The Copper Scroll Project: An Ancient Secret Fuels the Battle for the Temple Mount

As long as inquisitive spirits still inhabit the world, there will be those who push the envelope of exploration. Sometimes it takes an adventurer with fiery soul to go where others fear to tread, taking the proverbial snake by its tail and propounding fresh new theories. Jim Barfield is one such unlikely researcher, whose quest for the secrets of the mysterious Copper Scroll has led him on an unparalleled excursion into the most controversial arena of ancient biblical scholarship, touching on hundreds of tons of buried gold and silver and even the fabled Ark of the Covenant. Agree or disagree with his avant-garde approach, his audacious journey will motivate and inspire. This story of Jim and his team is definitely worth a read! Kenneth L. Hanson Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Program in Judaic Studies at University of Central Florida The unraveling of the ancient codes of the Copper Scroll, by a gentile arson investigator from Oklahoma, is a true story filled with mystery, adventure, and a sense of history in the making. It is beautifully told by Shelley Neese who lets the reader discover along with her a secret that has been hidden for over 2,000 years. It is a great read that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat and anxiously awaiting the final chapter, yet to be written. Susan M. Michael US Director, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Neese's narrative pacing and story-telling is masterful. She gets the political and religious nuances of contemporary Israel. The Copper Scroll Project will inform even Jews like mewho do not hanker for a Third Temple and abhor the notion of a 21st century theocratic Israel. The genuineness and decency of Christians such as Jim Barfield who want to embrace the Jewish side of Jesus comes through as real and touching. Elliot Jager Jerusalem-based author and former editorial page editor at The Jerusalem Post The Copper Scroll Project, Shelley Neese's brilliant new work of nonfiction, is equal parts mystery, treasure hunt and erudite elucidation of biblical history. Add to that a cast of characters as quirky and compelling as Ocean's 11, a real-life plot ready made for Hollywood, and Neese's profound gifts as a storyteller, and you've got a book that will keep readers on the edges of their seats, even as it makes them reconsider much of what they thought they knew about the most puzzling Dead Sea Scroll of all. Read this book now! Chanan Tigay Author of The Last Book of Moses The Copper Scroll Project by Shelley Neese is a unique introduction not only to a famous biblical mystery but to the world of American Christian interest in Israel, which remains opaque or bewildering to many outsiders, and is often caricatured. Shelley is an observer and a participant both in the treasure hunt and in that religious world, so the book will require a leap of faith on the part of a general reader who doesn't operate under the same assumptions, but her enthusiasm carries the story along and it's a worthwhile education.xa0I pass Qumran all the time and have always considered it to be basically a pile of rocks; now I see it a bit differently... Matti FriedmanAuthor of The Aleppo Codex and Pumpkinflowers Shelley Neese is the Vice President of The Jerusalem Connection International (TJCI), a nonprofit Christian organization based out of Washington DC. TJCI’s mission is to inform, educate, and activate support for Israel and the Jewish people. Shelley lived and studied in Israel from 2000-2004, where she learned conversational Hebrew and received her M.A in Middle Eastern Studies from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Shelley has been present for the most central events in The Copper Scroll Project over the last decade, including the initial excavation at Qumran in 2009. She currently resides in Washington DC with her four children and husband, a Lieutenant Colonel and family physician in the U.S. Air Force.