cave was almostunthinkable in the 1880s,
(15:32):
long before theDead Sea Scrolls would prove otherwise.
This skepticism, combinedwith limited archaeological
knowledge of the time,led many to question
the scrolls' authenticity.
Yet, the Shapira Scrollswere more than just
a historical curiosity.
They were a potential threatto established religious
and academic beliefs.
(15:54):
If authentic, they couldhave confirmed the integrity
of the biblical text inways that challenged
contemporary scholarship.
In the end, the scrolls weredismissed as forgeries,
sold at auction for a mere £20sterling, and subsequently
lost to history.
The mystery deepened whenMoses Shapira, the man behind
the scrolls, was founddead in his hotel room,
(16:16):
under suspicious circumstances.
Was Shapira's tragic fatemerely the consequence
of a man undone by circumstance?
Or is there morehidden in the shadows?
His death only added to theenigma of the Shapira Scrolls,
a puzzle that remainsunsolved to this day.
It's an amazing story thatreads like an international
(16:38):
detective mystery.
There's renewed interestin this lost scroll
because it supports theauthenticity of the Bible.
And today, there are groupsof people all over the world
coming through archiveslooking for Shapira's
lost scroll, with so manyscholars coming out in support
of the scrolls in thelight of hindsight.
(16:59):
It's also a cautionary taleto not throw away artifacts,
because later, theymay actually turn out
to be legitimate.
This has happened to fragmentsof the dead sea scrolls
that initially were declaredforgeries and are now
validated as technologyimproves and new ways
of imaging, well,they're invented.
(17:22):
[Narrator] London,England, 1896.
These twin sisters whoselives defy the conventions
of their time, transforming theminto real-life action heroes.
These remarkable women werenot just scholars who spoke
seven languages, theywere adventurers, driven
by a relentless pursuit ofknowledge and a fearless spirit,
(17:44):
setting out fromthe familiar landscapes
of Victorian England to thescorching deserts of Egypt.
Agnes and Margaret weredriven by a profound interest
in Jewish culture,languages, and texts.
Their fluency in ancientHebrew opened doors
to secrets long buried inthe sands of time.
(18:05):
Their contributions tobiblical scholarship
were nothing short ofrevolutionary.
They uncovered manuscriptsthat would reshape
our understanding ofreligious history.
The hunt for early Biblemanuscripts was among the most
romantic of all the 19thcentury's grand quests.
Now meet these two amazingwomen adventurers,
(18:28):
they were real-lifeIndiana Jones characters.
Agnes Smith Lewis and MargaretDunlop Gibson were twin sisters
who made significantcontributions to biblical scholarship.
They were active members of thechurch and devout Christians.
Agnes and Margaret were bornin Scotland and they were both
(18:50):
educated at home.
Steeped in the Bible, atthe height of the Scottish
Revival, they developed a keeninterest in the languages
and the biblical studiesfrom a very early age.
These two remarkable womenemerged as epic adventurers
earning the monikerSinai Sisters.
Driven by an insatiable thirstfor knowledge, they traversed
(19:12):
perilous deserts sittingatop camels, seeking
ancient manuscripts hiddenwithin forgotten monasteries.
Their daring exploitscaptivated the public,
weaving a tale as thrilling asany cinematic masterpiece.
These intrepid sisters,revered in both popular lore
and academic circles, left anindelible scholarly legacy.
(19:36):
Among their most celebrateddiscoveries was the Syriac
manuscript of the Gospels ofSinai, an invaluable relic
dating back to the late 4thcentury, representing one of
the earliest complete Gospels.
[Narrator] Cairo, 1890.
♪
In the ancient shadow of thepyramids, another remarkable
(19:58):
discovery was made inCairo, the Cairo Genizah.
This hidden chamber containedover 200,000 documents
offering a treasure trove ofancient biblical manuscripts.
Could the secrets of theGenizah shed light on
historical insights?
So let me tell you anotheramazing story about
(20:19):
discovering ancientbiblical manuscripts.
The word Genizah isof Hebrew origin.
It comes from a Hebrew rootwhich means hiding or storage.
In Jewish tradition, a Genizahrefers to a storage area,
typically within a synagogueor another sacred space,
where worn out or damagedreligious texts and documents
(20:39):
are stored respectfully due
to their containingthe name of God.
In fact, just to be safe, theysometimes save any paper that
might have the name of Godwritten on it or mention God
or be considered sacred, justto be sure that they don't
throw away something thatshould have been saved.
For example, a personal letterwhere they may have discussed
(21:00):
prayer or the Torah, etc.
So could it be thatJosiah found
a Genizah when they wererepairing the temple
and found a Torah scroll?
Or could it be that's whythere were so many scrolls
found in the Dead SeaScrolls collection?
Well, listen to this.
In the 1890s in Egypt, theywere remodeling the ancient
(21:21):
Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo,and they found a hidden room
that contained over 200,000documents going back over
1,000 years.
Well, the word of thisdiscovery slowly leaked out.
