Description: 1053 Codex Sassoon Dating to the 9th–10th century, Codex Sassoon is more complete than the Aleppo Codex and predates the Leningrad Codex by nearly a century. An early, nearly complete Hebrew Bible provides critical insight into the development and spread of Abrahamic religions as well as the broader transition from oral to literary traditions in the Levant.The History of the Codex Sassoon A 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible that is one of the world’s oldest surviving biblical manuscripts sold for $38 million in New York, becoming among the most expensive books ever bought. The earliest, most complete copy of the Hebrew Bible is actually a book known as Codex Sassoon, named for its most prominent modern owner: David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942), a passionate collector of Judaica and Hebraic manuscripts. Dating to the late 9th or early 10th century, Codex Sassoon contains all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible – missing only 12 leaves – and precedes the earliest entirely complete Hebrew Bible, the Leningrad Codex, by nearly a century. On 17 May 2023, when it comes to the block at Sotheby’s with an estimate of $30 to 50 million, Codex Sassoon could become the most valuable historical document ever sold at auction. The manuscript is the world’s oldest nearly complete copy of the Hebrew Bible. It was handwritten roughly 1,100 years ago on 792 pages of sheepskin, includes all 24 books of the Bible and is missing only about eight pages. Its writing and layout recall those of Torah scrolls read in synagogue. The manuscript is the world’s oldest nearly complete copy of the Hebrew Bible. It was handwritten roughly 1,100 years ago on 792 pages of sheepskin, includes all 24 books of the Bible and is missing only about eight pages. Its writing and layout recall those of Torah scrolls read in synagogue. The Codex Sassoon is believed to have been written sometime between 880 and 960. It got its name in 1929 when it was purchased by David Solomon Sassoon, a son of an Iraqi Jewish business magnate who filled his London home with his collection of Jewish manuscripts. Sassoon’s estate was broken up after he died and the biblical codex was sold by Sotheby’s in Zurich in 1978 to the British Rail Pension Fund for around $320,000, or $1.4 million in today’s dollars. The following are the contents of the manuscript, divided into 24 books as in the manuscript itself (numbers are from the page numbers in the online NLI scan, and reflect the fact that some pages have duplicates):Genesis: 003-035 (001-002=beginning of microfilm)Exodus: 035-078Leviticus: 077-100Numbers: 100-129Deuteronomy: 128-156Joshua: 156-172Judges: 172-188Samuel: 188-224Kings: 224-259Isaiah: 260-283Jeremiah: 283-315Ezekiel: 315-341Twelve Prophets: 341-363Chronicles: 364-403Psalms: 403-441Job: 441-452Proverbs: 452-460Ruth: 460-462Song of Songs: 462-463 (final page missing)Ecclesiastes: 464-467 (initial page missing)Lamentations: 467-469Esther: 469-476Daniel: 475-486Ezra: 485-512 (513=end of microfilm) Date: 1053Current Location: IsraelSize / Format: 792 pages / 43.2 x 38.5 cm / 17" X 15" Shipped with Free Express FEDEX delivery to worldwide. Limited to just 10 Deluxe leather-bound copies, bound by a master bookbinder/old medieval manuscript expert with 40 years of expertise in book restoration.
Price: 449.9 GBP
Location: Pinner
End Time: 2024-12-13T18:55:37.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 GBP
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Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
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Binding: Hardcover
Language: Hebrew
Year Printed: 1008
Original/Facsimile: Facsimile