Historic Ten Commandments tablet sells for more than $5 million

A 1,500-year-old stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold at Sotheby’s New York for $5.04 million.

It has set a new record for biblical antiquities.

Carved in Paleo-Hebrew script during the late Roman-Byzantine era, the tablet is the oldest surviving inscription of the commandments. 

Discovered in 1913 near Lydda, Israel, during railway construction, the artifact initially was overlooked and used as a paving slab outside a home for decades.

It was only in 1943 a scholar identified it as a Samaritan Decalogue, a unique version central to Samaritan faith.

Unlike Jewish and Christian versions, it omits the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain and includes a directive to worship on Mount Gerizim. 

While its authenticity and provenance have faced scrutiny, Sotheby’s defended its significance, calling it a “tangible link to Western civilization’s religious heritage.”

The anonymous buyer plans to donate the artifact to an Israeli institution, ensuring its preservation as a crucial piece of religious history.

Last year, a Hebrew Bible dating back more than 1,000 years set a record for the sale of biblical manuscripts.

The high value of such objects raises questions about the ethics of collecting and selling religious artifacts, especially those with questionable provenance.