Did the Shapira manuscript betray an unambiguously Pentateuchal perspective? A rejoinder to Stackert

Abstract

Jeffrey Stackert sees signs that the Shapira manuscript responds to a compiled Pentateuch, which suggests to him that it cannot be the proto-biblical book that Idan Dershowitz claims. We find that Stackert’s conclusions overlook the possibility of independent scrolls or traditions circulating separately for an extended period before the canonical Pentateuchal compilation. We also present an example drawn from the Midianite episode (Num. 25) to show that the manuscript may have, in fact, been drawn from an earlier version of the canonical Pentateuch.