The oldest known Hebrew Bible in the world is coming up at auction.
The Bible is more than 1,000 years old and valued at between $30 million and $50 million. It could make history as the most expensive historical document ever auctioned off if it reaches the $50 million mark.
“It is a vital touchstone of human history,” Richard Austin, global head of books and manuscripts for Sotheby’s, told NBC DFW.
Other high-priced historical documents have been bought by some of the richest and most famous people in the world.
Ken Griffin, a hedge fund billionaire, purchased a first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution for more than $43 million. Bill Gates bought the Codex Leicester, which features illustrations from Leonardo Da Vinci, for more than $30 million.
This Hebrew Bible, known as the Codex Sassoon, was part of a collection owned by David Solomon Sassoon, a prominent collector of Hebrew books who died in 1942.
According to Sotheby’s, the current owner was able to determine through carbon dating and scientific discovery how old the Bible is, making it even more valuable. The New York Times reported that the bible’s current owner is Swiss financier and collector Jacqui Safra.
That carbon dating determined the copy dated back to the late 9th or early 10th century, placing it close in age to, but likely older than, similar Hebrew Bibles such as the Aleppo Codex, which dates to approximately 930, and the Leningrad Codex, which dates to approximately 1008.
Besides being possibly the oldest surviving Hebrew Bible, the Codex Sassoon is also the most complete, according to Sotheby’s.
According to The Times of Israel, the Codex Sassoon was lost for six centuries after a synagogue in northeast Syria was destroyed. It did not resurface until 1929.
Sharon Liberman Mintz, an expert in Judaica and Sotheby’s senior Judaica consultant, told The New York Times that the manuscript, which was written on approximately 400 pages of parchment, was made with more than 100 animal skins and was considered quite expensive for its era.
“This represents the first time the text appears in the form where we can really read and understand it,” Mintz said, per The New York Times. “It’s a masterpiece of scribal art.”
