Vatican and Oxford University share ancient texts online

Vatican and Oxford University share ancient texts online

www.guardian.co.uk

The Oxford University and Vatican libraries are to jointly digitise 1.5m pages of ancient texts and make them available free online....

With approximately two-thirds of the material coming from the Vatican and the remainder from Oxford University's Bodleian libraries, the digitisation effort will also benefit scholars by uniting materials that have been dispersed between the collections for centuries.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It's nice to be able to post some GOOD news for once!

This is a massive, massive treasure-trove of previously inaccessible info from the musty stacks of two of the Western world's oldest and most profound collections of writings. According to the article, the majority of the released material will be Greek manuscripts, 15th-century printed books, and Hebrew material, selected because the two institutions have particularly strong collections in these areas.

This will be a quantum leap for scholars in other institutions who would previously have had to travel to the physical locations of these collections and gain permission to access them. To say nothing of the possibilities it offers grubby amateurs like me and (presumably) you.

This being ATS, one could speculate about false material being released to keep people from prying into the "real" stuff, but personally I choose to view it as simple good news and the real deal, unless I see convincing evidence to the contrary.

Ain't the intratubez grand?

You could spend a lifetime noodling through this material and not scratch the surface. I don't know about you fine folks, but I suspect I will be spending many a happy day clicking though this info when it hits the net.

What secrets will be revealed?

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

good find OP.

sounds good. hopefully we can learn more about our actual history through these writings and piece together more of the puzzle that is life.

When are these being released btw ?

reply to post by LucidDreamer85


No clue and the article doesn't say.

I suppose these institutions move pretty slowly. After all, they measure their lifespan in centuries. And I suspect the task would take quite some time to complete.

Hopefully they'll let it out a bit at a time.

Thanks for the info..my wife is going to love it.

Sounds like good news to me as well..but the cynic in me has it's spidey senses tingling...really... unaltered text?

Peace

This is fantastic news! I have long lusted after the library at Oxford, oh to smell it's musty tomes, and stroll among it's stacks. If only. I have a friend who got to go over on a Fulbright Scholarship. I hate her. I shall be waiting!

I wish I trusted information released by the Vatican.

It sure would be interesting to read. But I won't waste a moment on more of their fabricated history viewed through their corrupt morals.

Originally posted by chasingbrahman
I wish I trusted information released by the Vatican.

It sure would be interesting to read. But I won't waste a moment on more of their fabricated history viewed through their corrupt morals.

The DSS were an enormous flop in my opinion, being digitized. Most atsers and threads such as (all roads lead to rome) commented how they believe that the OG scrolls explained how ancient hebrew (jewish?) worshiped more than one deity.

I wonder what material is being printed. what when and where

reply to post by silent thunder


Finally these fools are digitizing this material and uploading to the web. I'd volunteer my time to help digitize and uploaded it to the web if that's what it took, who wouldn't? Now I just hope this is a good sign from the Vatican, and I hope they continue to release what they've had hidden behind closed doors for centuries now. So we shall see.

Awsome! Maybe I can finally find some new, useful and concordant research material for my BTh.

Old news The libraries have been online for years I have had them on my Medieval site years before I even came to ATS

The Holy See
www.vatican.va...
www.vatican.va...

Vatican Library - Library of Congress Exhibition
www.loc.gov...


You won't be finding any secrets though

I can't wait for them to start releasing things! Although I suspect they'll keep the good stuff secret.

Originally posted by chasingbrahman
It sure would be interesting to read.

Well most of the old stuff is in Latin Hope you brushed up on that

reply to post by zorgon


After I posted the article, what you wrote hit me too. However, with over a million pages being released, and much of the Oxford material in middle English, there will still be plenty we can read or get something out of one way or another. Those of us who can't read the classical languages (i.e., most of us, including me) can still benefit greatly from the second-hand accounts of those who can, I believe.

reply to post by zorgon


indeed! and greek and hebrew as well. the amount of actual,or even old english will probably be very small.
maybe they will all have english translations for each document!

Originally posted by LucidDreamer85
good find OP.
sounds good. hopefully we can learn more about our actual history through these writings and piece together more of the puzzle that is life.
When are these being released btw ?

