The quest for Anchiton

[Anton]

So, to recap the "biblical" branch, at the moment it stays like this. St. Jerome while commenting the point of the Bible that the altar of the tabernacle was made of wood advised the readers that this is not that fabulous, because it is known that there is a kind of wood called amianton which also resists fire. Later this comment was quoted by St. Bede, who possibly mistook "amianton" for "amiton", or at least this what we read in a couple of early manuscripts. Then, while the word "amianton" was still carried forward in quotations of Jerome and Bede's Jerome, at some point of time it also somehow got distorted into "anchiton", and in this word form it found its way into Glossa Ordinaria, or at least in its earliest printed version. That version postdates Voynich for half a century, but it is probable that "anchiton" came into scene earlier than it was actually printed. Unfortunately, we cannot yet find the exact time and place when this curious substitution took place - nor do we have any clear ethymological understanding of the word.

If this word was borrowed by the VMS scribe from a version of Jerome's comment, then, quite probably, it was through Glossa, because that would be the most widespread source featuring "anchiton". Another possibility coming to my mind is through some hymn. I have seen a medieval manuscript containing a hymn about the tabernacle. It does not feature anything related to anchiton or amianton, but just for the sake of example. Given that You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. "spell" hints to some piece of vernacular poetry, such poetry could freely borrow from a hymn - into which "anchiton" would make its way from the Glossa.

Those are many "if's", and no trace of "oladabas" withal.