The Oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible in the world He is on his way to breaking a new record. Next May this unique and historically valuable specimen will be Auctioned in NY for a value that -estimated- will be around 50 million dollars. If completed, it will become the most valuable printed text or historical document ever sold at auction.
In 2021, Sotheby’s carried out an auction that, to this day, is considered the most expensive in history. He was the billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin who broke the record by paying $43.2 million when you buy the first edition of the United States Constitution. Prior to that, in 1994, Bill Gates had acquired the Hammer Codex -a collection of scientific writings and drawings by the painter Leonardo da Vinci- by $30.8 million.
On this occasion, it is the Codex Sassoonholy book of 1,000 years old, which offers a fundamental link between the Jewish oral tradition and the modern Hebrew Bible. Its name is due to its previous owner, the collector david solomon sassoonwho acquired it in 1929 and thus brought together one of the most important private collections of Judaic and Hebraic manuscripts of the 20th century.
As Sotheby’s was able to determine, from a carbon study that its current owner -Jacqui Safra- ordered to carry out on the document, it was learned that it is older than the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codextwo other important ancient Hebrew Bibles.
“It is, without a doubt, one of the most important and unique texts in the history of humanity”stated Richard Austinworld director of books and manuscripts at Sotheby’s, to which was added the voice of Sharon Liberman Mintzmain specialist in Judaica of the same department, who assured that “The Hebrew Bible is the fundamental and sacred text for the peoples of the whole world”.
Thus, scientists have identified thanks to paleographic details that the Codex Sassoon dates from late 9th or early 10th century and Contains almost the entire Bible. The oldest copies of Biblical text that were known until then were the Dead Sea Scrollsdiscovered in caves in 1947, so it builds a bridge between that version and the current form.
In its margins it contains numerous inscriptions, annotations and other notes made by the previous owners or even by communities that used it to pray.
Sotheby’s has expressed that this document is a “key link in Jewish history” and a “benchmark in the history of humanity.”
While waiting to be auctioned, the codex or manuscript will be public exposure at Sotheby’s London and, later, will travel to Tel Aviv, Dallas, The Angels and NY. It will be the first time in 40 years that people will be able to access it.
The Hebrew Bible consists of 24 different books organized into three parts -the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings- and begins with Genesis to conclude with the chronicles. It is considered the basis of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
(With information from EFE, Reuters and AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com