(1) A big hello to Rich SantaColoma as he emerges from the VMs “List Closet” into the bright(-ish) light of the blogosphere. His “New Atlantis Voynich Theory” blog sets out his basic stall – which is that, thanks to his “Nagging Sense of Newness” about the Voynich Manuscript, he harbours strong doubts that it is anywhere near as old as mainstream Voynich researchers (such as, errrm, me, apparently) think it is.
The truth is that historians have basically frittered the last century away on foolish conceits (such as the Roger Bacon thing, the Dee-and-Kelley thing, or the it’s-a-hoax-because-the-NSA-can’t-break-it thing), and so until such time as a single proper codicological and palaeographical analysis comes along to define the research problem properly, we’ll remain in the same old evidential free-fall.
As for me, I’m sticking with John Manly’s assessment (that the quire numbers were added in the 15th century) as a basic starting point for the dating: and if that turns out to be wrong, then so be it. That doesn’t make me “mainstream”, just… old-fashioned, I guess. 🙂
Incidentally, it’s a little-known fact that the Beinecke’s catalogue originally listed MS 408 as fifteenth century, but that in the 1970s (perhaps as a result of Brumbaugh’s wobbly claims?) this got extended forwards to the sixteenth century… I suspect they got it right the first time round.
PS: Rich, given that I think Q13 has a water theme, I’m sticking with the catoblepas (with its heavy head hanging down) rather than the armadillo – given that even Leonardo wrote that the catoblepas was found at the Nigricapo [the source of the Niger river], it was very much part of the mental landscape of the Florentine Quattrocento.
(2) And another big hello to (the apparently email-address-less?) “acevoynich” and [his/her] eponymic “acevoynich’s blog“. Though given [his/her] apparent inability to find Cipher Mysteries, the Voynich Manuscript Mailing List, The Journal of Voynich Studies, voynich.nu, the Voynich Wikipedia site, the Voynich dmoz entry, etc (let alone D’Imperio or The Curse) I have to say I’m somewhat dubious that [he/she] is, as [he/she] claims, actually writing a “thesis”. Does [he/she] really have a research question in mind, or is [he/she] just a [troll/trollette]? Hmmm…
Still, acevoynich feels confident to ask the five key W-questions of the big V-manuscript: who, what, where, when, why. Again, I refer the honourable member to my previous answer: and add that until such time as we have the forensic side (the “What happened?” question) considerably more locked down than it is at the present, I suspect that these W’s are (sad as it is) actually more harmful than helpful. Oh well! 🙁
Nick: Thanks much for the mention. I always find your Cipher Mysteries posts of interest and value.
Yes I’ve joined you and the others in the public light of the blogosphere. And I feel somehow hopeful that the answer is getting closer, whatever that answer is. I know we all wait with anticipation the results of the tests, for one thing. But aside from that, I somehow “sense” things are moving along in a positive direction. And that, even though I am not normally a “glass half full” guy. Take care, Rich.
Salut, Nick! Des blogs, bien sûr, pas de blague… Un peu de patience avec l’As Voynich.
Dennis
Has anyone brought Voynich’s previous career, and his wife’s mathematical background and novels into the frame?
Has the manuscript been linked to any of ‘the usual suspects’ – Cathars, Masons, Templers, Holy Bloodline…?
The usual suspects have been linked to the VMs countless times over, both in fiction and (what we laughably call) non-fiction. Wilfrid and Ethel Voynich’s backgrounds, families, and skills have been invoked quite a few times, mainly as part of “WMV faked the VMs” hypotheses, or “WMV faked the Marci letter” hypotheses, etc. But as far as I know, the Voyniches don’t appear in any fictional conspiracies – though doubtless some novelist will take up that challenge soon enough! 🙂
have you guys ever tried the enochian text to figure out about this book?…a homeless man I showed it to told me it was an almanac also recognizable by the hebrew letters….but then everything angelic would coincide to create the book right?….take a look and get back to me thanks greg
also check it to the languages of light which you can find online
these sites I have found have some good info on them…
http://www.hermetic.com/enochia/ces-special.htm
http://www.spiritmythos.org/holy/lightlanguage.htm
http://www.spiritmythos.org/holy/lightlanguage.htm
check these out for me and get back to me ok everyone out there?….I hope I can be of assistance….greg
I give up. What’s the point of sober historical research into the antecedents for objects depicted in the ms, when all I had to do was google ‘Glass AND Atlantis’ to get this? Here are the Russian healing pyramids of Atlantis.
http://www.2012connect.com/group/healingpyramidsofatlantis?xg_source=activity
I give up.