The Sassoon Codex, named after its best-known owner, David Solomon Sassoon (died in 1942), dates from the tenth century of the Christian era, or even the end of the ninth century, according to Sotheby's, which will proceed with the sale.
This bound manuscript (codex) contains the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or "Tanakh", Hebrew acronym for Torah (or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible), Prophets ("Neviim" in Hebrew), and other writings ("Ketuvim"). Only 12 leaves are missing. It is on display from Thursday at the Museum of the Jewish People, on the campus of Tel Aviv University.
"This is one of the most wonderful moments of my life as a curator," said Orit Shaham Gover, head of the museum, for whom "this ancient bible reflects the history of the Jewish people from antiquity to today."
This Hebrew Bible also contains passages in Greek and Aramaic and is in a visibly exceptional state of preservation.
It had disappeared for more than 500 years after the destruction of the synagogue in Makisin (now Markada, northeastern Syria) in which it stood before reappearing in 1929, said Sharon Mintz, a scholar of Judaism texts at Sotheby's.
According to carbon-14 dating, the Sassoon Codex is older and more complete than the Aleppo Codex, written in Galilee in the tenth century and brought back to Israel in the 1950s after being found in that Syrian city.
The manuscript is also considered to predate the Leningrad Codex, the oldest surviving copy of the text of the Hebrew Bible, and dated to the early eleventh century.
"The Sassoon Codex has only been presented to the public once, decades ago, and is now on display before being auctioned at Sotheby's in New York for approximately $30 million to $50 million, making it potentially the most expensive manuscript ever sold at auction," the auction house said in a statement.
The sale is scheduled to take place in May, during the classic spring sales season organized by the giants of the sector in New York.
© 2023 AFP