“Codex Sassoon: The Oldest Hebrew Bible Goes on Display and Up for Auction”

The Codex Sassoon, one of the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, is exhibits at Sotheby’s auction house in New York before going up for auction in mid-May.

Codex Sassoon: a unique piece in the history of mankind

Written by a single Jewish scribe on 400 parchment pages approximately 1,100 years ago, the Codex Sassoon is considered one of humanity’s most important and unique historical documents. According to Richard Austin, Sotheby’s World Director of Books and Manuscripts, the Codex possesses an “incomparable presence and gravity”.

The manuscript is named after David Solomon Sassoon, a book collector who acquired it in 1929, and has since passed through various hands, including Jacqui Safra, a member of a distinguished Jewish banking family.

Carbon dating revealed that the Sassoon Codex is about 1,100 years old. Only the Dead Sea Scrolls and some fragmentary medieval texts are older, said Yosef Ofer, a professor of biblical studies at Israel’s Bar Ilan University.

The Codex Sassoon contains the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, with only 12 leaves missing. According to Sotheby’s, it offers “a critical view of the development and spread of the Abrahamic religions, as well as the broader transition from oral to literary traditions.”

Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s senior specialist in Judaica books and manuscripts, says the Sassoon Codex marks a critical turning point in the history of the Hebrew Bible and its influence on civilization throughout the centuries.

Million Dollar Codex Sassoon Auction

The Codex Sassoon will be auctioned off on May 17, with an estimated price of between $30 million and $50 million, which could make it the most expensive book or document ever sold.

The exhibit at Sotheby’s in New York offers a rare opportunity for the public to see the ancient manuscript in person. Sotheby’s Galleries are free and open to the public, but an appointment is required to view the Codex Sassoon.