09-22-2013, 07:02 PM
"You want to see WHAT? You are aware that that particular volume is 1200 years old? Well of course you are, after all you asked for it by name." The librarian went into the back to have the Bible in question pulled. He returned rather quickly with documentation for the unusual requisition.
"I will need to see the proper credentials and I.D. before allowing you access to the manuscript. We take great care in preserving our historical treasures at the MSU, especially with foreigners. I hope you understand."
John understood, alright. With a name like 'John Smith', everything he did was scrutinized. That and every librarian he had encountered in his researches over the last 10 years got a special kind of stupid when an undesirable wanted access to a priceless piece of antiquity. With access to billions of US dollars, 3 masters degrees, and fluent in 5 languages(4 of which are 'dead' ancient languages and on the to mastery in a 5th) and he was still an undesirable. Dickhead.
" Here is my passport and student visa. I will be here for at least a semester. I will be pestering you daily for my research over the next few months. I will get those back today, right? I am too new to the area to not have my paperwork on me at all times." The librarian gave him a quizzical look and nodded and said something very non-committal.
After a few minutes another librarian led John to an empty table and told her that could work here. He stressed that any damage to the book would be 'frowned upon.' John sat down and carefully open the abnormally large tome that was the subject of todays venture. The Bible was just what he expected it to be. And these idiots had no clue as to how valuable this book truly was. The Bible it self was just over 1200 years old, but what was under the visible text pre-dated it by almost another 700 years or more.
After the fall of The Western Roman Empire writing materials were scarce. After all, commerce and the preservation of knowledge took a backseat to survival. Education and enlightenment just couldn't compete with the need for food. When the Augustinian monks began their efforts to make copies of the Bible and other classical literary works that were danger of being lost in the annals of antiquity, they were for forced to use existing material as new parchment was almost nonexistent. So in order to supply the necessary parchment for this grand enterprise, they had to 'scape' off the existing writing from the parchment (and occasional vellum) and then write the new text over the old. The process was less than perfect. While to the casual observer all that could be seen was the new piece transcribed on the newly cleaned material, an expert in the restoration of the text originally on these pages could unearth knowledge long since oppressed and believed by the Church to be tossed in the abyss where it belonged.
Funny how things really work out. In replicating Bibles and other classics on 'recycled' material, the Church unwittingly were the saviors of that which they labored to destroy. Ain't Karma a bitch. All you had to do was know what to look for and have the proper skill set.
What sat before John was a copy of what could only be called 'Dark Prophecy.' It wasn't really what he generally searched for, but a vision he had in the 'Dream' was explicit. Or at least as those psilocybin-esce experiences could be. So here he was, reading one of the oldest copies of the Latin Vulgate believed to still be in existence. And he hated Latin. It just wasn't as fascinating as the Greek. Unfortunately most of those types of works were done at the time and place when Latin was the predominate language. Most of the Greek manuscripts either predated the Latin by few hundred years, or were in the Eastern Orthodox world where the 'dark ages' had less of an impact.
John was as elated as someone could be when doing a job he loved. Thankfully he 'removed' text was in Greek. And so there he was, reading a hidden Greek text in a Latin Bible while making his notes in Sanskrit. His work should be relatively safe from prying eyes.
For the first hour, things proceeded rather slowly as there wasn't too much of interest to be found. then he found it. On the pages of many of the scholars in the 19th century would call 'Deutero-Isaiah'(the last 20 or so books of Isaiah). he began diligently working an transcribing the underlying text.
John was an excellent researcher, and good hunter, and a better than joe combatant. Unfortunately, he was piss poor when it came to intrigue and finesse. "Wow. Can you really read that? Christian? Or just a literature buff? What the hell is that you are writing? Is that a language, or is it code?" The annoying bastard then took a seat beside John. Definitely not a southern gentlemen.
John stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to his uninvited guest. the man was patiently waiting a reply. "My name Yoseph, and here are your papers. I am curious. According to our information you fluent in Latin, and here you are seeming to struggle for almost half an hour on one page? And of a Bible no less? Most Latin students either go into medicine or theology. Your studies primarily revolve and Man. So tell me why you are really here, Mr. Smith."
Stupid nerd. John could have kicked himself. So absorbed in his passion that he didn't see anything else. Idiot. Now was he really got a good at look at his guest. Yoseph seemed to be a little older than John, maybe in his late 40's. He was dressed in a older style dark suit. Nothing fancy but very well kept. he appeared to be focusing all of his attention on John and at the same time soaked in everything around him. This was no librarian.
"Obviously you are aware of my 3 masters degrees? I am working on my Doctorate in History. I am taking notes for my thesis. I am an over-achiever." John smiled sardonically. He tried to give the appearance of a smug elitist instead of a man about to shit his pants.
Yoseph smiled and shook his head as he casually leaned back in his chair. "Here in the CCD we can be quite tolerant, or hideously unforgiving. Which would you prefer?"
