By COLlive staff
Codex Sassoon, the earliest most complete Hebrew bible extent dating to the late ninth to early tenth century, sold for a record-breaking $38.1 million on Wednesday – making it the most valuable manuscript ever sold at auction.
Appearing at auction for the first time in more than 30 years, Codex Sassoon was acquired by Ambassador Alfred H. Moses of Washington, DC and the Moses family on behalf of the American Friends of ANU and was gifted to ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The hammer fell after a 4-minute bidding battle between 2 determined bidders. The record-setting price surpasses the 1994 sale of Leonardo da Vinci‘s Codex Leicester manuscript, which achieved $30.8 million.
Codex Sassoon was recently on public exhibition at the ANU in March as part of Sotheby’s international traveling exhibition tour in advance of the auction, which also included exhibitions at Sotheby’s galleries in London and Los Angeles, and at Southern Methodist University’s Bridwell Library in Dallas, Texas. Across all exhibitions, including at Sotheby’s New York, the Codex attracted more than 20,000 visitors.
“Today’s record-breaking result directly reflects the profound power, influence, and significance of the Hebrew Bible, which is an indispensable pillar of humanity,” said Sharon Liberman Mintz, Sotheby’s Senior Specialist for Judaica, Books & Manuscripts.
“For over a year, I have had the distinct pleasure of researching and studying this historical text, and I am absolutely delighted by today’s monumental result and that Codex Sassoon will shortly be making its grand and permanent return to Israel, on display for the world to see,” she said.
As the earliest and most complete Hebrew bible extent – more than a millennium old – Codex Sassoon carries an incalculable influence as one of, if not the most, crucial religious sources to ever exist or have been discovered from ancient times. Providing critical insight into the development and spread of Abrahamic civilizations, the aforementioned text imparts a nearly meticulous record of the canonical Hebrew Scriptures: the Torah, the Nevi’im and the Ketuvim.
VIDEO:
on page https://archive.org/details/Sassoon_1053_Tanakh/page/n146/mode/1up
Petzuah Daka is psleed with an Aleph Vdal
ZS
Seems fitting this should be on display in Israel and a shtoltzkeit move by ANU/Moses..
Stahm Shaylos –
Who were the competing bidders?
Why is the embedded video titled $50 million Bible (if this sold at record price of 38mm)?
Why is the buyer (now) called Ambassador if he was one only for 3 years (to Romania 1994-1997)? [Is it – Once an Ambassador, always an Ambassador?]
3rd comment..
The video shows it sold for 33.5 million, not as the article says 38
There are fees to the auction house, and taxes added to the bid amount…
in the video they go to 33.5 million. How did that turn into 38? Tax?
S&H?
1. A very good question, one I indeed had myself. My best advice would be to go to the appropriate website and find out there, if you so please. (I have yet to do so myself (possibly as a result of a personal policy, guilt, or getting involved in something that may significantly waste time,) thus I can post no link. (Though a question would arrise if that is even appropriate on this platform, exclusively to share Chassidishe news updates and whatnot.) 2. From the aforementioned video you may deduce, that the video itself was created beforehand in order to… Read more »
Would be fascinating to be able to compare with what we have today….
Is that a possibility? Would that ever happen?
if jewish of course same -the actual text one of the ikkur emunah