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Religious Books

Humanity’s search for the divine is as old as man. Early hunter-gatherer tribes sought meaningful ways to interact with the environment, thereby ensuring their survival by appeasing whatever spirits bestowed favorable fortunes upon them. The written record of humankind’s preoccupation with these controlling forces is found in religious texts, which are valuable both for their contents and their worth on the market.

Throughout time, sacred texts have been hidden, stolen, smuggled, and destroyed. These are factors which add to their rarity and value. The earliest-known religious texts are the inscriptions written on the walls of the Egyptian pyramids known as the Pyramid Texts, which date to around 3,000 B.C. Fragments of the Babylonian "Epic of Gilgamesh" and the Sumerian tablets discovered at the archaeological site of Ugarit are important cultural discoveries revealing the religious beliefs of ancient societies. The Dead Sea scrolls, a collection of documents written on papyrus and animal skins containing ancient biblical texts, were discovered in caves in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Religious books bring lots of excitement at auction based upon their rarity, age, and scholarly or historical applications. The price of rare religious books is steadily climbing, often bringing millions at auction houses.


Quick Facts

  • A rare copy of Rhode Island settlement founder Roger William’s "The Bloody Tenet of Persecution" sold for $175,000 at a 2015 Sotheby's auction. The book was so offensive to Christian views upon publication in 1644 that British Parliament ordered all copies burned
  • The "Gospels of Queen Theutberga of Lorraine," a 9th-century gospel believed to be missing for 20 years, was sold by Christie’s to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $2,850,844 in 2014
  • "Hebrew Bible: Pentateuch with Haftarot and the Five Scrolls, England: 15 Tammuz 4949=2 July 1189" sold for $3,610,000 at a 2015 Sotheby’s auction. This rare Hebrew book dates to before the expulsion of the Jewish people from the British Isles

Recommended Items at Auction

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A large multi-theca with 31 relics for Jesus Christ DNJC, Apostles and Evangelists.
Dec 06, 1:00 PM CET
A large multi-theca with 31 relics for Jesus Christ DNJC, Apostles and Evangelists.
by Flanders Auctions
Est: €400- €600
€4504 Bids
[JUDAICA] Benedictus ARIAS MONTANO / CL. CAZET / JOHANN
Dec 09, 2:00 PM CET
[JUDAICA] Benedictus ARIAS MONTANO / CL. CAZET / JOHANN
by Alain & Evelyne Morel de Westgaver
Est: €50- €60
€702 Bids
WITHDRAWN
Dec 08, 5:00 PM CET
WITHDRAWN
by Központi Antikvárium
Est: Ft0- Ft0
Ft100,0001 Bid
A COLLECTION OF JEWISH PRAYER BOOKS AND SCROLLS
Dec 13, 1:00 PM GMT
A COLLECTION OF JEWISH PRAYER BOOKS AND SCROLLS
by Plakas Auctions
Est: £800- £1,200
£6001 Bid
Faber,M.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Faber,M.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €100- €150
€1001 Bid
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[WILLIAM BLAKE, JUDAICA] Flavius Josephus
Dec 07, 11:00 AM AEST
[WILLIAM BLAKE, JUDAICA] Flavius Josephus
by The Book Merchant Jenkins
Est: AUD400- AUD500
AUD3001 Bid
Big Luther Bible, Nuremberg from 1736
Dec 09, 10:00 AM CET
Big Luther Bible, Nuremberg from 1736
by Auktionshaus Wersching
Est: €0- €0
€1001 Bid
ARABIC HAND WRITTEN CHRISTIAN BOOK OF WISDOM, BY AMBA PAULES
Dec 13, 1:00 PM GMT
ARABIC HAND WRITTEN CHRISTIAN BOOK OF WISDOM, BY AMBA PAULES
by Plakas Auctions
Est: £500- £700
£3601 Bid
A group of religious books
Dec 09, 10:00 AM AEDT
A group of religious books
by Theodore Bruce
Est: AUD0- AUD0
AUD151 Bid
A EUROPEAN BIBLE, PROBABLY ARMENIAN
Dec 13, 1:00 PM GMT
A EUROPEAN BIBLE, PROBABLY ARMENIAN
by Plakas Auctions
Est: £500- £700
£3601 Bid
Book lot including early German religious texts
Dec 06, 9:00 AM EST
Book lot including early German religious texts
by Pook & Pook Inc.
Est: $60- $90
$301 Bid
Three early religious texts
Dec 06, 9:00 AM EST
Three early religious texts
by Pook & Pook Inc.
Est: $200- $300
$1001 Bid
Six Germantown religious texts
Dec 06, 9:00 AM EST
Six Germantown religious texts
by Pook & Pook Inc.
Est: $100- $150
$501 Bid
Beaudrand,B.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Beaudrand,B.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €200- €300
€2000 Bids
Berchorius,P.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Berchorius,P.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €100- €150
€1000 Bids
Berchorius,P.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Berchorius,P.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €100- €150
€1000 Bids
Biblia germanica.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Biblia germanica.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €3,200- €4,800
€3,2000 Bids
Estius,W.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Estius,W.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €70- €100
€700 Bids
Lloret,J.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Lloret,J.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €100- €150
€1000 Bids
Spanner,A.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Spanner,A.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €40- €60
€400 Bids
Wittola,M.A.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Wittola,M.A.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €80- €120
€800 Bids
Burkhart,P.
Dec 12, 10:00 AM CET
Burkhart,P.
by Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Est: €100- €150
€1000 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Religious Books


Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen

Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen

Központi Antikvárium

Központi Antikvárium

Plakas Auctions

Plakas Auctions

Designer Homes of Central Florida

Designer Homes of Central Florida