A 13TH-CENTURY Jewish scripture in Spanish has been sold at auction in New York for 330,000 dollars.

It is said to be one of just four surviving Jewish bibles, or law books, known as a Torah, in Spain.

Experts believe it was written in Soria between 1278 and 1295, and that it was circulated by mystics in northern Spain and southern France.

A unique example of its kind, it was sold at Sotheby's in the Big Apple yesterday to a telephone bidder.

Sotheby's had placed a reserve of between 300,000 and 500,000 dollars on the script.

It belonged to a Spanish family who lived in Morocco and now reside in Israel.

The script measures 58 centimetres in height and 36.65 metres in length.

Historians say very little is left in testimony to the Jews in Spain back in the 13th century, making this Torah particularly valuable.