In fact, in Moses Shapira'snotes, he documents several
Torah manuscripts he recoveredfrom the ancient synagogue
(21:41):
in Cairo and then soldto the British Museum.
♪
[Narrator] In the unfolding sagaof historical discovery,
the intrepid sisters playedan indispensable role
in the initial revelationof the Cairo Genizah.
In 1896, their journey ledthem to the venerable
Ben Ezra synagogue in Old Cairo.
(22:02):
There, they unearthedand acquired several
ancient Hebrew manuscripts froma local synagogue official.
Despite their expertise inHebrew, the sisters found
themselves perplexed by someof the biblical Hebrew texts
they encountered.
Sensing the profoundimportance of these documents,
they sought the expertiseof Solomon Schechter,
(22:23):
a distinguished Jewishstudies scholar from Oxford
University, renownedfor his proficiency
in biblical Hebrew.
Schechter, invigorated by thediscovery, secured permission
to explore thesynagogue's Genizah.
Amidst the dust and shadows,he meticulously sifted through
the time-worn manuscripts andfaded scrolls, unearthing
(22:45):
a vast collection ofover 200,000 ancient
Jewish documents.
Within this ancient synagogue,a long-forgotten chamber had
safeguarded a trove of Jewishhistory for over a millennium,
including some biblicalmanuscripts that paralleled
those later found among theDead Sea Scrolls, such as
ancient Torah scrolls andthe Damascus document
(23:07):
about the Zadokite priestin the Jerusalem Temple.
Through strategic negotiation,Solomon Schechter gathered
a substantial portionof these documents.
He transported sackfuls ofmanuscripts back to London
via ship for detailed study.
This monumental event not onlyunveiled the Cairo Genizah, but
(23:27):
also ignited a wave ofscholarly research, revealing
one of the most significantrepositories of Jewish history
and culture.
Their efforts revealed a richtapestry of Jewish life,
documenting everything fromeveryday correspondence to
religious texts and legaldocuments offering insights
into ancient wisdomand tradition.
(23:47):
Scholars were struck by thehumanity captured within
these ancient texts.
For an example, listen to thisthat was found in the Genizah.
One mother named Rachel wrotea letter to her son that dates
back to the Middle Ages, andit stands out as a testament
to the enduring bonds offamily and a mother's love.
(24:08):
She writes to her son whois living in Cairo,
but the letter's in Yiddish.
Dear son, I'm so proudof your marriage.
I'm overjoyed bygranddaughters.
But why do youwrite so rarely?
I miss you so much.
(24:28):
Write more lettersto your mother.
Could you send me asimple shawl from Cairo?
It would be a comfort on coldnights, and be a piece of you
with me.
Write soon, dear son.
Love you always.
Your mother.
♪
(24:49):
Rachel's letter reminds usof the power of history
and the humanity that binds usall across time and space.
Through these ancient texts,we glimpse not only the past,
but also the timelesstruth that unites us
as human beings.
The revelations being broughtout by biblical archaeology
continue to reinforce theintegrity of God's Word.
(25:13):
And now we're learning newthings about Second Temple
Judaism in the time of Jesusthat help shed light
on biblical scholarship.
It's silencing the Biblecritics and helping the church
go and preach intoall the world.
This is the most exciting andimportant time in the church.
(25:33):
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, as we learnand we go back in history,
we are thrilled to see not onlythe continued validation
of Scripture, but Father, Ithank You in the stories
and the letters that we're ableto see that we understand
that this is a very real gospelthat we hold in our hands.
(25:54):
It's a very real book thatgives us insight in who
Jesus is and who the Godof our fathers was.
So Lord, we give You all thepraise for what You're doing.
Help ignite again in usthe value of the gospel.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let me take this momentto talk to you at home.
(26:15):
You're watching this programthat started many years ago.
Hundreds of hours ofprogramming and research
has gone into all of theepisodes of Revival Radio TV
to help youunderstand one thing.
It's for you and I to beencouraged to be the one,
to step up in our generationand share who Jesus is.
We all want to see revival.
(26:36):
And I know, like you, Ienjoy all of these stories
when we go back, whetherit's some scholarly research
or stories of divine healing andwhat God did in the 50s
and tent meetings.
All of these things go intowho we are as believers.
So we want to make sureyou have the opportunity
to invest in Revival Radio TV.
(26:58):
These shows aren't free.
Brother Copeland lets us putthis on the network
absolutely free to us,but we need support.
So if you'd like to make acheck, just make it payable
to Revival Radio TV, send itto Fort Worth, Texas 76192.
Or if you'd like to text togive, just simply use the code
RRTV to 36609 and includeyour dollar amount.
(27:23):
You can call 877-281-6297.
Or you can go online togovictory.com/RRTV
and follow the prompts tomake your donation online.
Thank you for helping us aswe continue to bring more,
more stories of revival, morestories that you haven't
(27:43):
heard before, more insightinto things that we thought
were settled.
And now we're learningthere's a whole new level
of truth that proves this,
Jesus is Lord.
♪
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