Whether or not you are a person of a faith is unlikely to determine your opinion of Chanan Tigay’s extremely enjoyable new book, The Lost Book of Moses: The Hunt For The World’s Oldest Bible. It will delight anyone who finds religion or its history even remotely arresting. At once a mystery and a historical yarn, Mr. Tigay’s book is also a reminder that humor and a real sense of fun can enliven a serious piece of work.
Tigay repeatedly insists that he would keep seeking the scrolls whether they turned out to be fraudulent or not — 'humans, by nature, are proof seekers' — but in the spirit of discovery, I’ll refrain from revealing what he does find, because the adventures he goes through to get there — and the eminently human character of Shapira that he rescues from history’s dustbin — are more than worth the suspense. A rollicking tale all its own, The Lost Book of Moses is a page-turning adventure that will engross proof-seeking readers everywhere.
Almost as gripping as his subject’s adventures is the author’s historical treasure hunt. Tigay does battle with the fog of time and comes to question many assumptions posing as settled historical fact. Along the way he encounters other 'Shapiramaniacs,' including one Yoram Sabo (there could hardly be more than one), a filmmaker who had already been on the case for 30 years. This may not be the greatest story ever told, but it's a pretty darned good one.
