Will a New Auction Record of 64.5 Billion Won Be Set for Ancient Manuscripts... Hebrew Bible

Sotheby's Offers Estimated Highest Price of 64.5 Billion KRW
Likely to Surpass Winning Bid of First Edition US Constitution from 2 Years Ago

The Codex Sassoon, the oldest existing Hebrew Bible, is drawing attention as it goes up for auction this spring.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the New York Times (NYT) on the 15th (local time), Sotheby's announced that it has set the estimated price of the 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible 'Codex Sassoon,' to be auctioned in New York this May, at $30 million to $50 million (approximately 38.7 billion to 64.5 billion KRW).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

This Bible is attracting public attention as it is highly likely to break the record for the highest price ever paid for a historical document, set by billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin when he purchased a first edition of the U.S. Constitution two years ago for $43.2 million (about 51.1 billion KRW). At that time, Griffin bought the first edition of the U.S. Constitution for $15 million more than the estimated price.

Sotheby's believes there is a high possibility of setting a new record considering the historical significance of this Bible. Since the oldest existing biblical manuscript, the Dead Sea Scrolls, are handwritten scrolls, Sotheby's explains that among Bibles in book form, this Bible, along with the 'Aleppo Codex' kept in a museum in Israel, is the oldest.

Moreover, unlike the Aleppo Codex, which lost nearly half of its pages in a fire in 1947, this Bible has been preserved almost intact except for only 12 pages, making it even more valuable, Sotheby's explained.

The oldest Hebrew Bible revealed by Sotheby's, 'Codex Sassoon'
Photo by EPA·Yonhap News

According to Sotheby's, the Codex Sassoon is estimated to have been created in the late 9th or early 10th century. It is a massive book with 396 parchment pages, 13 cm thick, and weighing 12 kg. The Codex Sassoon, composed of 24 small books, also includes the Old Testament, known to Jews as the 'Tanakh.'

Initially sold by a man named Kalaf ben Abraham in the early 11th century, the Codex Sassoon was dedicated to a synagogue in northeastern Syria until the 13th century. However, after the synagogue was completely destroyed by the Timurid Empire's attack in 1400, its whereabouts remained unknown for nearly 600 years.

It reappeared in 1929 when collector David Solomon Sassoon purchased it. The name 'Codex Sassoon' is derived from David Solomon Sassoon's name. This Bible was sold to the British Railways Pension Fund for $320,000 in 1978 and then sold again 11 years later to Jackie Safra, a Lebanese-Swiss banker, for $3.1 million.

Sotheby's plans to publicly exhibit this book for the first time in London, UK, on the 22nd, then display it in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the end of March, before conducting the auction in New York in May.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.