VMs: Re: Hebrew Kabbalistic Cryptography

["DANA SCOTT" <dscott520@xxxxxxx>]

Hello Donald,

My first thought here would be to ask whether or not there are any
"Aramaic/Hebrew Caballistic" manuscripts in the Vatican Library?

Regards,
Dana Scott

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald Goodell" <donald.goodell@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <lroux@xxxxxxx>; <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2003 10:03 AM
Subject: VMs: Hebrew Kabbalistic Cryptography


>
> Hi Larry:
>
> You wrote in Section II of your attachment (Ancient Character Replacement)
>
> QUOTE "There have been examples of languages over time where vowels were
not
> incorporated into the written language.  The Dead Sea scrolls, for
instance,
> are written in a vowel-less version of Hebrew. " UNQUOTE
>
>
>
> Actually, Larry, all Hebrew and Aramaic MSS and inscriptions from
Antiquity
> both in and outside the Dead Sea corpus (like most other ancient Middle
> Eastern languages such as Akkadian cuneiform etc.) were essentially
> vowel-less systems, and written vowels were not codified  prior to about
> 960AD were (the time of the Massoretes when a vowel system for Hebrew was
> devised for purposes of "uniform" cantillation among the Ashkenazi
clerics)
> .
>
> But some consonants performed the function of "vowels"in  Hebrew prior to
> the advent of the Massoretes (e.g. "vav" was often used for letter "long
o"
> and "long u" and "yud" was often used for the letter "i" (as in the word
> "Israel") or in forming plurals (e.g. "gOyIm"  where the letter Vav is
used
> for the O and Yud for the letter I)etc.
>
> So one would have to say that in general Hebrew is really only "partially"
> de-vowelled, i.e.  before 960AD and the Dead Sea Scrolls (writen between
BC
> 290 to AD68) are just one of many examples of this scribal practice in the
> ancient world (see Egyptian Heiroglyphics for example which are likewise
> de-vowelled).
>
> Also, I must also insert here that the Dead Sea Scroll Corpus is written
in
> several languages not just Hebrew, including: a. Paleo-Hebrew (i.e. copies
> of the Torah etc. written out with Phoenician letters), b. a form of early
> proto-Mishnaic "Jerusalemite" Hebrew (e.g. fragments of  the Wisdom of Ben
> Sirach, or fragments of I Henoch, etc..), c. Aramaic (e.g. the Genesis
> Apocryphon) and even  d.  in Greek (fragments of copies of the Psalms and
> the Torah have been found in Greek as well as Greek "code" words found in
> the Copper Scroll outlining the various locations of the contents of the
> Jerusalem Temple Treasury).
>
> More to the point with the VMS thread here, and to me a very interesting
> fact which pertains to our immediate discussion is that, curiously, some
> Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Cypher-Code, i.e. in a simple "cryptic"
> alphabetic replacement code, e.g. the fragments of a scroll known as the
> "Admonitions to the Sons of the Dawn" found in Cave 4 at Qumran (4Q298
> Cryptic) where each  Aramaic letter is replaced by a totally different
> replacement letter-symbol.
>
> These symbols bear a curious resemblance at times to the Voynich sigils,
> e.g. the system used in 4Q298 for the Aramaic letter "vav" closely
resembles
> the VMS sigil for EVA [f]; also the Cryptic 4Q298 code for the Aramaic
> letter "Quph" is the same as the Voynich sigil for EVA [d] (i.e.
resembling
> the modern Arabic numeral 8); the Cryptic 4Q298 coded letter for Aramaic
> "tav" resembles the VMS sigil for EVA [p]:  the Crytpic 4Q298 coded letter
> for Aramaic " 'ayin " is similar to the VMS sigil for EVA [c]; 4Q298
Cryptic
> Aramaic letter "Kaph" is the same symbol as the VMS sigil for EVA [o]:
4Q298
> Cryptic sign for Aramaic "mem" is similar to the VMS sigil for EVA [m} and
> finally, the EVA [q] which resembles a tall numeral "4" is similar to the
> 4Q298 Cryptic coded letter for Aramaic "tet".
>
> This may suggest (but only "may" suggest) that the originator of the VMS
> sigil-cypherbet might have had some contact with Aramaic/Hebrew
Caballistic
> coded cyphers used in antiquity and developed/morphed over time through
the
> Middle Ages (even the Dead Sea Scroll sect re-emerged as the Karaites
before
> the year 1000).
>
> Discussion anyone?
>
> DG
>
> donald.goodell@xxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Larry Roux" <lroux@xxxxxxx>
> To: <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 2:29 PM
> Subject: VMs: decryption document
>
>
> > I put together a document on some encryption methods and how they
> > pertain to the Voynich.  It can be found at
> >
> > http://web.syr.edu/~laroux/voyencrypdoc.html
> >
> > While I have seen several sites that attack Voynich from a  particular
> > decryption method, I have not seen a more general one that shows
> > different methods and how they relate to the Voy Manuscript.
> >
> > I am NOT an expert in cryptology, so be kind.  I am sure I am not using
> > the official terminology, etc.  And this is a work in progress.  Note
> > that I am doing this more for my own reference and a way to focus my
> > ideas than to be the "go-to" reference (or I would be more careful to
> > learn the correct terminology, etc.
> >
> > Any comments are welcome.  If people really HATE it then I can delete it
> > <grin>.
> >
> > I'll be adding more info (links to the various pages, other schemes,
> > etc) if the page survives initial review....
> >
> >
> > ******************************
> > Larry Roux
> > Syracuse University
> > lroux@xxxxxxx
> > *******************************
> > ______________________________________________________________________
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