New York

A Hebrew Bible that is more than 1,000 years old will be up for auction in New York and might be sold for up to $50 million, according to Sotheby's, one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles, situated in New York. The earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible ever found is the Codex Sassoon, which dates back to the late ninth and early tenth century. When Sotheby's auctions it off in May, it will break the record for the most expensive historical document or text ever sold. 

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"(It) is undeniably one of the most important and singular texts in human history," said Richard Austin, Sotheby's global head of books and manuscripts who spoke to AFP. 

Codex Sassoon is one of the only two codices, or manuscripts, that have made it into the present day and contains all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. 

It is significantly older than the Leningrad Codex and substantially more complete than the Aleppo Codex, two other well-known early Hebrew Bibles, according to Sotheby's.

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The document connects the Hebrew Bible's current recognised version with the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back to the third century BC.

It bears the name of the former owner, David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942), who amassed the largest private collection of historical Jewish manuscripts ever.

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With a pre-sale estimate of between $30 million and $50 million, the document is being auctioned for the first time in more than 30 years.

One of the original printing of the US Constitution was sold by Sotheby's for $43 million in November 2021, establishing a record price for a historical manuscript.

(With inputs from agencies)

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