Readers of The Daily Grail may have already spotted this but as it’s something quite unusual, I think it’s worth repeating here.
To promote the launch of a new book, the publishers are offering £1,000,000 to whoever can "crack the code". The webite is here: http://www.maranatha-puzzle.com . It all sounds quite strange (the website is actually down as I write this which isn’t a good sign) but worth keeping an eye on. To get a bit of background knowledge on Flamel and the supposed book I searched Adam McLean’s invluable Alchemy website and found these archived threads:
Subject: 1523 Nicholas Flamel Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 18:16:44 -0500 (CDT) From: David Roberts
Joel Tetard gave a sparkling precis of certain documented aspects of Flamel’s life. In Titus Burckhardt’s account of the life of Flamel we are told of his acquisition of a book, for 2 florins. On the first page, according to Flamel, it read: "Abraham the Jew, prince, preist, levite, astrologer and philosopher, to the Jewish people, dispersed through God’s anger into Gaul, Greetings. D.I." The rest of the page was filled with terrible curses (in which the word Maranatha frequently occurred) against anyone who might read this book unless he be a sacrificial priest or doctor of the Holy Law.
What am I to make of this? Is the book referenced above considered apocryphal? Is this anti-Semitic? Flamel & wife were obviously practicising Christians as well as alchemists, so if he made this dedication up for some reason, why? Could it have been to accord some merit to Kabbalistic work, upon which Flamel was indebted? Or does this fine book to which he refers actually exist? And if it does exist, who wrote it? And what about the oral tradition? Just wondering.
Best wishes to all,
David Roberts
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Subject: 1524 Nicholas Flamel Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 09:30:51 -0400 (EDT) From: Claude Gagnon
> From: David Roberts > In Titus Burckhardt’s account of the life of Flamel we are told of his > acquisition of a book, for 2 florins. On the first page, according to > Flamel, it read: "Abraham the Jew, prince, preist, levite, astrologer > and philosopher, to the Jewish people, dispersed through God’s anger into > Gaul, Greetings. D.I." The rest of the page was filled with terrible > curses (in which the word Maranatha frequently occurred) against anyone > who might read this book unless he be a sacrificial priest or doctor of > the Holy Law. > What am I to make of this? Is the book referenced above considered > apocryphal? Is this anti-Semitic? Flamel & wife were obviously > practicising Christians as well as alchemists, so if he made this > dedication up for some reason, why? Could it have been to accord some > merit to Kabbalistic work, upon which Flamel was indebted? Or does this > fine book to which he refers actually exist? And if it does exist, who > wrote it? And what about the oral tradition? Just wondering. > > David Roberts
As far as I am concerned, that book of *Abraham* never existed. It cannot be the Aesh Mezareph and neither the Ma-ar Mesarepf Qitrin. It is an impossible invention: a Jewish Kabbalistic work written … in Latin and written during the Bas-Empire romain. For those who can read French; I have demonstrated the apocryphal nature of that book in the Acta of the Colloquium of Paris in 1991 that have been recently published.
See: D. Kahn and S. Matton, Alchimie: art, histoire et mythes, Paris-Milan, S.E.H.A.-Arche, 1995; C. Gagnon, Le livre d’Abraham le Juif ou l’influence de l’impossible.
Claude Gagnon
Subject: 1529 Nicholas Flamel From: WTHEISEN Subject: RE: 1523 Nicholas Flamel
I don’t think that the word marantha would be used as a curse, as it means "Come, Lord Jesus."
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Subject: 1530 Nicholas Flamel Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 16:07:12 -0500 (CDT) From: David Roberts
> From: WTHEISEN > I don’t think that the word marantha would be used as a curse, > as it means "Come, Lord Jesus."
I know this. The word is Maranatha. And these are Flamel’s words (according to Burckhardt & other translations) as he describes the first page of the Abraham book: "…the rest of the page was filled with terrible curses (in which the word MARANATHA frequently occurred) against anyone who might read this book, unless he be sacrificial priest or doctor of the Holy Law." I have not personally seen the book, which some consider apocryphal. I agree the book likely never existed, and is a way for Flamel to introduce others to the Work with some detachment. My own theory is Flamel is describing something in purposively obfuscatory terms. He would know the meaning of Maranatha, I presume. The contradictions might serve as a lure though, to those who are neither priests nor Doctors of Divinity, (but not excluding these either :)) to explore certain of the ideas described in the book. He goes on, by way of invitation, to say: "On the second page the author consoled his people and counselled them to eschew all vice, especially idolatry, and to wait with meek patience until the Messiah should come and conquer all kings on earth and with his people rule eternally in majesty."
Best wishes, David Roberts