A stone tablet engraved with the Ten Commandments sold for $5 million at auction on Wednesday, according to Sotheby’s.
The hefty price was reached despite ongoing questions about the tablet’s authenticity. While no one claims it is the original Biblical artifact, some experts have raised doubts about its stated origins, which date to between 300 and 800 CE.
Adding to the controversy, the 115-pound (52-kilogram) slab—reportedly discovered in 1913 in what is now Israel—features only nine of the ten commandments sacred to Jews and Christians.
Nevertheless, excitement drove the bidding to $4.2 million, with the final sale, including fees, totaling $5 million. The New York auction house initially estimated the piece would fetch between $1 million and $2 million.
For those surprised by the sale price, it’s worth noting the tablet omits the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain.
The artifact, inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew script, was said to have been unearthed during railway construction. It remained in private hands until an Israeli archaeologist recognized its significance and acquired it.
Sharon Liberman Mintz, a specialist in Jewish texts at Sotheby’s, described the process as “thrilling,” adding, “There is no other stone like it in private collections.”
The slab eventually found its way to the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn before being sold to a private buyer. Sotheby’s noted in a statement that the artifact has been studied by leading scholars and extensively documented in academic publications.
Despite this, some experts remain skeptical. Brian Daniels of the Penn Cultural Heritage Center acknowledged the possibility of authenticity but warned, “Objects from this region are rife with fakes.”
Christopher Rollston, a professor at George Washington University, expressed doubts about verifying the tablet’s age, citing a lack of documentation from its reported discovery in 1913. He also cautioned that stories of provenance are sometimes fabricated by forgers or antiquities dealers to lend credibility to fake items.
