James Bonaventure Hepburn (1573 - 1620) was a Scot untrained in East Lothian about Edinburgh. He became an adept and distinguished scholar, and principal Catholic and a portion of the unhealthy order of St. Francis de Paul, he rose to the high suite of Steward of the Oriental Books and Manuscripts at the Vatican. He had a finalize knowledge of Eastern languages and, in party, Hebrew. In 1591 he published his Arabic Language rules, and he was concluding to illuminate a Kabbalistic book from Hebrew happening Latin, the 'Kettar Maleuth' of Rabbi Solomon, save for I stand not been adept to establish a problem of this work.
The "Virga Aurea" was published as a large impression (approx 20" by 32") at Rome in 1616, conversely it seems from intermediate evidence that Hepburn opening twisted an illuminated record disposition the information of the work done in discrete colours and in all probability using gold. The impression consists of a criticize in four columns of the seventy alphabets, each piece of land of which is unconscious transliterated happening Latin script, together with a small-minded everyday and curt replica from the Bible. These lists are headed by a picture centred upon the price of the Virgin Mary, standing below the Trinity of Get going, on the fitting side, the Son, on the moved out, and the Lovely Attempt implementation the triangle, and unconscious as a dove sliding. The Virgin stands on the curved Moon within a muscular egg of light centred on the Sun. Voguish the space of the egg are the other five planets, and the Virgin bears a band of the twelve stars. On her moved out side a winged female Venus price in not tied up robes, stands upon a dragon, her fitting hand pointing heavenwards, her moved out holding a lily. On the Virgin's fitting side, a winged Mars price, attired with a hat sword, and tunic, holds in his fitting hand a desire weapon and in his moved out a set of scales, and he stands upon an eagle. Side this see are a quantity of Saints, among St. Peter, St. Bonaventure, and in all probability St. Andrew.
The work is glaring to Pope Paul V (Pope from 1605-21), who was particularly accessible in books, really extending the Vatican Records in the sphere of his Pontificate, and beginning a calibrate of Antiquities. He would, of course, be quite softhearted to, and possibly motivated, the erudite pursuits of Hepburn. His more open usage to cede, permitted Hepburn the range even to surplus publishing his story of the Kabbalistic decoration, even even as a decade or so early, Giordano Bruno was burned at the strike for in Rome as a heretic for pursuing packed interests.
This document is an enormous calibrate of alphabets carriage a sprawling reconnaissance of numerous swing alphabet symbols both of man-made magical alphabets and fill of extant languages. A comprehensive pun is enshrined in the word 'Virga' of the name in Latin - Virga, 'a pin principal in one objective used for the alphabetic symbols, which are sometimes described as the 'rods' of a speech, the other objective of the word pin is mentioned in the replica as the Rod of Moses and the Papal Rod or Barrier of power; and from tip to toe 'Virga', the Virgin.
In order to bring all this stack of brute together, Hepburn penury stand had a sprawling share out of place of birth brute to study, and it seems most effortless that this brute was all-around in the Vatican Records itself. As to what Hepburn's motives were for publishing such a calibrate of alphabets, we can lone awe. He without doubt twisted these in a form which gave it erudite title and equally by line it with the price of the Virgin Mary, using the pun 'Virga' Rod-Virgin, gave it belief in but of the Church. The timing of the put out, 1616, fitting at the centre of the Rosicrucian/hermetic publishing time, suggests that Hepburn in his own way may stand been responding to that impulse. Beneath the character of the Virgin Mary line the plate, Hepburn was adept to publicly reveal the symbolism of numerous alphabets, and in party, magical alphabets. If we further take happening account Hepburn's zest in the Kabbalah, and his story and put out of a Solomonic occult replica, I presume we are straight in assuming that Hepburn may stand, in some small-minded way, contributed to the regular revelation at that time of the esoteric wisdom of the previously. At the very least amount one can stink that he was expressive by this clash happening producing the "Virga Aurea". As librarian at the Vatican, he without doubt would stand traditional prehistoric copies of the Rosicrucian publications. The "Virga Aurea", even as a discrete large impression contains such a stack of specify that an exhaustive picture drive be moved out fruit farm concluding.
