Sotheby’s auction house sold a 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible for $38 million in New York. It’s one of the world’s oldest surviving biblical manuscripts and brought the second-most highest price for a historical document at auction.
The 26-pound book, whose five-inch stack of parchment has 396 pages, sold after a five-minute battle between two bidders competing over the phone. According to the Wall Street Journal, the final price, including Sotheby’s fees, fell short of breaking the record held by a $43.2 million copy of the U.S. Constitution bought two years ago by billionaire Ken Griffin. In 1994, Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester sold for $31 million or around $60 million in today’s dollars.
In a statement, Sotheby’s said the Codex Sasson, a leather-bound, handwritten volume with an almost complete Hebrew Bible, was purchased by former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses for the American Friends of ANU and donated to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, where it’ll join the museum’s collection.
The most important question any Christian should be able to answer is why we choose to believe the Bible. The standard fallback answer given by many is “I was raised that way”. The problem with this sentiment is that many things that we were raised to believe turned out to be false. For example, our parents told us if we went outside with wet hair, we would catch a cold. As adults we learned that a cold is a virus.
Another answer often given is “I tried the Bible and it worked for me.” This answer certainly opens up a huge logical hole when based on a personal experience. Malcolm X changed his life, he tried the Nation of Islam and it “worked for him”. He later denounced his beliefs in Islam and was killed for it. What about the changed life of a Mormon or a Jehovah Witness.
Our response, as Christians, should sound something like this…
“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses, reporting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings are Divine in nature and not of human origin.”
Dr. Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., Dean of the School of Divinity at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia
After signing up for alerts on the publication of this particular volume, I received an email from Christianbook.com that alerted me to the fact that I would be able to order before the March 14th date that other booksellers were putting on sale. Not sure if that was because I was a member or not. At any rate, I was excited to say the least. I quickly put my order in on the 2nd and received on the 7th, a full week before Amazon, for example, would put on sale. As of this writing, still on pre-order status on Amazon, at a considerable higher price.
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The Bible came in a standard Thomas Nelson bi-fold box with no visible damage at all. Upon first inspection, I noticed two things. First the volume was quite light in weight. Second, the leather was quite flexible and soft but not quite as soft compared to the Sovereign wide margin, for example. This Bible weighs in at 37.5oz and the Sovereign wide margin comes in at 48.1oz, according to my digital kitchen scale. The dimensions are otherwise the same except for the width of the book block, this volume is about 1.25 inches, and the sovereign is 1.62.
This particular publication is not a premium Bible, and I did not expect one. There are 5 spine hubs outlined in gold, a nice touch. The text on the spine appears to be stamped rather than embossed, I expect it will rub off over time. There are no colors in the text block, except for the red letter in the New Testament. I have grown quite used to chapter and verse numbers in color to make it easier to find. The signatures are sewn, however there is no edge line construction. A curious choice given that this model is not meant to be written in the margins heavily. The liner appears to be paper, but it is coated and has a synthetic feel. I wonder how long before it begins to tear away from the book block. This is quite a bit of cockling in the signatures, and it becomes a little annoying when turning pages in the front and the back. To be fair, I find this with almost every volume printed in South Korea.This is a first edition, obviously, this version has indexed tabs and the paper is adequate, but certainly not premium. Considering the inclusion of the Apocrypha, I wonder how the weight is so much lower compared to other Bibles in my collection. It really does make a difference when reading for extended periods of time. My ESV Study Bible remains on my desk at all times as it weighs in at full 4.75 lbs. Apples and oranges, however.
The Deuterocanonical Books are separated from the new and testament, there are 15 included, however, Psalm 151 is not included. As an Anglican, I can appreciate the inclusion of the apocrypha when praying the daily office. Until comfort print, this endeavor was a challenge on my middle-aged eyes. It is surprising the lack of options when it comes to KJV Bibles that include the apocrypha, although modern digital printing has improved, quite often the Cambridge text can be a challenge to read for any length of time. Once I saw that Thomas Nelson offered the KJV with the apocrypha AND genuine leather. I was ready to purchase.
Very happy with my purchase. It has become one of three Bible that I use every day. The size and weight make it a true pleasure, however, some color in the text would have been nice. I expect that will change in the future. You can go wrong if you prefer a volume with the apocrypha as your choices are quite limited.
I developed my own One Year Bible Reading Plan because most of the plans on the internet were in order of the Holy Bible which finished the year reading Revelation during Advent and Christmas! I somehow thought that after a full year of intense Bible study I couldn’t see myself reading about the apocalypse and Armageddon while reading Matthew. I decided to divide up the themes of the Holy Bible across a 7 day period for 52 weeks. I found an excellent little church in New Zealand called “City” https://city.org.nz. The pastor there worked up a plan that was heavy on theme rather than chronological. Here is a link to that bible reading plan…. https://city.org.nz/pdf/bible-plan.pdf. I discovered the time periods each book was written with help from the ESV Study Bible ,(A Mighty Oak of a study bible!) I then came up with a excel spreadsheet, printable for one page with highlights to show the time periods and themes.
Having a proper burial for your recently departed was held with great importance during Biblical times. Most of us are aware of the great lengths ancient Egyptians went through to preserve the dead for their eternal journey, but the ancient Hebrews also took great care in preparing their dead for burial, as evident in John 19:39. In most cases, Jewish families buried their dead in caves and tombs when possible.
39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[a] by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[b] in weight.
John 19:39 – English Standard Version
The practice of cremation is found throughout the Bible. The first-time cremation is referenced as a burial practice is 1Samuel 31: 11-13:
11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.Saul and his sons were cremated because burial was not possible. While ancient Hebrews and Egyptians traditionally buried their dead in tombs of some form, cremation was also an option when necessary.
Occasion: Proper 18 Sunday, September 06, 2020 Year (cycle): A
The Collect: Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14 [Alternate: Ezekiel 33:7-11] 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Occasion: Proper 17 Sunday, August 30, 2020 Year (cycle): A
Old Testament: Exodus 3:1-15 [Alternate: Jeremiah 15:15-21] 1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 5 Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ 6 He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
