'Helped shape Western civilization': Oldest stone tablet of the Ten Commandments up for auction — could be worth millions



The oldest-known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments that includes 20 lines closely related to biblical texts is going to auction.

Sotheby’s will auction "one of the most widely known and influential texts in history" on Dec. 18.

'To encounter this shared piece of cultural heritage is to journey through millennia and connect with cultures and faiths told through one of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes.'

The prestigious auction house is putting up the ancient stone tablet featuring an inscription of the Ten Commandments in a single-lot sale.

Experts believe the cherished artifact — which is thought to be approximately 1,500 years old — could command between $1 million and $2 million.

The last time the stone tablet was up for sale was in 2016, when the artifact was sold for $850,000 at a Heritage Auction in Beverly Hills, California.

The world’s earliest-known complete stone inscription of the Ten Commandments was rediscovered in 1913 during the construction of a railway near Israel's southern coast, near the sites of early synagogues, mosques, and churches.

Amazingly, the precious relic was a paving stone at the entrance to a local home, with the inscription facing upwards and exposed to foot traffic.

“Some of the letters of the central part of the inscription are blurred — but still readable under proper lighting — either from the conditions of its burial or foot traffic while it was resting in the courtyard,” David Michaels, director of ancient coins for Heritage Auctions, told CNN in 2016.

In 1943, the stone tablet was purchased by Y. Kaplan, a municipal archaeologist. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Kaplan identified the slab as a Samaritan Decalogue — an important piece of religious history.

The precious antiquity was reportedly carved by the Samaritans circa 300-500 AD.

The Samaritans were an ancient group of people who lived in the central region of the land of Israel and whose beliefs were rooted in the Old Testament.

The Samaritan Decalogue is similar to the Jewish Ten Commandments but focuses on the religious sanctity of Mount Gerizim instead of Mount Zion.

The artifact from the late Byzantine period only lists nine of the commandments found in the Book of Exodus, omitting “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.”

Archaeologists believe the original site of the stone tablet was likely destroyed during either the Roman invasions of 400-600 AD or during the Crusades in the 11th century.

The stone slab weighs 115 pounds and stands approximately two feet in height. The marble tablet is chiseled in Paleo-Hebrew script.

The slab of white marble — described as a “national treasure” of Israel — features 20 lines of text incised on the stone that closely follow the biblical verses "familiar to both Christian and Jewish traditions," according to Sotheby's.

Sharon Liberman Mintz — Sotheby’s international senior specialist of Judaica, books, and manuscripts — told ARTnews, "We understood how powerful the object was, and we were really thrilled to be able to offer it for sale to the public."

“This is really one-of-a-kind," Mintz added. "It's one of the most important historic artifacts that I’ve ever handled."

Richard Austin, Sotheby’s global head of books and manuscripts, said in a statement, "This remarkable tablet is not only a vastly important historic artifact, but a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization. To encounter this shared piece of cultural heritage is to journey through millennia and connect with cultures and faiths told through one of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes.”

The stone tablet with the Ten Commandments will be on public display at Sotheby’s in New York City beginning on Dec. 5.

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Bread for the belly, flesh for the soul: How the gift God gave Elijah points to an even greater gift



After Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal, Jezebel threatened to do likewise to him, prompting the prophet of the one true God to flee. Elijah left his servant in Beersheba, then departed by his lonesome into the wilderness, where he asked for death beneath a juniper tree: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."

It appears that even one of the greatest prophets fell victim to the desperation many might feel today when struck by a feeling of isolation, confronted more broadly with signs of demoralization and desacralization, or even when met with the basic hardships life inevitably throws our way.

In Elijah's case, the children of Israel had forsaken God's covenant, thrown down his altars, and slain his prophets.

"I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away," Elijah gloomily told the Lord at the foot of tree.

Fortunately, God did not oblige his prophet.

Instead, an angel of the Lord furnished Elijah with cake and water, twice instructing him to "arise and eat," indicating that otherwise, the "journey is too much for you."

Whereas Elijah's nourishment would last him 40 days, Christ will sustain us forever.

As it says in Psalm 34, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them."

The psalm says further, "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."

Elijah was given food to sustain him for 40 days and 40 nights — the apparent length of his journey to Horeb, where at the mount of the Lord, he learned why he couldn’t previously throw in the towel and give up the ghost.

God sent an angel to provide his despairing prophet with cake and water. God has sent us his only son, Jesus Christ — to provide us sinners with his flesh and blood.

Whereas Elijah's nourishment would last him 40 days, Christ will sustain us forever.

In John 6, Christ tells us, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life," Christ said. "I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Different denominations may interpret the bread of life discourse differently. Catholics, for instance, understand Christ is speaking not only of faith in him but of him in the Eucharist.

It should be clear across the board, however, that our shared faith in Christ and relationship with him will fuel us for our respective journeys.

In Horeb, Elijah received his marching orders. In the twofold commandment, we have ours. In Ephesians 4-5, St. Paul provides some additional instruction on how we, so nourished by Christ, should comport ourselves along the way.

Ultimately, Paul indicates we must "follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Our nourishment was made possible through Christ’s sacrifice for us. It appears only fitting that we remain full on our journeys by sacrificing for one another.

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Louisiana set to proudly display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and on college campuses



Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton (R) succeeded last year in getting House Bill 8 enacted, such that all public schools in the state are now required to display "In God We Trust" in every classroom.

Evidently keen to retake more ground lost after decades of secularizing efforts, Horton introduced legislation early this year that would require K-12 public schools, colleges, and universities to display the Ten Commandments on campus and in the classroom.

In April, the Louisiana House voted 82-19 for Horton's House Bill 71. On Thursday, the Louisiana Senate voted 30-8 in favor of the bill after it had undergone multiple changes aimed at preempting various legal challenges.

