The oldest known copy of the Ten Commandments carved in stone slab was offered for sale at auction in Beverly Hills with a starting price of $250,000. A marble tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Samaritan is described as a national treasure of Israel and was discovered in 2013 at a railroad near Yavneh on the southern coast of what was then Palestine, and is the only intact existing version of table with God’s commandments.
The Yavneh 10 Commandments Stone is roughly two-by-two feet, weighs 115 pounds and was carved probably between 4th and 8th centuries A.D. in the Samaritan variant of Paleo-Hebrew script. It is one of only five inscriptions of the Samaritan Decalogue from before the Muslim invasion known to survive.
This table is still the starting point of the three most widespread religion in the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam – said David Michaels, director of the Heritage Auctions, which deals with ancient antiques, which organized the auction.
The auction was on November 16th, and we’re still waiting to find out the price of the Yavneh 10 Commandments Stone.