New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-20
THE SHAPIRA Manuscript.

A literal translation is given by The London Times
~ the onenne chapter of the manuscript Deuteron-
omy. which Mr.. Shapiro processes to have found
among the Arabs in Asia Minor, but which, as was
stated in THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE's special cable
letter. is pronounced by some authorities TO be a
forgery The text of the manuscript is as follows:
COL
"rbese he the words which Moses spake according to
the mouth of Jehovah all the chdren of Israel in
me wilderness beyond Jordan in the plain Goo our
God spake unto us in Horeo. SAYING le nave nave
Tcnr aUrey and 20 TO the mount of the Amores. and
unto an the places nigh hereunto. IN the plain IN the
hills and i'm the vale and by the seaside AUD wlen we
from Horeb we went through all that great and
and terrible wilderness which We saw and we came 10
Kadesh Barnea And said unto YOU &c are come s a
day unto the mountain of the AmoIles 20 ye up ana
possess the land, said unio thee the GOO OF ty
And We murmured and said, Because tGedl hated us.
TO cause US 10 perish "a, Ana GUe was Sn9 ny
people that My wonders and My signs wmeh nave
S1 sSss S% ss voice: they shall not @
land which sware to give unto their fathers save your
Son of Nun which standeh before thee they sna go IN
Iither aud unto them will give It, But as Tor you,
Tic way OF the Red Sea, until all the generation Of the
men OF rebellion snal b. wasted out from among the
of rebellion were wasted by death from among the
host. . Ye are 10 pass over this day the coss! OF
not disiiess them, NEEDLE with them in war, for
will not give you Of their land any @ because
The Hor from OF old dwelt therein, and the children
OF Esau succeeded them and dwelt IN their stead Aud
We turned and passed the wilderness OF Moab And God
OF MOAB Ye snail not distress them. nor NEEDLE
with riem in war, for L will not give You
OF their land any possession. because l have
Sossesion Tue giants dwelt therein Of old. and
Tue Moabites oalled them Amin. but God destroyed
and IS passed tue brook zerd And God said unto
tayin-l Rise ye up and pass over the river Arnon,
the Am0rlte, King of Heshbon and his land. And we
went tortn against ahon to Janaz aud we smot mott,
biaa till we len him none 70 remain And We took
oil his cities from Arosr which is ny the olnk oil the
rver Arnoa unto Gilead ana unto the oroPh 'aoooh;
God our GoI delivered al unIo us ihen we lurne9 i
and went up the way OF the brook Jaobok And God
said unto me- saving Ye are TO pass tS DAY Ine coSs
OF the land OF the ellldren OF Anmon, y, Ne
shall not distress them or medtlo with tiem IN war,
The and OF the children of Ammon for possession.
Tie giants dwet therein from OF old. and the Ammon-
ties called them AZnZumulrD but COO destroyed tneln
before them, and they dwell in their stead"
Mr. Shapiro made, says The London Times the fol-
lowing statement concerning the manuscript 10
the authorities of the British Museum:
He first heard of the fragment in the middle Of
derent tribes to him at Lis place Of business in
Jerusalem other matters The Sheikh had nothing to
do with Antiquities. ihey spoke OF some little black
fragments writing in tue possession Of Arab They
had been found III the neighborhood o. the Arnon one
of the Arabs spoke OF them as taisnans sIneing OF
asphalte The day following Shapiro was invited to dn
ner by te snesa and heard more about the FRAGMENTS
Arabs had hid themselves among rocks Ihefe, on the
eide or a rocky cavern, they Loulu seNeiai Dunules
wrapped IN linen. Peeling of the covering they
found only black fragments, which they threw away.
They were picked up by one OF the Arabs believing
them be talismans. he kept them As SUCH. and
became r1ch, as he thought IN consequence This was
probably ten years more before shapiro heard
OF them. Captain Conder knows the exact ZINE
Shapiro promised the Shekh reward II he would bring
bim Arab he spoke OF VINO would De able 10 set
hold of tue Fragments This happened the day OF the
dlnDer The Sheikh fell i'll and afterward died About
ten twelve days after the dinner mau OF the Aayah
tribe brought to him small piece, containing Tour col
umns A few words only were leg1Dle week AFTER,
on sunday he fourteen fifteen columns con-
tanning the clearer writing Thenext sunday he brought
fourteen fifteen columns Ia anot1ef character
of writing but all OF form. Ten days after, on
wednesday he brought three or four columns, very
black Shapiro saw nothing more of nln AIier an In
Sclottanu the oath OfSeptember soon after also 10
Dr Reu. writings lsoine Of hem)1D better con-
dton tau present SchlotmaD wrote that they were
1abricatiOns, aud DlaInea shaplra IOr Gaining them
sacred text He never saw the writings themselves,
only ShapIras COPY Schottmann wrote IN similar terms
10 tee Coasu at jerusalem Baron Won Munchasen aud
desired hm 20 prevent shaplra from INA KING tne ma
public Then Shapiro wrote or elegraphed TO Dr. Rieu
that the writings iOrgeries, and that he was
10 take steps ia respect 10 them This he did in
consequence OF SchOttmGnu Judgment OF tcID and the
reasons on when II was founded He placed them In a
bank Jerusalem subsequently, be began 10 reconsider
Schiotmann objections. and he found that they were
parity grounded Oh mistakes shapifa nae made IN dec
pnerng writing He felt better able TO Judge OF them
himself because he had had experience In manu-
scripts before Easter OF the present that he
Te-exsmined them, aud ne declphered them second
time Professor schroeder, Consul in Beyrout them
in the middle of May, 1888 and pronounced them gen
Inc He wanted TO purchase them. Shapiro took the
writings Lepsc at the end OF July to have them Pho
tOgrQplcd. Professors there saw them Dr. Hermann
believed them, did Professor Guthe who nds To
about them. They had been snearod with asphalte
originally a kind OF eMDalniment Iney became SUD
seduenty further darkeDed by the OF oil and spirit
TIE oil was used by Arab. counterae the brittle
ness, and 10 prevent their suffering from wet.