All eight state Senate votes in opposition to the bill were cast by Democrats. The Advocate reported that Sen. Royce Duplessis (D), among them, was the only to speak out in opposition to HB 71.

"I didn't have to learn the Ten Commandments in school. We went to Sunday school," said Duplessis. "You want your kids to learn about the Ten Commandments, take them to church."

Duplessis further suggested that the bill would expose Louisiana to lawsuits, stating, "We're going to spend valuable state resources defending the law when we really need to be teaching our kids how to read and write."

According to Nola.com, ratification of the bill would make Louisiana the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in the classroom.

The legislation would require every public school governing authority and the governing authority of each nonpublic school that receives state funds to display the Ten Commandments "in each building it uses and classroom in each school under its jurisdiction."

While each governing authority will have some latitude concerning the nature of the display, at a minimum, the Ten Commandments must feature prominently in a framed document at least 11 inches by 14 inches.

The text is to read: "The Ten Commandments[:] I AM the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."

Anticipating legal challenges, state Sen. Jay Morris added amendments to the original bill highlighting the U.S. Supreme Court's recognition in 2005 that "it is permissible to display the Ten Commandments on government property."

In a 5-4 decision, the court found in Van Orden v. Perry that "simply having religious content or promoting a message consistent with a religious doctrine does not run afoul of the establishment clause."

Morris noted also that the Louisiana Legislature previously enabled the secretary of state to publish the Ten Commandments "and other historically significant documents for posting in court houses and other public buildings to address 'a need to educate and inform the public as to the history and background of American and Louisiana law.'"

After noting the Supreme Court's 2019 recognition of the Ten Commandments' significance, Morris added, "Including the Ten Commandments in the education of our children is part of our state and national history, culture, and tradition."

In addition to exempting private schools, the amended bill also requires that the Ten Commandments be displayed with a "context statement" indicating that the Commandments "were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries," "were also included in public school textbooks published by educator William McGuffey," and "also appeared in textbooks published by Noah Webster."

In the spirit of including documents of historic importance in the classroom, the amended bill also provides for the display of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Northwest Ordinance.

Lea Patterson, senior council with the First Liberty Institute, suggested to Nola.com that the amendments will serve to strengthen the bill when scrutinized by a court.

"It's generally accepted in many legal cases that the Ten Commandments has historical significance," said Patterson, "and that its display is consistent with history and tradition, which is the governing legal test in such matters."

The ACLU, which has fought ardently to ensure that LGBT propaganda and pride displays can be exhibited in school settings, made clear it is opposed to having any traces of biblical morality in the classroom.

"No federal court has upheld the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, regardless of context," Heather Weaver, senior staff attorney at the ACLU told Nola.com. "There's a good reason for that too: Public schools shouldn't be used to religiously indoctrinate or convert students."

The ACLU, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the anti-Christian Freedom from Religion Foundation, released a joint statement Friday calling the bill "unconstitutional."

Blaze News reached out to Horton for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

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Here’s Just Some Of The Historical Evidence For The Biblical Exodus

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-19-at-2.21.26 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-19-at-2.21.26%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]While some depict the Bible’s Passover meal and Jews’ Exodus from Egypt as a fable, archeological and other evidence squares with the Bible’s account.

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Oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible copy sells for eye-popping figure at auction: 'Bedrock of Western Civilization'



Codex Sassoon, possibly the earliest near-complete copy of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) known to exist, sold for more than $38 million at auction on Wednesday.

The medieval codex contains all 24 books of the canonical Hebrew Bible, which are the same 39 books in the English Old Testament. With only a few pages completely missing and many others partially missing, Codex Sassoon is possibly the oldest known near-complete copy of the Hebrew Bible.

Sotheby's announced Wednesday that the American Friends of ANU — Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv had won the auction. Thanks to a donation from Alfred H. Moses, the museum acquired Codex Sassoon for $38.1 million. It will be housed at the museum.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

"The Hebrew Bible is the most influential in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western Civilization," Moses said in a statement. "I rejoice in knowing that it belongs to the Jewish people. It was my mission, realizing the historic significance of Codex Sassoon, to see it resides in a place with global access to all people."

Before the auction, Sotheby's estimated Codex Sassoon would go for between $30 million and $50 million, which could have made it the most expensive document ever to hit the auction block.

That honor currently goes to a first printing of the U.S. Constitution, which investor Ken Griffin acquired in 2021 for a modest $43.2 million.

What is the significance of Codex Sassoon?

Manuscript fragments notwithstanding, the earliest known copy of the Hebrew Bible is the Aleppo Codex, which scholars date to 930 AD. But significant portions of the Aleppo Codex are now missing, including most of the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament.

Carbon-dating suggests Codex Sassoon is from the late 9th or early 10th century, making it a contemporary of the Aleppo Codex — or even earlier.

Moreover, the same scribal tradition responsible for the Aleppo Codex — the Masoretic tradition — is behind Codex Sassoon, and its masora magna, scribal notes in margins of the manuscript, refer to Aaron ben Moses ben Asher, a 10th-century scribe who added vowels and accent marks to the Aleppo Codex based on a tradition of vocalization and cantillation preserved from antiquity.

The authoritative Hebrew Bible, which scholars use for translations, is based on the Leningrad Codex, the earliest complete Hebrew Bible manuscript dated to 1008 AD.

All that to say, Codex Sassoon is an invaluable manuscript witness for Hebrew Bible scholars.

"Codex Sassoon is a really important manuscript," wrote Hebrew Bible scholar Kim Phillips. "It would definitely be one of my three desert-island Hebrew Bibles."

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