The Voynich Manuscript - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World

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[hstarcz]

Thank you, Jimmy and Dom! I know that this is an older episode, but I just listened to it now. I found this fascinating! I had a difficult weekend, and this has really lifted my spirits. Thank you!

[juliah]

I heard about this, but before asking Jimmy to cover this topic I had to check if there was a video already. Sure enough he’s talked about everything as far as I’m aware. I am so glad he discussed this!

[FrJohnBrownSJ]

I think it could be one of the lost languages from the Americas, written by a very early missionary who had to make up an alphabet to write it down; languages from the Americas would have seemed very alien phonetically. It would explain the strange plants if the author (translator) would not have seen them firsthand, or only dry etc... I imagine missionaries eager to catalog what they could, hoping to understand it more later. Time frame might be a stretch, though.

[chirelle.alanalooney]

I apologize but I missed where this Voynich Manuscript was discovered first, or maybe I should word it, first discovered.

[TrialAndError]

I'm about halfway through this episode in Spotify, so you may already touch on this. Is it possible that this book, if it's legit, has other companion books that are now in the Vatican archives? If you've already touched on this later in the episode, then I'll know before I get parked again [to be able to see any YouTube responses], if my question turns out to be pertinent.

[varyar]

The author was probably a medieval Tolkien who invented a language and script for his own proto-Inklings. He was focused on plants instead of Northern mythology, is all.

[Rich.Staples]

Jimmy Akin i am wondering if, based on ur descriptions (ive seen images of the mss online) if this wasnt an early pagan apothecary record. Sometimes they would use an altered alphabet to record these to keep the information difficult to get without being apprenticed in the system directly. i'm wondering if there also want a polybius square used to encode the original text first followed by using an artistic orthography to disguise the letters/language used. With the word lengths preserved.

[davidarcudi]

The one good thing that will happen to me today

[adamhovey]

By the way, out of curiosity, I typed in proto romance into a search engine, and Vulgar Latin came up. Now, Vulgar Latin was not a unified thing, and I'm wondering if that maybe it is an unrecorded or otherwise unattested Romance language. But, why use that alphabet, and not the Latin alphabet? I guess it could be code for something. I mean, I can read and write Russian Cyrillic but although I do have knowledge of languages besides my native English, Russian is not one of those languages. When I was younger, and I didn't want someone to know what I was writing, but I just had to write it down I would write it using the Cyrillic alphabet, because I figured it would confuse Russians having to read English, and most English speakers aren't going to know what it is. But, that's the difference, we know what the Cyrillic alphabet is, even if not everyone knows what it's used for. I suppose it could be some kind of hoax, but I don't believe it is. maybe it is an unattested language, but not Latin or German, which are suggestions, but I do know that there are quite a few European languages that we really don't have any writings. There are some languages that I'm surprised we have any record of it all, like Crimean Gothic.

[kazgonciarz]

I really enjoy the podcast and really appreciate your work. This was a good episode; however I need to clarify couple of statements from Jimmy about Poland. He states that there hasn’t been Poland for much of history and that it tends to be occupied by Russia or Germany. In reality Poland was “wiped from map” for 123 years as it was partitioned by its neighbours, however that constitutes only small fraction of its total history, as Poland was established in 900’s; in 966 Poland received Christianity from Czechs etc; and it has been a major contributor to the western civilization. It has gone though golden ages. Also calling someone who is fighting for independence from a foreign rule a revolutionary is wrong. By that rationale the D day “invaders” were revolutionaries. Thank you for all your good work. God bless you

[timlange]

@ i just bought this guys book. i cant believe nobody knows who Sukhwant Singh is. its kinda hard to follow his english but give him a chance. he knows the history and culture of the people who wrote books like this. it all quickly becomes obvious.

[Mcoogie]

What if the author used a non-real language to conceal the work.

[ellobo]

I heard it was of a language derived from Turkey..

[LanceLinkSC]

If we’re REALLY being honest here, why doesn’t Jimmy ever mention the fact that there is also a belief that the plants may also be of another planet? Tsk, tsk, Jimmy...

[bwill]

First! Back later when I'm done.