Posted on 06/01/2006 9:50:15 AM PDT by Pharmboy
A collection of charred scraps kept in a Greek museum's storerooms are all that remains of what archaeologists say is Europe's oldest surviving book _ which may hold a key to understanding early monotheistic beliefs.
More than four decades after the Derveni papyrus was found in a 2,400- year-old nobleman's grave in northern Greece, researchers said Thursday they are close to uncovering new text _ through high-tech digital analysis _ from the blackened fragments left after the manuscript was burnt on its owner's funeral pyre.
Large sections of the mid-4th century B.C. book _ a philosophical treatise on ancient religion _ were read years ago, but never officially published.
Now, archaeologist Polyxeni Veleni believes U.S. imaging and scanning techniques used to decipher the Judas Gospel _ which portrays Judas not as a sinister betrayer but as Jesus' confidant _ will considerably expand and clarify that text.
"I believe some 10-20 percent of new text will be added, which however will be of crucial importance," said Veleni, director of the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, where the manuscript is kept.
"This will fill in many gaps, we will get a better understanding of the sequence and the existing text will become more complete," Veleni told The Associated Press.
The scroll, originally several yards of papyrus rolled around two wooden runners, was found half burnt in 1962. It dates to around 340 B.C., during the reign of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.
"It is the oldest surviving book, if you can use that word for a scroll, in western tradition," Veleni said. "This was a unique find, of exceptional importance."
Greek philosophy expert Apostolos Pierris said the text may be a century older.
"It was probably written by somebody from the circle of the philosopher Anaxagoras, in the second half of the 5th century B.C.," he said.
Anaxagoras, who lived in ancient Athens, is thought to have been the teacher of Socrates and was accused by his contemporaries of atheism.
Last month, experts from Brigham Young University in Utah used multi- spectral digital analysis to create enhanced pictures of the text, which will be studied by Oxford University papyrologist Dirk Obbink and Pierris, and published by the end of 2007.
"We were now able to read even the most carbonized sections, as there were pieces that were completely blackened and nobody could make out whether there were letters on them," Veleni said.
The scroll contains a philosophical treatise on a lost poem describing the birth of the gods and other beliefs focusing on Orpheus, the mythical musician who visited the underworld to reclaim his dead love and enjoyed a strong cult following in the ancient world.
The Orpheus cult raised the notion of a single creator god _ as opposed to the multitude of deities the ancient Greeks believed in _ and influenced later monotheistic faiths.
"In a way, it was a precursor of Christianity," Pierris said. "Orphism believed that man's salvation depended on his knowledge of the truth."
Veleni said the manuscript "will help show the influence of Orphism on later monotheistic religions."
The Derveni grave, about five miles northwest of Thessaloniki, was part of a rich cemetery belonging to the ancient city of Lete.
"It belonged to a very rich man, a Macedonian nobleman, warrior and athlete who had a lot of very important and valuable artifacts in his grave," Veleni said. Finds included metal vases, a gold wreath and weapons.
This hits every letter for the GGG--a trifecta.
God - Guns - Guts.................
SunkenCiv is the keeper of the GGG list. Let's see if he wants to change it from Gods, Graves and Glyphs. But, yours ain't bad...
BTTT
That does not sound wholesome.
Ovid (Metamorphoses XI) also recounts that the Thracian Maenads, Dionysus' followers, angry for having been spurned by Orpheus in favor of "tender boys," first threw sticks and stones at him as he played, but his music was so beautiful even the rocks and branches refused to hit him. Enraged, the Maenads tore him to pieces during the frenzy of their Bacchic orgies. Medieval folkore puts a Christian spin on the story: in Albrecht Dürer's drawing (illustration, left) the ribbon high in the tree is lettered Orfeus der erst puseran ("Orpheus, the first sodomite").
In this Albrecht Dürer's 1494 drawing, the banner hung in the tree reads: Orfeus der erst puseran ("Orpheus, the first sodomite"). The word
puseran(t) derives from the Italian "buggerone", which in its turn derives from Latin bulgarus from which come also the terms bugger in English
and bougre in French. Though the drawing could be taken as a Northern European reaction to sodomy, it is actually based on an original, now
lost, by the Florentine Italian master Andrea Mantegna.
"I believe some 10-20 percent of new text will be added, which however will be of crucial importance," said Veleni, director of the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum, where the manuscript is kept.
The new and improved Gospel of Judas! Now with 20% more heresy!
Good one...ROTFLMAO!
"The new and improved Gospel of Judas! Now with 20% more heresy!" ~ Alex Murphy
Love it. You may be interested in checking this out when you get time. :)
“Re-inventing Jesus” What the Da Vinci Code And Other Novel Speculations Don't Tell You - By J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel Wallace
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/082542982X/ref=ase_tektonministries/104-2968028-6706341?s=books&v=glance&n=283155&tagActionCode=tektonministries
"If you're tired of the Christian publishing industry putting out the intellectual equivalent of Hostess Ding Dongs in defense of the faith, you NEED to make this book a success, because otherwise, they won't get the message and we'll get more Ding Dongs instead of more roast beef." ~ J P Holding http://www.tektonics.org/books/reinventrvw.html
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
What! Are these researchers implying that the notion that a single God created everything pre-dates Christianity?
Well, that has been known for a while, as the Jews and monotheism predated Christianity. And, monotheism was practiced in Egypt during the Hebrews' slavery days, and some feel that they picked it up from the Egyptians. The Pharoah that practiced monotheism was replaced by one who went back to the classic Egyptian deieties...
.....from Latin bulgarus.....
Which illuminates the nation of Bulgaria with an entirely new light.
All right, I'll say it. We should crate up San Francisco and ship it to Bulgaria.
Makes sense--the Bulgarians spend a lotta time in the gym.
"derives from the Italian "buggerone","
Hubby is Sicilian.
You've done it now.
I'm going to *have* to toss that into a conversation somewhere and see how much of his Gramma's language he recalls.....:D
[if you never see me post again, you'll know I used the word unwisely]......;]
Of all the Sicilian males I've known (and I grew up in Brooklyn), only one of them was a poofter, all the rest have been total guy guys.
Hubby is the testosterone king so I reckon he's a guy guy....LOL!
[he's from Federal Hill in RI]
Guess which part.
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