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World's Oldest Near-complete Hebrew Bible Sells for $38.1 Million

FILE - Sotheby's unveils the Codex Sassoon for auction, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Sotheby's unveils the Codex Sassoon for auction, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
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World's Oldest Near-complete Hebrew Bible Sells for $38.1 Million

FILE - Sotheby's unveils the Codex Sassoon for auction, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
FILE - Sotheby's unveils the Codex Sassoon for auction, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The world's oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible sold for $38.1 million om New York on Wednesday, Sotheby’s said, one of the highest prices ever for a book or document sold at auction.

Wednesday's winning bid for the Codex Sassoon was made via a donation by Alfred H. Moses, a former US ambassador and president of the American Jewish Committee, who is giving it to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The price surpasses the $30.8 million paid in 1994 for Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester manuscript, Sotheby's said. But it was below the estimated $50 million that Sotheby's said in February it could sell for and below the $43.2 million paid in 2021 for a first edition of the US Constitution, the world record for any book or document.

Sotheby's Judaica specialist Sharon Liberman Mintz said the price tag, which includes the auction house’s fee, "reflects the profound power, influence, and significance of the Hebrew Bible, which is an indispensable pillar of humanity.”

The Codex Sassoon, fabricated sometime between 880 and 960, is named after a previous owner, David Solomon Sassoon, who acquired the Bible in 1929 and assembled one of the most significant private collections of Judaica and Hebraica manuscripts of the 20th century.
The document offers a critical link bridging Jewish oral tradition to the modern Hebrew Bible. It was not until recently that former owner, collector Jacqui Safra, had the Codex Sassoon carbon dated, confirming it was older than the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex, two other major early Hebrew Bibles, according to Sotheby's.

The auctioneer said the Codex Sassoon had been dated to either the late 9th or early 10th century on
both scientific and paleographic grounds and contains almost the entirety of the Bible. The oldest copies of Biblical text ever found were the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in caves in 1947.

The Hebrew Bible contains 24 separate books organized into three parts — the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings. Starting with the book of Genesis and ending with Chronicles, the Hebrew Bible is foundational to Judaism, as well as Christianity and Islam.

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Culture

Italy’s Vintage Trains Lure Tourists off Beaten Track 

Passengers on the vintage carriage "cento porte", which means hundred doors in English, look through the windows at the train station in Palena, Italy July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Passengers on the vintage carriage "cento porte", which means hundred doors in English, look through the windows at the train station in Palena, Italy July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Italy’s Vintage Trains Lure Tourists off Beaten Track 

Passengers on the vintage carriage "cento porte", which means hundred doors in English, look through the windows at the train station in Palena, Italy July 21, 2024. (Reuters)
Passengers on the vintage carriage "cento porte", which means hundred doors in English, look through the windows at the train station in Palena, Italy July 21, 2024. (Reuters)

As it rolls across Italy's central regions, a vintage diesel locomotive towing carriages from the 1930s and 1950s crosses the forests of the Majella National park and the Abruzzo highlands, giving tourists on board a glimpse of hidden hamlets.

Across its just over 100 kilometers (62 miles), the so-called Italian Transiberian rail line, also known as the Park Railway, slips into gorges, snakes into 58 tunnels and braves huge viaducts.

It was the first of some 1,000 kilometers of line to have re-opened under a project by Fondazione FS, part of state-controlled national rail company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS).

The "Timeless tracks" project takes tourists to forgotten parts of Italy, offering an alternative to the fast-paced, mass tourism of the major cities.

"These are tracks that have lived through different eras, they have carried soldiers to the front, cows to pasture... they were mistakenly considered unproductive during the 1960s and 70s but are now once again of value," Luigi Cantamessa, who heads Fondazione FS, told Reuters.

Inspired by train travel in Switzerland, the project now carries 45,000 tourists a year across its 13 lines. Fondazione FS expects to open two new ones by 2026, both in the southern region of Sicily.

"What were considered to be the dry branches of Italy's train network, have now proved to be the green shoots," Cantamessa added.

NO FROZEN PIZZAS

"People are used to cities and places, like Florence, that everyone knows.. but then there are other areas that need to be discovered. (This) is the right kind of tourism that does not spoil the authenticity of places," said Norma Pagiotti, a 28-year-old from Florence travelling on the train with two friends.

With arrival numbers above pre-pandemic levels, popular European travel destinations including Venice have introduced measures aimed at managing visitor numbers amid rising concerns about overcrowding.

"The train reminds me of my youth, I feel a bit nostalgic for the things of the past, which were simpler, now everything is fast, short-lived," says Caterina Quaranta, from Taranto in southern Italy, sitting on the wooden seats of the train.

The trips attract Italians and foreigners, a lot of families and children, younger people who get off to hike and cycle, and older people "who have time to spare", explained Laura Colaprete, a local guide.

"It's for those who don't want mass market, cluttered destinations. A conscious traveler, who is looking for something special," said Cantamessa of Fondazione FS. "These are not trips that serve you frozen pizza for lunch," he added.

FOLK MUSIC AND LOCAL FOOD

After climbing up almost 1,000 meters in altitude, the Transiberian's first stop is in Palena, a medieval hill-top town known for its breathtaking views over the national park.

Traditional folk music accompanies people getting off the train, with local delicacies such as lamb skewers and soft pancakes made with an iron mold, known as pizzelle, and products by local artisans awaiting them at the station.

"The train helps several small towns around here. This line was a dead line before," said Gino Toppi, 60, as he helped his wife with the food stall in the small station.

Milan's Bocconi University recently estimated that for every euro spent by passengers on tickets - which cost between 30 euros and 70 euros ($32.50 - $76)- up to a further 3 euros are spent on food, accommodation, tours and souvenirs.

That helps to support the economy of villages that have long lost population due to the dwindling birth rate and younger people leaving for the bigger cities

"There certainly are benefits, this is a way to show my products," said Annalisa Cantelmi, a herbalist.

"These tourists are slowly discovering these new territories, their traditions and people," she added.