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Last November, Sotheby’s auction house announced the exhibition of the world’s oldest known tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The tablet, a 1,500-year-old marble slab about two feet tall and weighing 115 pounds, would be displayed at Sotheby’s New York showroom from December 5 until its auction on December 18. Estimated at one to two million dollars, it defeated expectations to sell for just over $5 million.
After more than 10 minutes of intense bidding, an anonymous buyer made the winning offer of $5.04 million. The buyer is said to be planning to donate the tablet to an Israeli institution.
The tablet’s previous owner was also anonymous. Heritage Auctions purchased it for $850,000 in 2016 at the Properties of the Living Torah Museum. As the tablet had been designated a “National Treasure” of Israel by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the buyer was required to agree to exhibit it publicly.
Dating to 300 to about 600 C.E., or the late Roman Empire to the Byzantine era, the tablet may have originally been part of a synagogue or private home. It wasn’t rediscovered until 1913 when it was dug up during the construction of a railroad near what is now Yivne. It was then used as a paving stone, probably at the home of one of the construction workers, until a scholar acquired it in 1943.
A study of the tablet determined that it was written in Samaritan, and the commandments are slightly different from those in the Book of Exodus. The commandment not to take the name of the Lord in vain is not present; instead, the tenth commandment on the tablet directs worshippers to Mount Gerizim, a holy site to the Samaritans.
Despite the slight differences, the tablet carries the significance of the foundational text of Jewish and Christian faiths and the basis of law and moral codes throughout the world. Richard Austin, Global Head of Books and Manuscripts at Sotheby’s, called the tablet “not only a vastly important historical artifact, but a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization” in a statement released before the auction. Following the sale, Austin told the New York Times, “The result reflects the unparalleled importance of this artifact. To stand before this tablet is an experience unlike any other—it offers a direct connection to the shared roots of our faith and culture that continue to shape our world today.”
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