+- The Voynich Ninja (https://www.voynich.ninja)
+-- Forum: Voynich Research (https://www.voynich.ninja/forum-27.html)
+--- Forum: Provenance & history (https://www.voynich.ninja/forum-44.html)
+--- Thread: The quest for Anchiton (/thread-2521.html)
RE: The quest for Anchiton - Anton - 31-10-2018
Continuing about the Alexander's Gate.
Genesis 2:2 tells about "The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai..."
Ezekiel 38 tells about how all those guys, like Gog and many with them, will come from their place from the uttermost parts of the north (ap eskhaton borra), and that day, to put it short, will be a pity to many.
Anderson dedicates some pages to the discussion of the region of Gog and Magog (south to the Caucasus, and also north of that), and also of how, in course of time, different tribes were associated with them (scythians, goths...)
Now, the figure of Alexander as a recognized king and hero (importantly, also in the Jewish tradition), became mingled with the legend of Gog and Magog. As Anderson describes, this was due to a series of misconceptions and was not a one-time event - rather a historical process.
As an early step of this fusion, Anderson quotes a lengthy passage from "Sermo de fine extremo", which is ascribed to Ephraem Syrus. Some authors, e.g. Noeldeke or, already after Anderson, Czegledy (see You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and references therein, free registration required) argue that "Sermo" must be of 7th century AD and thus could not have been written by Ephraem Syrus, but Anderson does not share that opinion.
It was a pity that no text of "Sermo" is available in the internet, so I had to spare no little time to type this passage myself!
Quote:5. Tunc divina iustitia advocat reges exercitusque fortissimos, qui sunt ultra illas portas quas fecit Alexander, et surgent ultra portas illas reges et populi multi, et aspicient coelum, invocantes nomen Dei. Annuente autem Deo de coelo suo glorioso, resonabit in portis illis vox divina et in iussu Dei illico portae cadent et subvertentur et exibunt exercitus innumeri et stellae coeli, immo plus quam stellae coeli, innumeri sicut arena maris. Consumpta e superliminare inferiori mensura spithamae et e superliminari superiori etiam spithama a multitudine cuspidum hastarum lacerantium et exeuntum, exinde exeunt cum trepidatione reges et copiae multae; omnes populi ac linguae exeunt per portas illas: Agog et Magog et Naval et Agag, reges et exercitus validissimi, Thogarma, Ascenez et Daiphar et Phutaei cum Lybiis, Amzartaei, et Garmidul, Taleb in capite Sanurtanorum, Azmurtaei, Chusaei, Hunni et Pharzaei, Declaei Thubalaei, et Moschaei cum Chusaeis, quos comitantur Medi et Persae et Armeni, et Turcae et Nemruchaei, et Muschaei filii Chaeon, et Sarugaei filii Jactin et Mahunaei; exercitus et populi multi, quorum non est numerus, erumpunt et invadunt terras; commoventur fundamenta orbis, arena velut fumus ascendit e terra, occultat in alto solem et operit terram velut atra nubes, sicut prophetavit Ezechiel, Buzi filius, in sua prophetia.
6. Etenim, ubi Hunni ad bellum et pugnam exeunt, assumunt mulieres gravidas et conglomerant ignem supra illas, et accedentes incantant supra illas et sic coquunt foetum in ventre earum, ventre autem sciso, extrahunt foetum; quum foetus extraxerunt, ponunt eos in discis et proiiciunt aquas super eos et separant eorum membra in aquis incantatis et assumunt gladios suos et arcus hastasque ac sagittas atque intrumenta intingunt in hisce aquis. Tota supellex quam tetigerunt aquae incantatae ipsis apparet veluti ac si secum multitudinem sex millium secum haberent quando unus es eis cadit in praelio dum decertatur. Omnis qui extendit manum educit simul cultrum. Manducant carnem infantium et sanguinem mulierum bibunt. Pelle militum induti et veluti vento et procellis vecti, in ictu oculi subvertunt urbes, ad terram disiiciunt muros eorum, diruunt arces munitas, celeri cursu alligant et trucidant viros fortissimos. Vento et procella velociores sunt dum currunt. Ubi in regione rumor spargitur egressos advenire Hunnos, undique e toto orbe surgere videntur quia incantatores sunt; inter coelum et terram currus eorum veluti venti volant; gladii eorum hastaeque ut fulgura terribila coruscant, frena manibustenentes duos vel tres equos dirigunt; unusquisque ducit secum quinquaginta vel sexaginta homines qui praeeunt et sequuntur celeres ut venti et procellae; clamores eorum rugitus sunt leonum; formidandi enim Hunni terrent universam terram, quam totam operiunt ut aquae in diebus Noe; se extendent usque ad extremitates orbis, nec est qui stet coram eis.
7. Hic est populus ille multus, de quo dixit Ezechiel (xxxviii, 16) quod veluti nubes operit terram.
Anderson is not in a habit of providing translation - I guess that knowledge of Latin, Greek and three-four modern languages is implied for readers of The Mediaeval Academy of America. So, as a product of modern mass education, I had to resort to Google. It looks like the author speaks of the Gate built by Alexander, beyond which there are folks who will break free when the day comes. He also describes Huns and seems to hint that it is Huns that Ezechiel speaks of under the name of Gog (I guess the reference to the chapter is by Anderson). This is in line with that (as Anderson tells us), as early as Josephus, Gog and Magog were associated with Scythians. And Huns, as subset of Scythians (in the interpretation of ancient people) took the role in this play when they invaded through the Caucasus in 395.
Here Alexander's Gate does not occupy the central place yet, but the overall framework paves the way for suggesting that Alexander built the Gate exactly to exclude biblical Gog and Magog - which suggestion is then indeed put forward by later authors.
I'll continue later.
RE: The quest for Anchiton - MarcoP - 31-10-2018
RE: The quest for Anchiton - -JKP- - 31-10-2018
RE: The quest for Anchiton - -JKP- - 31-10-2018
RE: The quest for Anchiton - Anton - 29-02-2020
RE: The quest for Anchiton - Anton - 29-02-2020
RE: The quest for Anchiton - -JKP- - 29-02-2020
RE: The quest for Anchiton - Koen G - 29-02-2020
RE: The quest for Anchiton - DONJCH - 01-03-2020
RE: The quest for Anchiton - Koen G - 01-03-2020