[Boundary below the price of the Virgin translated by Patricia Tahil]
To Our Ceiling Fortunate Get going And Lord, Pope Paul The Fifth, In Immortal Cheer Led alone by the deceits and deceptions of the Shocking Attempt, antiquity apprehended its tell from back up seekers of the Laurel Bough; the complexity of gap having been dispelled from the Gentiles by the mounting of the Sun of Lawfulness, may it now be permitted to seekers to preference recovery, trust, and the Rod of Jesse, our golden sphere, namely the Virgin Mary. So, 0 Ceiling Fortunate of Princes, sketched by my pencil from the sacred page, in colours that were to hand, set to rights in a paper chain of seventy-two praises, fixed by plants and discrete polite arithmetic symbols, or celebrated with decorations, I most humbly place and lay this votive picture at the feet of the Ceiling Fortunate Virgin. At what time afar midnight striving, may I make pledge of my general feeling, irritate and striving desire years behind schedule the Fortunate Virgin, to the destroy of the Reunion in which we are blessed, and to its desire and eternal value, so that it may fit Enormous God to be variety to His Church, which you most deservedly lead, and most sharply sway. And whom may I not fix, armed with the Fortunate Rod? That which God through as the Barrier of Moses, famous and worthy in power, Moses was by this the superior and more adorable, as he was group leader of a part, the severed branch off, and may, by the Famous Rod, be group leader of the whole world. Not later than the aid of the Fortunate Rod, but equally by crude sufferer, the one (i.e. Moses) was Front of the Synagogue, the other (i.e. the Pope), by the blessing of the bloodless Rod is Inestimable Pontiff of the Catholic Church. The one knew the feeling of truth, by the blessing of the Rod, and was the sign of Christ; the other, by the blessing of the Rod, is his child, endowed with the doppelganger, or sprawling, majesty and religious Rod. For Moses stifled serpents with his Rod, parted the Sea, and drew water from the reel. By his blessed staff, the Pope makes the Pebble (or Structure of Christ) from cash, and His Effective Blood from Wine, crosses Hell, and bars or opens Heaven; he kills the old serpent, and fresh blasphemous serpents.
One type of the Fortunate Rod is that of Moses, famous for signs and true miracles, the other, more enunciate of the Ceiling Fortunate Maiden, is of the good name of Jesse's Rod.
Crouch down after that, 0 Ceiling Fortunate of Princes, to faith this sharply degree gift of devotion to the Ceiling Fortunate Virgin, and to view exceedingly on my inference of the Lovely Rod, and to greet and concede me in benevolence, as you are broken in to do with all the lowest possible sons of the Church.
Get going James Bonaventure Hepburn, Scot.
Charge of St Francis de Paul.
The 72 Alphabets, or "the seventy-two praises", yoke with the 72 lettered Name of Cod in the Hebrew tradition, the Shemhamphorash. This was restricted in the three verses of Exodus XIV : 19, 20, and 21, each containing 72 mode in Hebrew, which whenever you like in print down using the Kabbalistic style of boustrophedon, gives 72 Names of God. Amusingly a lot the replica of Exodus XIV, 21 describes Moses stretching out his hand from beginning to end the Red Sea and goodbye the waters, which is referred to in the replica of the "Virga Aurea".
A calendar day concluding, the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602 - 1680), inexperienced scholar working within the Catholic Church, was afar troubled with languages. Kircher published his replica of the Shemhamphorash, the 72 Names of God in the swing languages, in the form of an imprinted plate in his book "Oedipus Aegypticus" (Rome 1652-4), which is unconscious differing, and he possibly had knowledge of Hepburn's work whenever you like compiling this plate.
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