A strange manuscript, which mentions Rennes-le-Château Part 3: further observations

 

While I agree with Mr. Coppens that, with so little to go on, it is certainly premature to venture any kind of interpretation, and “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, so here are a few thoughts (some are probably quite obvious) that have occurred to me which I hope may be helpful to others. I would appreciate hearing from anyone else who also has thoughts on this intriguing manuscript.

Aleph: The alabaster vase is presumably that of Mary Magdalene. The Cyrenean could be Simon the Cyrenean who carried the cross of Jesus (the fifth station of the cross). The Cyrenean could also be a reference to the Ceryneian stag which was the third labour of Hercules. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Gimel: Jesus was the “Living Branch” and he told the Samaritan woman that from him came “living water”.

Zain: The hidden pearl and the potter might refer to the matters I covered in “The Secret In The Field” in issue 46 of the Rennes Observer. Briefly, that the “pearl of great price” might symbolize the Ark of the Covenant, and there was a relationship between the Potter’s field in in Matthew 13:44, 27:9-10, Zechariah 11:12-13, the potter’s house in Jeremiah 18 and the field bought with silver in Jeremiah 32:9.

Heth: Could be a reference to the Mount of Olives just to the east of Jerusalem.

Teth: The first line is reminiscent of “Terribilis Est Locus Iste” from the church at Rennes, of course.

Jad: Apparently the way is open to the secret place only one night a year. In Pierre Plantard’s Gisors et son secret (Orbis, Paris, 1961), he states that the secret passage in Gisors is only accessible one night a year, at midnight on Christmas.

Mem: “Water is changed into wine” is likely a reference to the miracle of Jesus at the wedding at Cana. There have been alchemical interpretations of this, lending support to the idea of “Jesus the alchemist”. Then there is a reference to the “underground stream” like Alpheus.

Ain: “Hair demolished by penitence” probably refers to the hair of Mary Magdalene who used it to wash the feet of Jesus.

Sade: A reference to the “tears of the Magdalene” quote formerly on the altar of the church at Rennes-le-Château. This quote, incidentally, is from a prayer of St. Odo of Cluny: “Only-begotten Son of the sovereign Father, look upon us with a benign countenance. It is You who called the penitent heart of the Magdalene to the pinnacle of glory. The lost penny is again restored to the royal treasury; and the gem wiped clean from mire surpasses the stars in brilliance. O Jesus, balm on our wounds and sole hope of the penitent, through the tears of the Magdalene wash away our sins.” The gem (which could be a pearl) “wiped clean from mire” (perhaps because it had been cast before swine?) could therefore represent the Magdalene, and the mire could be that mentioned in the quote from the Psalms in the church of St. Sulpice: “Deliver me from the mire, and let me not sink.” The rest is possibly a reference to the legend that there is a hidden cave in the Rennes area in which a Black Virgin resides.

Phe: Nostradamus has a series of linked prophecies concerning “fire from the sky”, lightning, an arc (or arch), and the opening of a tomb.

Qoph: Likely a reference to II Kings 18:4 (He [King Hezekiah of Judah] removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.) However, Hezekiah ruled from circa 716-687 B.C., or 29 years. However, Good King René d’Anjou (alleged to be one of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion) ruled from 1438 to 1480 which is 47 years. “Aeris” could mean “air”, so perhaps the meaning is “dragon of the air”, and thus perhaps Satan, who is “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and a “Great Dragon” (Rev. 12:9). The “iron sceptre” is probably that with which the Messiah is supposed to rule (Rev. 12:5).

Rech: This is similar in structure to an hermetic square similar to the famous SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS.

Square	Meaning	Sign of the Zodiac
AΛΦA	Bull	Taurus
ΛEΩN	Lion	Leo
ΦΩNH	Voice/Eagle	Scorpio
ANHP	Man	Aquarius

Note that each line equates to one of the four fixed signs of the zodiac. “Phone” means “voice” which equates to the Eagle in the tetramorph (which are united in the Sphinx and the cherubs of Ezekiel). The Eagle (a bird of prey like a falcon) represents Scorpio “in the higher realms”. The Greek for “lamb” is APHN an anagram of the word for “man”. A quadriga was a four-horse chariot such as the chariot of the Sun or Abraxas.

Stephen Anderson