Category Archives: Fakes and Forgeries

The Lying Pen of Scribes Project: An Appreciation

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

Over the last few years, I have had a number of occasions to mention The Lying Pen of Scribes, a project on the Dead Sea Scrolls funded by the Research Council of Norway. In fact, it may not be quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Fake Lead “Codex” in Rome?

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

Among codices that supposedly date to the Roman and late antique eras, there is a small set of “books” made of lead. Some of these made their first appearance in the last couple decades (the so-called Jordanian lead codices) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernard de Montfaucon, Fakes and Forgeries, Lead codices | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Roberta Mazza’s Stolen Fragments

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Brent Nongbri

I’ve just finished reading Roberta Mazza’s excellent new book, Stolen Fragments: Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts (Stanford: Redwood Press, 2024). This is a well organized and highly readable book. It tells a story–equal parts … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Bruce Ferrini, Dead Sea Scrolls, Dirk Obbink, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection, Lee Biondi, P.Sapph. Obbink, Scott Carroll | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Notes on a Forger’s Methods

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

John de Monins Johnson (1882-1956) was in some ways a kind of successor to Grenfell and Hunt for a short period in the early twentieth century. Before taking up a position at Oxford University Press, he had training as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Fakes and Forgeries | 5 Comments

The Question of Question Marks in Greek Manuscripts

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Brent Nongbri

I’ve been meaning to post for quite some time on a fascinating video from the 2021 Birmingham Colloquium on New Testament Textual Criticism. Elijah Hixson presented on P50, a papyrus bifolium containing Acts 8:26-32 and 10:26-31 kept at Yale’s Beinecke … Continue reading →

Posted in Fakes and Forgeries, Punctuation | 7 Comments

Ariel Sabar’s Veritas: Some First Reactions

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

Thanks to Doubleday for sending along an advanced copy of Ariel Sabar’s new book, Veritas. I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. Sabar’s detailed article on the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” in The Atlantic in 2016 … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Fakes and Forgeries | 12 Comments

The Capitoline Sappho

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

In the wake of the controversy over the “Newest Sappho” papyrus in the last few years , I’ve read more about the Greek poetess Sappho than I ever thought I would. In doing so, I realized that I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitoline Museum, Fakes and Forgeries, Inscriptions, P.Sapph. Obbink, Sculpture | 4 Comments

Forgeries, Inks, and Writing Surfaces

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

When I was writing God’s Library, I was constantly confronted with how little I knew about several domains of knowledge that are important for the study of ancient manuscripts. One of these areas is the more technical chemical make-up of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection, Ink | 13 Comments

Statement on the So-Called Dead Sea Scrolls of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

A couple days ago, Christianity Today reported that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is closing what it calls “the nation’s leading evangelical archaeology program.” At the same time, the Seminary itself issued a statement explaining the shuttering of the program, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries, William Kando | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Fake Dead Sea Scrolls and the People Who Sell Them: One Fragment’s Story

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

Two posts in recent days prompt me to wonder about the cast of characters involved in the marketing of the “post-2002 Dead Sea Scrolls like fragments” that most of the guild now regards as forgeries (though respected Dead Sea Scrolls … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection, Lee Biondi, Schøyen Collection | Tagged , , | 4 Comments