CSP Visit with Codex Sassoon - Apr 30, 2023

The earliest, most complete copy of the Hebrew Bible is a book known as Codex Sassoon, named for its most prominent modern owner: David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942), a passionate collector of Judaica and Hebraic manuscripts. Dating to the late 9th or early 10th century, Codex Sassoon contains all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible – missing only 12 leaves – and precedes the earliest entirely complete Hebrew Bible, the Leningrad Codex, by nearly a century. On 16 May 2023, when it comes to the block at Sotheby’s with an estimate of $30 to 50 million, Codex Sassoon could become the most valuable historical document ever sold at auction.

Significantly, Codex Sassoon contains faithful notes of the Masorah, commentary that ensures the biblical text’s proper inscription and recitation. One such note refers to “the great teacher, Aaron ben Moses ben Asher” and his work on al-taj, the traditional honorific of the Aleppo Codex, suggesting the Masorete scribe who copied the Masorah of Codex Sassoon may have consulted the revered volume when it resided in Tiberias or Jerusalem in the 10th or 11th century.

Although scholars have been aware of its importance since the late 1960s, Codex Sassoon has remained largely out of public view for centuries; its last appearance was 40 years ago.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/...