Oldest Nearly Complete Hebrew Bible Sells for $38.1 Million

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Codex Sassoon, believed to date from the late 9th or early 10th century, was bought at Sotheby’s by the American Friends of the ANU — Museum of the Jewish People.

The Codex Sassoon, the oldest nearly complete Hebrew Bible known to survive, dates from the late 9th or early 10th century. It is missing roughly eight leaves. | Eric Helgas for The New York Times
The oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible sold at Sotheby’s for $38.1 million on Wednesday, one of the highest prices for a book or historical document ever sold at auction.

The volume, known as the Codex Sassoon, includes all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, minus about eight leaves, including the first 10 chapters of Genesis. Researchers have dated it to the late ninth or early 10th century, making it the oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible known to exist. Since 1989, it has been owned by the Swiss financier and collector Jacqui Safra, and has been seen by few scholars. » | Jennifer Schuessler | Wednesday, May 17, 2023