- An ancient Hebrew Bible, which is more than 1000 years old, is being sold at auction.
- The Codex Sassoon is "the earliest, most complete text of its kind," auction house Sotheby's said.
An ancient Hebrew Bible dating back over 1,000 years is set to be sold at auction at an estimated price of between $30 million and $50 million. This would make it the most expensive book or manuscript ever sold.
The book is "the earliest, most complete text of its kind," and dates to the late ninth or early 10th century, according to auction house Sotheby's, which cited scientific and palaeontological evidence.
Referred to as the "Codex Sassoon," after its modern owner David Solomon Sassoon, a member of the wealthy Iraqi-Jewish Sassoon family, the bible is being sold for the first time in 30 years.
First, however, it will be exhibited in London, Tel Aviv, Dallas, and Los Angeles, before being auctioned in New York in May.
It has been largely out of public view for centuries.
Sotheby's said the Codex Sassoon could exceed the sale price of a first printing of the US constitution, which sold for $43 million in November 2021.
The ancient Hebrew Bible contains notes which shine a light on its longevity, including details referring to an early 11th-century sale and a dedication to a 13th-century Syrian synagogue, which was later destroyed by Mongols, according to Sotheby's.
The Hebrew Bible, which is known as a "tanakh," is a canonical collection of scriptures containing 24 books divided into three parts. These three parts consist of the Torah, known as the Pentateuch, Nevi'im, also called the Prophets, and Ketuvim, referred to in English as the Writings.
A staple of the Jewish religion, the Hebrew Bible is also followed in parts by Christians, who call it the Old Testament, as well as Muslims.
Richard Austin, Sotheby's Global Head of Books and Manuscripts, described the Codex Sassoon in a statement to Insider as "undeniably one of the most important and singular texts in human history," and said it holds "a revered and fabled place in the pantheon of surviving historic manuscripts."
Austin added: "With such eminence, the Codex has an incomparable presence and gravitas that can only be borne from more than 1,000 years of history."
Sharon Mintz, a Sotheby's senior specialist in Judaica, said in a statement that the Codex Sassoon brings to light "the full story of the Hebrew Bible that had previously never been presented in book form."