27-05-2026, 02:01 PM
(27-05-2026, 11:28 AM)Stefan Wirtz_2 wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(26-05-2026, 06:25 PM)Jorge_Stolfi wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]
One may argue whether the Pisces page has 29, 30, or 31 "things" (depending on whether one counts nymphs, labels, or stars, respectively). But all the other surviving diagrams have 30 "things" (or 15, in each half of Aries and Taurus).[..]
One may, yes.
I asked Diane O‘D. that before; she did not bother to answer, but picked a year-old comment of mine, which was already discussed, and ranted about it,
so I ask it here again:
What are the relevant elements to count within the „Zodiacs“ circles?
If I count the ladies and their tubs, I come to 29 in the „pisces“ drawing.
Counting the stars there (all!), I come to 31.
Nothing of „30“ within this very first „month“, and for „Aries“ and „Taurus“ it continues just with 15+15, 15+15.
How is that a valid beginning for some 30 days/month-and-some-rest calendar?
(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]Orthodox iconography never depicts historical events in isolation, but always connects them with the prophecy of the coming of the Savior.
Maybe. But you compare here with icons that are surely even 400 years younger than the VMS. This is not validating anything. You could use later works maybe as a proof for a continuing tradition (for example something shown still in 19th century as in 15th century), but not as any „inspiration“ for VMS.
Your icons here show clearly St.Mary and Jesus sitting in a well (aka being a well), but not one figure of VMS looks even distantly like that.
By the way: orthodox (russian, coptic, greek) are heavily loaded with religious signs of all calibers. You can easily find crosses, symbols, Halos, angels‘ wings, religious characters even within such strange and foreign manuscripts like the ethiopians.
VMS shows just 1 „genuine“ cross and nothing of the rest.
(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The author of VMS hid the baby Jesus behind the edge of the container.
Oh come on…
It seems that this diagram should also look like one month with a zodiac sign, but it is not. Let's stick to the text of the astronomical part of the book of Enoch again. In this case, the second:
"But the lunar year has 354, making 12 months, 〈calculated〉 in accordance with 29 days. And it lacks 12 days of the solar cycle, which are the lunar epacts for each year."
On folio f70v2, an astronomical text regarding the synodic month is shown:
A synodic month (also called a lunation) is the time it takes for the Moon to cycle through all of its phases. It is measured as the exact interval between two consecutive new moons or two consecutive full moons.Exact duration: 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds.Average length: 29.53 days.
Therefore, the two nymphs on the inner circle are partially overlapped
That's why this circular diagram is different from others. notice the decorative annulus. It's similar to f70v1.
And why are Marian motifs used here?
The Moon (Virgin Mary): Represents Mary. Just as the moon has no light of its own and reflects the sun, Mary reflects the divine light of God.
Thank you for your well-targeted questions and your work, it really helps to clarify some ideas.


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