19-09-2023, 11:13 AM
The paper reads like the culmination of some thrilling detective work. For the first time I'm also understanding well why Voynich was so secretive about all this.
I do wonder about the period between when Kircher obtained the MS and when the Jesuits hid it. I understand that we have no records of any "cipher manuscript" from this period, but this in itself is already strange. Clearly, the MS was already fascinating to Baresch and his surroundings in the 17th century. The script is unknown, there are many colored plant drawings, scientific-looking diagrams, nude figures... All of this must have drawn attention if the MS was somehow available to the public. Since it doesn't show up in any catalogs, may it have been kept hidden or at least separate already even before the Jesuits started dispersing their collection to avoid confiscation?
I do wonder about the period between when Kircher obtained the MS and when the Jesuits hid it. I understand that we have no records of any "cipher manuscript" from this period, but this in itself is already strange. Clearly, the MS was already fascinating to Baresch and his surroundings in the 17th century. The script is unknown, there are many colored plant drawings, scientific-looking diagrams, nude figures... All of this must have drawn attention if the MS was somehow available to the public. Since it doesn't show up in any catalogs, may it have been kept hidden or at least separate already even before the Jesuits started dispersing their collection to avoid confiscation?