Ten Commandment tablet that was used as paving stone sells for millions

May Be Interested In:It’s time to drop kick Dropbox and get cloud storage without the recurring fees


The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold for more than $5 million at an auction on Wednesday.

The stone was previously used as a paving stone.

Sotheby’s said the 155-pound (52-kilogram) marble slab was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution.

The New York-based auction house said the final price exceeded the presale estimate of $1 million to $2 million and followed more than 10 minutes of “intense bidding” during the global competition.

The tablet dates from 300 to 800 A.D. and is inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script — the only complete example of its kind from antiquity, according to Sotheby’s.

Sotheby’s said the tablet was used as a paving stone at a local home until 1943 when it was sold to a scholar who grasped its significance.

Sharon Liberman Mintz, Sotheby's Judaica Specialist, Books & Manuscripts, discusses the oldest complete tablet of the Ten Commandment
Sharon Liberman Mintz, Sotheby’s Judaica Specialist, Books & Manuscripts, discusses the oldest complete tablet of the Ten Commandment (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“A tangible link to ancient beliefs that have profoundly shaped global religious and cultural traditions, it serves as a rare testament to history,” the auction house said.

It was unearthed during railroad excavations along the southern coast of Israel in 1913 and was not recognized as historically significant at first.

The text inscribed on the slab follows the Biblical verses familiar to Christian and Jewish traditions but omits the third commandment against taking the name of the Lord in vain. It includes a new directive to worship on Mount Gerizim, a holy site specific to the Samaritans, Sotheby’s said.

share Share facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

EU Approves NVIDIA Deal With Run:ai
EU Approves NVIDIA Deal With Run:ai
U.S. appeals court delivers blow to Biden’s push for open internet rules - National | Globalnews.ca
U.S. appeals court delivers blow to Biden’s push for open internet rules – National | Globalnews.ca
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in New York in October 2015.
» 50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival
The Apprentice Star Sebastian Stan Says Playing Trump 'Definitely' Challenged Him
The Apprentice Star Sebastian Stan Says Playing Trump ‘Definitely’ Challenged Him
Toronto firefighters rescue man who fell into sinkhole in Yorkville
Toronto firefighters rescue man who fell into sinkhole in Yorkville
Blue plaque thinking: memorialisation on the move in the London scheme
Blue plaque thinking: memorialisation on the move in the London scheme
Current Affairs Unplugged: What’s Really Going On? | © 2024 | Daily News