Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Should the Codex Sassoon stay in Israel?

FOR SALE: Should the World's Oldest Hebrew Bible Remain in Israel? An Auction Awaits. The Codex Sassoon, more than a millennium old and valued at up to $50 million, is on display in Tel Aviv before the sale. Some say it's imperative the state buy it (Moshe Gilad, Haaretz). This article is behind the subscription wall, but you can read it with a free registration with Haaretz.

My own view is that whoever buys this manuscript should donate it to a museum in Israel.

Background here and links.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the comparably ancient but less well-preserved Aleppo Codex of the Hebrew Bible, see here and links. For the slightly later, but complete, Leningrad Codex, see here and links.

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