FOLLOWERS OF THE RISEN ONE,
On Wednesday, May 17, 2023 a Hebrew Bible sold for $38.1 million at auction at Sotheby, New York. How much would you pay for a bible?
This special Bible is the Codex Sassoon, named after book collector David Solomon Sassoon who purchased the book for $450 in 1929. The handwritten 792 page Bible is made of sheepskin and includes 24 books of the Old Testament with 8 pages missing.
It was carbon dated to the late 9th to early 10th century and measures 12 x 14 inches. In the first centuries of its existence the book switched hands throughout the Middle East. In the 13th century it was dedicated to a synagogue in Markada in Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria. After the destruction of the synagogue, either by Mongols (13th century) or Timurids (15th century), the codex was owned by Salama ibn Abi al-Fakhr as the synagogue awaited reconstruction which never happened.
600 years later the codex came into the hands of David Solomon Sassoon. It stayed in private ownership until Sassoon’s descendants sold it in 1978 to the British Rail Pension fund and then in 1998 the manuscript was auctioned again and sold to Jacqui Safra. (Wikipedia).
The former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses purchased the Hebrew Bible on behalf of the American Friends of ANU and donated it to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. According to APNew.com it is one of the highest prices for a manuscript sold at auction. A rare copy of the U.S. constitution sold for $43 million in 2021.
What is unique about this Bible is that it is thought to have been transcribed by one person and is the earliest known complete Hebrew Bible manuscript.
On Pentecost as we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers our faith into action and sharing God’s good news in Jesus Christ. In celebrating Pentecost we enter into the ancient Jewish festival of harvest and the giving of the teachings to the Hebrew people at Mt. Sinai. God’s word is such a beautiful gift to us and has moved through time to us today. Cherish this holy and life giving word of God that reveals God to us. The Holy Spirit continues to breathe God’s abundant life force in each and everyone of us. A harvest celebration grows into a celebrate of God’s fruitful people who have grown and spread throughout the world. Happy Pentecost!
BIBLE - Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,
Pastor Connie Spitzack
