Many people know the Voynich manuscript, a book full of riddles and secrets. Researchers are still trying to decipher its mysterious symbols and signs. But this is not the only tome of the Middle Ages associated with the name of the scientist John Dee.
What is commonly called the Book of Soyga is a mysterious text written at the beginning of the 16th century. This edition was found in the library of the Elizabethan scholar John Dee. For many centuries, it was considered lost, and its existence was known only from indirect references in other sources.
John Dee.
But in 1994, two copies of this magical work were discovered. They were in the repositories of two English libraries. Memoirs of 17th century Freemasons indicated that the Duke of Lauderdale owned one of the copies of the book. Which copy was found in 1994 is unclear.
John Dee himself was a somewhat strange man. A representative of science, he completely surrendered himself to natural science knowledge. The main subject of his interests were mathematics, physics, chemistry, navigation, astronomy. But the other passion was the occult. The scientist's dream was the Philosopher's Stone. He devoted all his time to finding it.
Mathematical experiments were mixed with the study of divination, palmistry, astronomy, and drawing up natal charts. Strongly advocated an increase in the English presence in the New World. He was appreciated and listened to by the aristocrats and kings of that time, he was easily granted audiences by Queen Mary and Elizabeth I, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II and King of Poland Stephen Batory. However, after the death of Elizabeth I, he lost the favor of her heir, King James the First, and died in poverty.
Soiga's book is written in seemingly simple and easily understood Latin. But it's not that simple. It has several sections. Some of them are dedicated to angels, others to magical practice, and still others to planetary movements.
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According to the memoirs of contemporaries, John Dee learned about this mysterious book from the archangel Uriel through a magic crystal. His friend and colleague medium Edward Kelly helped him communicate with the angel. The archangel told his friends during a seance that this book first appeared in the Garden of Eden. The Lord, apparently, created it for Adam. But what is written in it and how to interpret it, you need to ask the Archangel Michael. This is where the Spiritualists got into trouble. Archangel Michael did not get in touch. The mystery remained unsolved.
Both friends understood the Latin text well, but what about the number puzzles? They tried to approach them from different directions, but they never found the correct key. Researchers of other centuries have suggested that the whole point is in Kabbalah. The fact is that some numbers are similar to those used by Jews in their mystical practice. Interest in Kabbalistic magic is characteristic of the 16th century.
But this was not the only problem. It remains a mystery why some of the Latin words are written backwards. What does the title of the book “Soiga” itself mean? There is an assumption that this is the opposite written word "agios", which in translation from Greek means "holy".
In general, there are more riddles than answers. For several centuries, professionals and amateurs have been struggling to find the answer. Or maybe this is just a joke from John Dee himself?
Pavel Romanutenko