The Codex Sassoon, which dates back to the late ninth or early tenth century, will be sold at auction later this month. It is expected to fetch between $30 to $50 million, making it one of the most expensive medieval manuscripts ever sold.
The auction will take place at Sotheby’s in New York on May 17th. The Codex Sassoon is considered the earliest, most complete Hebrew Bible from the Early Middle Ages. Only eight parchment leaves are missing from the manuscript.
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“Codex Sassoon has long held a revered and fabled place in the pantheon of surviving historic manuscripts and is undeniably one of the most important and singular texts in human history,” says Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts. “Now that the Codex has been definitively dated as the earliest, most complete text of its kind, it stands as a critical link from the ancient Hebrew oral tradition to the modern, accepted form of the Hebrew Bible that remains the standardized version used today. With such eminence, the Codex has an incomparable presence and gravitas that can only be borne from more than 1,000 years of history.”
Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s
Bearing more than 1,000 years of history since it was first transcribed, Codex Sassoon is a remarkable document not only for its significance as a critical link in human history, but also in the communities and personal stories captured in the annotations and inscriptions gathered across centuries throughout the text. Several owners’ notes found on the pages of this manuscript attest to the travels of the Codex. An entry dating to the early eleventh century references a sale by Khalaf ben Abraham, perhaps a Near Eastern businessman active in the Land of Israel and Syria, to Isaac ben Ezekiel al-Attar, who later transferred ownership to his two sons, Ezekiel and Maimon.
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In the thirteenth century or later, the Codex was dedicated to the synagogue of Makisin (present-day Markada in northeastern Syria). It was probably rebound at this stage, and an anonymous hand added a dedicatory inscription to its pages: “Consecrated to the Lord God of Israel to the synagogue of Makisin.” Surprisingly little is known about the Jewish history of Makisin except that the famed early twelfth century Norman convert to Judaism Obadiah ha-Ger passed through the town on his way from Aleppo to Baghdad. The local Jewish community must have been a prominent one to have held such a prized manuscript as Codex Sassoon.
The book’s last premodern inscription tells a fascinating story: the town of Makisin was destroyed—perhaps by the Mongols in the thirteenth century or by Tamerlane’s troops in 1400—and the codex had to be removed from the synagogue. It was entrusted to the care of a community member, Salama bin Abi al-Fakhr, who was required to return it if the synagogue of Makisin were to be rebuilt. The handwriting of this inscription suggests the end of the fourteenth century or later. It is possible that the book itself suffered damage during the destruction of the town. If so, its survival adds yet another layer of mystery and wonder to this rare Hebrew Bible. However, as Makisin was destroyed, the synagogue was never rebuilt, and the odyssey of the Codex continued for centuries until it was ultimately acquired in 1929 by David Solomon Sassoon (1880-1942). The Codex gained its name from Sassoon.
Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s
The Codex now comes to auction from the renowned collector Jacqui Safra, whose decades-long stewardship of the text produced the definitive scientific evidence, through authoritative carbon dating, which originates the text to the late ninth to early tenth century, confirming scholars earlier research and making it of similar age to the Aleppo Codex, though the Codex Sassoon is significantly more complete.
“The Hebrew Bible is the sacred, foundational text for peoples across the globe,” says Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s Senior Judaica Specialist, Books & Manuscripts. “For thousands of years, the faithful have closely studied, analyzed, meditated on, and delved into the Holy Scriptures—it is the first book of the People of the Book—to acquire wisdom and attain spiritual enlightenment. In Codex Sassoon, a monumental transformation in the history of the Hebrew Bible is revealed, bringing to light the full story of the Hebrew Bible that had previously never been presented in book form. Codex Sassoon marks a critical turning point in how we perceive the history of the Divine word across thousands of years, and is a transformative witness to how the Hebrew Bible has influenced the pillars of civilization–art, culture, law, politics—for centuries.”