Sure if you believe that. But if it were true it would already be there and their "secrets" would be open to anyone. But nooooo you can't even go in there and there's REQUIREMENTS for anyone who might. Camera technology and web publishing has been around since the 1980s. And the dead sea scrolls only got published in the 1990s because someone had the courage and non-Catholicism to do it. Why should we expect any more than similar lip-service now?

Originally posted by zorgon
You won't be finding any secrets though

Exactly, those remain suppressed while the fake statues cry foul. About the only 'secrets' getting revealed will be the ones smart minds are able to figure out in spite of the binary-minded ritualized right/wrong inquisition survivors.

I don't see any reason to expect the information and inquisition to change now. Sure a few may feel guilty for their sins. But meanwhile our politics have become deeply manipulated to appease the brainwashed masses who only THINK they're pharisee approach of legalism represents God rather than SATAN.

Like "nobldy expects the Spanish Inquisition"...


Who expects the truth from the Vatican or Oxford University any more? Oh right I could rant on the "Indoctrination vs Education" sins of Oxford too. FTL:

Indoctrination & Propaganda


"Indoctrination & vs Education":
1a. One-sided: Different or opposing views are either ignored, misrepresented, under-represented, or denigrated.
1b. Many sided: Issues examined from many points of view; opposition fairly represented.
2a. Uses generalizations, "allness" statements, and lack of specific references and data.
2b. Uses qualifiers: Statements supported with specific references and data.
3a. Card Stacking: Data carefully selected - even distorted - to present only the best or worse possible case. Language used to conceal.
3b. Balanced: Presents samples from a wide range of available data on the subject. Language used to reveal.
4a.Misleading use of statistics.
4b. Statistical references qualified with respect to size, duration, criteria, controls, source and subsidizer.
5a. Herding: Ignores distinctions and subtle differences. Attempts to bring together superficially similar elements together. Reasons by analogy.
5b. Discrimination: Points out differences and subtle distinctions. Use analogies carefully, pointing out differences and non-applicability.
6a. False Dilemma (either/or): Only two solutions to the problem or two ways of viewing the issue - the "right way" (writer or speaker's way) and the "wrong way" (any other way). 6b. Alternatives: There are many ways of solving a problem or viewing an issue.
7a. Appeals to Authority: Statements by selected authority figures used to clinch an argument. "Only the expert knows" approach.
7b. Appeals to reason: Statements by authority figures and concerned parties used to stimulate thought and discussion. "Experts seldom agree".
8a. Appeals to consensus or bandwagon approach: "Everybody's doing it so it must be right".
8b. Appeals to fact: Facts selected from broad data base. Logical, ethical, aesthetic and psycho-spiritual aspects considered.
9a. Appeals to emotions and emotional responses: Uses words and pictures with strong emotional connotations.
9b. Appeals to people's capacity for thoughtful, reasoned responses: Uses emotionally neutral words and illustrations.
10a. Labeling: Uses labels and derogatory language to describe proponents of opposing viewpoint.
10b. Avoids labels and derogatory language: Addresses the argument, not the people supporting a particular viewpoint.
11a. Promotes attitudes of attack and/or defense with the aim of selling a position or product.
11b. Promotes attitudes of openness and inquiry. Aim is to discover.
12a. Ignores assumptions and built-in biases. 12b. Explores assumptions and built-in biases.
13a. Language promotes lack of awareness and unconsciousness. 13b. Language usage promotes greater awareness and consciousness.
14a. Can lead to tunnel vision and bigotry.
14b. Can lead to breadth of vision and understanding.
15a. Referenced studies conceal conflict-of-interest funding sources.
15b. Referenced studies reveal conflict-of-interest funding sources.
16a. Statistics always presented to show maximum damage from problem and minimum damage from solution. 16b. Statistics presented to show many aspects of problem, not always from a non-

I like to believe that the Vatican would not "alter" any of these texts but theres something inside tells me not to throw my complete trusts in all material. After all, how many secrets does the Vatican have stored deep within its own closet that they dont wish to expose? Nonetheless, I do look forward to expanded my knowledge and looking into what they have to offer. Whether true or false, I will be the judge of my own beliefs.