A Hebrew Bible more than 1,000 years old and described as “one of the most important and singular texts in human history” will go on show later this month, before going under the hammer.

The Codex Sassoon, dating to the late 9th to early 10th, is believed to be the earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible.

It will be on show at Sotheby’s in London from February 22-28, followed by an exhibition tour to Israel and the US. It will go up for auction in New York in May, where it is expected to fetch between $30 million and $50 million.

Sharon Mintz, Sotheby’s senior Judaica specialist, books and manuscripts, told CNN Wednesday that “this is the most important document to come to auction ever.”

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Mintz said this “astonishing record” is likely to generate huge interest from bidders. “This is the most significant document that I have ever had the pleasure of examining, researching [and] holding,” she added.

The Hebrew Bible is the foundation of the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Scholars have long been aware of the codex named after renowned Judaica collector David Sassoon (1880-1942), but it has remained largely out of public view, Sotheby’s said in a press release Wednesday.

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