The Codex Sassoon, which dates back to the late ninth or early tenth century, will be sold at auction later this month. It is expected to fetch between $30 to $50 million, making it one of the most expensive medieval manuscripts ever sold.
The auction will take place at Sotheby’s in New York on May 17th. The Codex Sassoon is considered the earliest, most complete Hebrew Bible from the Early Middle Ages. Only eight parchment leaves are missing from the manuscript.
“Codex Sassoon has long held a revered and fabled place in the pantheon of surviving historic manuscripts and is undeniably one of the most important and singular texts in human history,” says Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts. “Now that the Codex has been definitively dated as the earliest, most complete text of its kind, it stands as a critical link from the ancient Hebrew oral tradition to the modern, accepted form of the Hebrew Bible that remains the standardized version used today. With such eminence, the Codex has an incomparable presence and gravitas that can only be borne from more than 1,000 years of history.”
Bearing more than 1,000 years of history since it was first transcribed, Codex Sassoon is a remarkable document not only for its significance as a critical link in human history, but also in the communities and personal stories captured in the annotations and inscriptions gathered across centuries throughout the text. Several owners’ notes found on the pages of this manuscript attest to the travels of the Codex. An entry dating to the early eleventh century references a sale by Khalaf ben Abraham, perhaps a Near Eastern businessman active in the Land of Israel and Syria, to Isaac ben Ezekiel al-Attar, who later transferred ownership to his two sons, Ezekiel and Maimon.
In the thirteenth century or later, the Codex was dedicated to the synagogue of Makisin (present-day Markada in northeastern Syria). It was probably rebound at this stage, and an anonymous hand added a dedicatory inscription to its pages: “Consecrated to the Lord God of Israel to the synagogue of Makisin.” Surprisingly little is known about the Jewish history of Makisin except that the famed early twelfth century Norman convert to Judaism Obadiah ha-Ger passed through the town on his way from Aleppo to Baghdad. The local Jewish community must have been a prominent one to have held such a prized manuscript as Codex Sassoon.
The book’s last premodern inscription tells a fascinating story: the town of Makisin was destroyed—perhaps by the Mongols in the thirteenth century or by Tamerlane’s troops in 1400—and the codex had to be removed from the synagogue. It was entrusted to the care of a community member, Salama bin Abi al-Fakhr, who was required to return it if the synagogue of Makisin were to be rebuilt. The handwriting of this inscription suggests the end of the fourteenth century or later. It is possible that the book itself suffered damage during the destruction of the town. If so, its survival adds yet another layer of mystery and wonder to this rare Hebrew Bible. However, as Makisin was destroyed, the synagogue was never rebuilt, and the odyssey of the Codex continued for centuries until it was ultimately acquired in 1929 by David Solomon Sassoon (1880-1942). The Codex gained its name from Sassoon.
The Codex now comes to auction from the renowned collector Jacqui Safra, whose decades-long stewardship of the text produced the definitive scientific evidence, through authoritative carbon dating, which originates the text to the late ninth to early tenth century, confirming scholars earlier research and making it of similar age to the Aleppo Codex, though the Codex Sassoon is significantly more complete.
“The Hebrew Bible is the sacred, foundational text for peoples across the globe,” says Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s Senior Judaica Specialist, Books & Manuscripts. “For thousands of years, the faithful have closely studied, analyzed, meditated on, and delved into the Holy Scriptures—it is the first book of the People of the Book—to acquire wisdom and attain spiritual enlightenment. In Codex Sassoon, a monumental transformation in the history of the Hebrew Bible is revealed, bringing to light the full story of the Hebrew Bible that had previously never been presented in book form. Codex Sassoon marks a critical turning point in how we perceive the history of the Divine word across thousands of years, and is a transformative witness to how the Hebrew Bible has influenced the pillars of civilization–art, culture, law, politics—for centuries.”
To learn more about the auction, please visit the Sotheby’s website.
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