Ariel Sabar on Dirk Obbink

Ariel Sabar has done another great exposé on the current controversies involving stolen papyri, Dirk Obbink, Scott Carroll, the Green and Stimer collections, and the Egypt Exploration Fund. It is a fascinating and revealing read in an ongoing saga.

HT ETC

Winston - How Much Is an Unkosher Torah Worth?

Hella Winston writes an interesting investigative article entitled How Much Is an Unkosher Torah Worth?, looking into the market for old Torah scrolls no longer fit for ritual usage.

Årstein Justnes and Josephine Munch Rasmussen on Post-2002 Forgeries

Årstein Justnes and Josephine Munch Rasmussen have posted an interesting and challenging article The Post-2002 Fragments and the Scholars Who Turned Them Into Dead Sea Scrolls on the ASOR blog. After retelling the problematic history of the modern forgery of Dead Sea Scroll like fragments, they challenge the field of scholars who participated in this process, arguing that the scholars involved did not do due diligence and contributed to the creation and expansion of the market.

National Geographic Bible Hunters

National Geographic has posted an article Inside the cloak-and-dagger search for sacred texts. While much of it will be familiar to those following the field, the article contains numerous interesting interviews and is a good survey of important developments.

HT Peter Head

Unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls for Sale

Jack Sasson has pointed out an interesting article in Haaretz on the history of the sale of small Dead Sea Scrolls fragments to private collections. Apparently Kando retained several fragments in Switzerland and bequeathed them to his sons. William Kando has been selling them to private collections in Norway and the United States for very high prices. There are still some that have not been sold, and quite a few still unpublished.