Edited by doulou, Oct 25 2014, 08:41 PM.
"I will need to see the proper credentials and I.D. before allowing you access to the manuscript. We take great care in preserving our historical treasures at the MSU, especially with foreigners. I hope you understand."
John understood, alright. With a name like 'John Smith', everything he did was scrutinized. That and every librarian he had encountered in his researches over the last 10 years got a special kind of stupid when an undesirable wanted access to a priceless piece of antiquity. With access to billions of US dollars, 3 masters degrees, and fluent in 5 languages(4 of which are 'dead' ancient languages and on the to mastery in a 5th) and he was still an undesirable. Dickhead.
" Here is my passport and student visa. I will be here for at least a semester. I will be pestering you daily for my research over the next few months. I will get those back today, right? I am too new to the area to not have my paperwork on me at all times." The librarian gave him a quizzical look and nodded and said something very non-committal.
After a few minutes another librarian led John to an empty table and told her that could work here. He stressed that any damage to the book would be 'frowned upon.' John sat down and carefully open the abnormally large tome that was the subject of todays venture. The Bible was just what he expected it to be. And these idiots had no clue as to how valuable this book truly was. The Bible it self was just over 1200 years old, but what was under the visible text pre-dated it by almost another 700 years or more.
After the fall of The Western Roman Empire writing materials were scarce. After all, commerce and the preservation of knowledge took a backseat to survival. Education and enlightenment just couldn't compete with the need for food. When the Augustinian monks began their efforts to make copies of the Bible and other classical literary works that were danger of being lost in the annals of antiquity, they were for forced to use existing material as new parchment was almost nonexistent. So in order to supply the necessary parchment for this grand enterprise, they had to 'scape' off the existing writing from the parchment (and occasional vellum) and then write the new text over the old. The process was less than perfect. While to the casual observer all that could be seen was the new piece transcribed on the newly cleaned material, an expert in the restoration of the text originally on these pages could unearth knowledge long since oppressed and believed by the Church to be tossed in the abyss where it belonged.
Funny how things really work out. In replicating Bibles and other classics on 'recycled' material, the Church unwittingly were the saviors of that which they labored to destroy. Ain't Karma a bitch. All you had to do was know what to look for and have the proper skill set.
What sat before John was a copy of what could only be called 'Dark Prophecy.' It wasn't really what he generally searched for, but a vision he had in the 'Dream' was explicit. Or at least as those psilocybin-esce experiences could be. So here he was, reading one of the oldest copies of the Latin Vulgate believed to still be in existence. And he hated Latin. It just wasn't as fascinating as the Greek. Unfortunately most of those types of works were done at the time and place when Latin was the predominate language. Most of the Greek manuscripts either predated the Latin by few hundred years, or were in the Eastern Orthodox world where the 'dark ages' had less of an impact.
John was as elated as someone could be when doing a job he loved. Thankfully he 'removed' text was in Greek. And so there he was, reading a hidden Greek text in a Latin Bible while making his notes in Sanskrit. His work should be relatively safe from prying eyes.
For the first hour, things proceeded rather slowly as there wasn't too much of interest to be found. then he found it. On the pages of many of the scholars in the 19th century would call 'Deutero-Isaiah'(the last 20 or so books of Isaiah). he began diligently working an transcribing the underlying text.
John was an excellent researcher, and good hunter, and a better than joe combatant. Unfortunately, he was piss poor when it came to intrigue and finesse. "Wow. Can you really read that? Christian? Or just a literature buff? What the hell is that you are writing? Is that a language, or is it code?" The annoying bastard then took a seat beside John. Definitely not a southern gentlemen.
John stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to his uninvited guest. the man was patiently waiting a reply. "My name Yoseph, and here are your papers. I am curious. According to our information you fluent in Latin, and here you are seeming to struggle for almost half an hour on one page? And of a Bible no less? Most Latin students either go into medicine or theology. Your studies primarily revolve and Man. So tell me why you are really here, Mr. Smith."
Stupid nerd. John could have kicked himself. So absorbed in his passion that he didn't see anything else. Idiot. Now was he really got a good at look at his guest. Yoseph seemed to be a little older than John, maybe in his late 40's. He was dressed in a older style dark suit. Nothing fancy but very well kept. he appeared to be focusing all of his attention on John and at the same time soaked in everything around him. This was no librarian.
"Obviously you are aware of my 3 masters degrees? I am working on my Doctorate in History. I am taking notes for my thesis. I am an over-achiever." John smiled sardonically. He tried to give the appearance of a smug elitist instead of a man about to shit his pants.
Yoseph smiled and shook his head as he casually leaned back in his chair. "Here in the CCD we can be quite tolerant, or hideously unforgiving. Which would you prefer?"
Edited by doulou, Oct 25 2014, 08:41 PM.