The billionaire owner of a Kerry hotel and island has put up for auction the world’s earliest Hebrew bible, described as the ‘most influential book in human history’.
Jacqui Safra is the co-owner of the Parknasilla Resort and Spa; he also owns Rossdohan and Garnish islands in this county.
The Swiss-Lebanese investor is selling the Codex Sassoon, the earliest and most complete Hebrew bible.
The book is dated to around the start of the 10th century.
Sotheby’s, which is handling the auction, describes the Codex Sassoon as the most influential book in human history.
It’s expected it will become the most expensive historical document or manuscript to ever go under the hammer when it’s put up for auction in May.
It’s estimated it could sell for between €28.5 million and €46.5 million.
The book was considered lost for over 600 years following the destruction of a synagogue in Syria, until it re-emerged in 1929.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/videos/first-look-codex-sassoon
