Medieval Shem Tov Bible Unveiled at National Library of Israel After $6.9M Auction
A rare 14th-century Bible has gone on public display in Jerusalem just one year after it was sold at auction for $6.9 million. The Shem Tov Bible, described as a monumental work of biblical, artistic, Masoretic, and Kabbalistic scholarship, is now being exhibited at the National Library of Israel.
The manuscript, crafted in 1312 by the Kabbalist Rabbi Shem Tov ben Abraham Ibn Gaon in medieval Spain, is rich in spiritual and artistic heritage. After completing the Bible, Shem Tov brought it to the Holy Land, where he lived until his death in 1330. Over the centuries, the manuscript passed through the Middle East and North Africa, with reports in the 17th century attributing it mystical powers, including aiding women in childbirth.
The Bible features ornate artwork influenced by Islamic and Christian visual traditions of the time, including gothic arches, gilded verse frames, animal imagery, and illuminated marginalia, all adapted to Jewish ritual aesthetics.
“This manuscript is profoundly significant,” said Sallai Meridor, chairman of the National Library. “From Spain to Jerusalem, Baghdad, Tripoli, London, and Geneva, it has now come full circle—returning to the land Rabbi Shem Tov intended for it.”
The Bible, acquired by the Herenstein family, is on loan to the Library and will be part of its permanent exhibition. The family said they are “delighted” to share the manuscript, which showcases “the best of medieval Jewish bookmaking.” It is also being digitized to ensure global access for scholars and the public.
Chaim Neria, curator at the Library, highlighted the Bible’s academic importance. It preserves ancient scribal traditions, including the Sefer Tagei, a manual detailing the writing of sacred texts. Marginal notes in the manuscript even reference the long-lost Hilleli Codex from the 6th century.
The Shem Tov Bible is part of a broader wave of Jewish historical discoveries. Recent finds include a 16th-century Di Gara text returned to a Jewish seminary and the uncovering of a 1,600-year-old mikveh in Italy—the oldest of its kind in Europe.
With input from Fox News.
