16-10-2016, 08:05 AM
I would just like to add two important points to this discussion.
The first is that this part of history is quite murky, and one needs to read many different sources to find out which parts are recorded accurately (or at least consistently) and which parts are not so clear. Indeed, several sources that should be expected to be accurate contain errors.
The timeline of the return of Beckx to Rome is clear beyond doubt, as is the timeline of his succession, and the role of Fiesole as the home for the Curia and the General. These are three different timelines. We can even read where he stayed in Rome between his return and his death, and what were the reasons for his various moves. We don't only know where he died, but also who were with him at the time. All of this is of little relevance for the Voynich MS. One of the most interesting sources (but it is just one example) is: Danieluk S.J., Robert: La Bibliotheque de Carlos Sommervogel: le sommet de l'oeuvre bibliographique de la compagnie de Jesus (1890-1932), 2006. It is based on correspondence preserved in the Jesuit archives (the part that was actually kept in Fiesole).
The other important point is, that Beckx almost certainly did not have any trunks with old books from the Jesuit library with him.
This stands to reason. As the world leader of a religious order that is being threatened with extinction, he really had other things on his mind than a collection of classical and humanist manuscripts. This was someone else's task.
I spoke with the historians of the archives of the Gregorian University in Rome last year. I can't think of a more knowledgeable and reliable source about this part of history. They clearly said that according to their understanding, there was never such a thing as a 'private library of P.Beckx'. They pointed this out, since my web site at the time was suggesting that this had been a real and physical collection.
Instead, they said, they believe that the various sets of books had been moved away beforehand, and the stickers were added later as an additional safety measure. It is not even clear that Beckx was personally involved in this.
(Of course, it is entirely possible, even likely, that Beckx did have a much smaller personal library).
The first is that this part of history is quite murky, and one needs to read many different sources to find out which parts are recorded accurately (or at least consistently) and which parts are not so clear. Indeed, several sources that should be expected to be accurate contain errors.
Quote:However, the usual account given that he returned to Rome after the election of his successor is less clear than is usually asserted. Campell's history of the Jesuits, written in 1921 (i.e. after the Catholic Encyclopaedia which is online) does not state where Beckx died, but says only that the community who had gone to Fiesole were obliged to remain there until *after* the death of Beckx' successor.
The timeline of the return of Beckx to Rome is clear beyond doubt, as is the timeline of his succession, and the role of Fiesole as the home for the Curia and the General. These are three different timelines. We can even read where he stayed in Rome between his return and his death, and what were the reasons for his various moves. We don't only know where he died, but also who were with him at the time. All of this is of little relevance for the Voynich MS. One of the most interesting sources (but it is just one example) is: Danieluk S.J., Robert: La Bibliotheque de Carlos Sommervogel: le sommet de l'oeuvre bibliographique de la compagnie de Jesus (1890-1932), 2006. It is based on correspondence preserved in the Jesuit archives (the part that was actually kept in Fiesole).
The other important point is, that Beckx almost certainly did not have any trunks with old books from the Jesuit library with him.
This stands to reason. As the world leader of a religious order that is being threatened with extinction, he really had other things on his mind than a collection of classical and humanist manuscripts. This was someone else's task.
I spoke with the historians of the archives of the Gregorian University in Rome last year. I can't think of a more knowledgeable and reliable source about this part of history. They clearly said that according to their understanding, there was never such a thing as a 'private library of P.Beckx'. They pointed this out, since my web site at the time was suggesting that this had been a real and physical collection.
Instead, they said, they believe that the various sets of books had been moved away beforehand, and the stickers were added later as an additional safety measure. It is not even clear that Beckx was personally involved in this.
(Of course, it is entirely possible, even likely, that Beckx did have a much smaller personal library).