These toxins often aren't visible but they can damage your health.
In antiquity, the Jewish people came to rely on oral tradition, which was passed down through generations to understand and preserve the message of the Bible.
The Codex Sassoon was first exhibited publicly in 1982 at the British Museum in London. It took many years until it appeared in another exhibition.
However, these scrolls contained no verses, chapters, or punctuation.
It was sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2023, for US$38.1 million, making it the fourth most expensive book and manuscript ever sold.
But then came the scrolls. In the centuries prior to the writing of the Codex, there were only sections of biblical texts in scroll form. These came to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Another famous manuscript is the later Leningrad Codex, which dates back to 1008 CE.
The historic Bible was owned by Sassoon's descendants until 1978, when they sold it to the British Rail Pension Fund through Sotheby's Zurich.
Prior to its historic 2023 auction, the Codex Sassoon was exhibited for the first time since 1982. And this time it was around the world.
Sassoon purchased the Bible, and affixed his bookplate to the inside cover of the binding. It was later named the Codex Sassoon after him.
It was auctioned again through Sotheby's on December 5, 1989, to a dealer. It was then sold to investor Jacqui Safra that same year.
Missing only 12 leaves, the Codex Sassoon still contains all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible.
The Codex Sassoon is believed to be the very first codex, or manuscript in book form, of the Hebrew Bible.
However, the Codex Sassoon is the earliest, most complete copy of the Hebrew Bible.
It was owned by private individuals for several centuries before it was donated to the Makisin synagogue in northeastern Syria in the 13th century.
However, the synagogue was never reconstructed, and the Codex disappeared for several years.
These annotations from the 11th and 13th centuries, from around present-day Israel and Syria, hint at the epic journey the Codex has taken.
The historical significance of the codex is not just the printed material, but the handwritten annotations and inscriptions.
It wasn’t until the early Middle Ages that scholars known as the Masoretes began to create a body of notes that standardized the text of the Hebrew Bible.
The synagogue was destroyed sometime around the late 14th century. Luckily, the Bible was safeguarded by a community member who was required to return it once the synagogue was rebuilt.
The Codex Sassoon was on display in London, Tel Aviv, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.
Protected in a simple brown leather binding added during the 20th century, the book weighs 26 pounds (11 kg).
Though known to scholars in the 20th century, the book stayed under private ownership for several decades.
The Hebrew Bible is the foundation of the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Sadly, today fewer than 300 of the approximately 487 original folios of the Aleppo Codex survive.
One of the most well-known books to emerge from this project was the Aleppo Codex, assembled circa 930 CE.
It resurfaced in 1929 and was offered for sale to David Solomon Sassoon, a scholar who had an impressive collection of Hebrew manuscripts.
Alfred H. Moses, American attorney and diplomat, purchased the Hebrew Bible as a gift to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
Sources: (Sotheby's) (CNN) (CBS News)
Described as one of the most important and singular texts in human history, the Codex Sassoon is a Hebrew Bible that is over 1,000 years old. Dating from the late 9th or early 10th century, it was sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2023, for a whopping US$38.1 million! This made the Codex Sassoon the fourth most expensive book and manuscript ever sold at auction. But why is the Codex Sassoon so valuable?
Click on to learn about the history of the Codex Sassoon, and its many curiosities.
Curiosities about the Codex Sassoon, the world’s oldest Bible
It's one of the most valuable historical documents ever sold
LIFESTYLE Religion
Described as one of the most important and singular texts in human history, the Codex Sassoon is a Hebrew Bible that is over 1,000 years old. Dating from the late 9th or early 10th century, it was sold at Sotheby's in New York in May 2023, for a whopping US$38.1 million! This made the Codex Sassoon the fourth most expensive book and manuscript ever sold at auction. But why is the Codex Sassoon so valuable?
Click on to learn about the history of the Codex Sassoon, and its many curiosities.