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Codex Sassoon sells for $38 million at auction

An 1100-year-old manuscript has sold for $38,126,000 (US), making it the most valuable medieval manuscript to be auctioned. The Codex Sassoon, which contains an almost complete version of the Hebrew Bible, was purchased by Alfred H. Moses and will be donated to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Israel.

Moses, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Romania from 1994 to 1997, commented on why he wanted to give this manuscript to the museum: “The Hebrew Bible is the most influential book in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western civilization. I rejoice in knowing that it belongs to the Jewish People. It was my mission, realizing the historic significance of Codex Sassoon, to see that it resides in a place with global access to all people. In my heart and mind that place was the land of Israel, the cradle of Judaism, where the Hebrew Bible was originated. In Israel at ANU, it will be preserved for generations to come as the centerpiece and gem of the entire and extensive display and presence of the Jewish story.”

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The Codex Sassoon dates back to the late ninth or early tenth century, and has a long history. It was auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, who was expecting that the item would be bought for between $30 and $50 million.

The Institute for Hebrew Bible Manuscript Research recently released a report on the Codexm after examining the manuscript under visible, near-infrared, and ultraviolet light. They determined it has links with another important Jewish medieval manuscript, the Aleppo Codex, and could not have been written any later than 925 CE.

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Please visit the ANU Museum of the Jewish People for more details

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