I did this at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. There is
some really interesting research going on here!
Helen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Billings" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Golden Dawn
>
> Damn, scratch one of my alternative Master's thesis ideas. :-)
>
> Where did you do this?
>
> Al
>
> Helen Farley wrote:
>> Hi Caroline,
>> I did my Masters thesis on the Golden Dawn Cypher MSS. This is the
>> consensus.
>>
>> In 1499, a Benedictine Abbot named Johann Trithemius from Spanheim
>> in Germany wrote the first known book on cryptography. The book,
>> called /Polygraphiae et Universelle Escriture Cabalistique/, was
>> printed in Latin, but appeared in German and French around 1561.
>> Alas, the Abbot was accused of black magic and all copies of the
>> book that could be found were publicly burned. The cypher used to
>> encrypt the Cypher Manuscript was derived from this book. It was
>> not a cypher in the true sense of the word, but was rather an
>> artificial alphabet originally used by alchemists to conceal their
>> secrets, and was therefore suitably occult. Waite stated that the
>> key to the Cypher Manuscript was readily accessible in the British
>> Museum. He believed that Westcott would be sufficiently familiar
>> with the old literature of occultism and magic to be able to
>> examine any of half a dozen editions of /Polygraphiae et
>> Universelle Escriture Cabalistique/ in order to find the key.
>>
>>
>> Hope that helps!
>> Helen
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Caroline Tully" <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]
>> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>> Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 12:10 PM
>> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Golden Dawn
>>
>> > OK, forget my first question, I know the answer - or an answer -
>> now: The
>> > 'Polygraphiae' of the Abbot Johann Trithemius. Is this the general
>> consensus
>> > for the origins of the ciphers in the GD cipher manuscript then?
>> >
>> > ~Caroline.
>> >
>
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