NEW YORK At an auction on Wednesday, the oldest known stone tablet bearing the Ten Commandments brought almost $5 million.
According to Sotheby’s, an unknown buyer purchased the 155-pound marble slab with the intention of donating it to an Israeli organization.
After more than ten minutes of fierce bidding during the worldwide competition, the New York-based auction house reported that the final price surpassed the presale estimate of $1 million to $2 million.
According to Sotheby’s, the tablet, which was created between 300 and 800 A.D., is the sole intact example of its sort from antiquity and is written with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew writing.
When it was discovered in 1913 during railroad excavations along Israel’s southern shore, it was first not considered historically significant.
According to Sotheby’s, the tablet was utilized as a pavement stone at a nearby residence until 1943, when it was purchased by a researcher who recognized its importance.
It is a rare witness to history and a physical link to ancient ideas that have greatly influenced religious and cultural practices around the world, according to the auction house.
The inscription engraved on the slab adheres to the biblical passages that are well-known to both Christians and Jews, but it leaves out the third commandment, which forbids using the Lord’s name in vain. According to Sotheby’s, it contains a new mandate to worship atop Mount Gerizim, a Samaritan-only sacred site.
The Associated Press
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