The world’s earliest-known complete stone inscription of the Ten Commandments, described as a “national treasure” of Israel, sold at auction in Beverly Hills for $850,000.
Heritage Auctions said the two-foot square marble slab sold Wednesday night at a public auction of ancient Biblical archaeology artifacts.
The tablet weighs about 115 pounds and is inscribed in an early Hebrew script called Samaritan.
It likely adorned the entrance of a synagogue that was destroyed by the Romans between A.D. 400 and 600, or by the Crusaders in the 11th century, said David Michaels, Heritage Auctions director of ancient coins and antiquities.
The auction house said the Israeli Antiquities Authorities approved export of the piece to the United States in 2005. The only condition was that it must be displayed in a public museum.
“The sale of this tablet does not mean it will be hidden away from the public,” Michaels said. “The new owner is under obligation to display the tablet for the benefit of the public.”
The tablet lists nine of the 10 commonly known commandments, leaving out “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (King James translation), and adding one often employed by the Samaritan sect, encouraging worshippers to “raise up a temple” on Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain of the Samaritans, according to Heritage Auctions.
The tablet was one of a number of Biblical artifacts owned by the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn, New York, that were up for auction.
The auction opened with a $300,000 bid on the piece. The winning bidder does not wish to be identified.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
I hope that Ten Commandments will be displayed at the Smithsonian museum at Washington DC. It is very precious and valuable to all Jewish and Christian heritage. Our country was born and baptized as a Judeo-Christian country.
We’d better hope that it wasn’t bought by some Hollywood atheist or Muslim. What is Israel really going to be able to do to the buyer if the buyer destroys it?
I pray that it is safe and owned by a Christian! It needs to be preserved. It should have been given to Israel. It would be nice if it was put in the Museum of the Bible.
It is sad that people think this slab of stone has value. It is a lie ! The commandment about the name
is removed, and another has been added. This makes the piece of stone a lie. Christain’s loves
lies so they value this stone.
I never thought you would publish my e-mail because you are a heathen, and you do not
want truth put before someone that might see the truth of it. You and your Church don’t
keep the Law you do not keep the Seventh Day, you keep the first day, Sunday, the Sun worship
day.
Not all Americans are heathen. Many follow the Christian religion. Our nation was built on it. This old stone is precious to me because it is an early copy of the commandments God gave to his people. We still use them as a base for our laws. You’re right in that none of us can keep them. We know we sin, still we come back to God for forgiveness because we love and honor him in our lives. I hope you, too, can find the truth you seek in God and His Holy Bible.
If you had a recipe in a cook book and one of the ingredients was wrong would you not either tear out the page or mark a big X through it so everyone would know it was worthless. That is what this stone is, worthless except for its value as a piece of antique rock with some old writing on it. Christians and Jews neither one should place any spiritual value on it. Doing so would be like using a recipe out of that cookbook that one of the ingredients was poison.
The Bible also has a warning in it not to tamper with the words. Revelation22 verses18 and 19 …if any man adds to the words God shall add the plagues that are written in the Bible to him. If any man takes away from the words his name shall be taken out of the book of life. Don’t think I would be wanting my name even associated with this business.