How I Came to Write "Unholy Business"

I felt like I was in a movie, or maybe a character in Sheherezade's 1,001 Arabian Nights.

Let me explain.

When I was about seven, I wanted to be an archaeologist. Then, around age nine or ten, my career goal shifted to spy or detective.

Instead of doing anything as exciting as that, though, I graduated from college with an English degree and went into the writing and reporting business, where I've been ever since. One of the best parts of being a journalist is the experience you get covering stories. I possess the soul of a junior high school English teacher, forever squirming when people misuse pronouns in front of me, and always thinking of the better word to use, but because of journalism, I have also been able to experience life as its lived by much, much wilder and more interesting people.

When I first thought about writing a book about biblical archaeological forgery, I didn't – at least consciously – realize that researching it would allow me to live out two of my more memorable childhood ambitions. I thought I was setting out to explore a story of a group of people charged with faking biblical relics to fool believers – and I was thinking mainly of Christian believers in the United States.

It turned out to be that, but also much, much more, involving greed, scholarship, archaeology, theology, nationalism, and Middle Eastern politics.

It also led me – via the back alleys of Jerusalem's Old City and the dusty roads of the Galilee and the Negev – to meet some of the most eccentric and interesting people I have ever met – people engaged in life work that is obscure, and which totally piqued my curiosity.

From the minute I got on the first plane ride from Newark airport to Tel Aviv, I felt like I was on a grand adventure. That sense never left me, even when I was back in my apartment, with all my notes and tapes, typing away on the book.

I really enjoyed working on this book and I love talking about it. I'd like to know: what is it about the Middle East, biblical archaeology, the trade in ancient history, is it that intrigues you?

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