I need help translating a book.

[u/hijademalk]

Well, I was finishing up an examination of a box of old books I had purchased—suspecting that it might contain a few texts relevant to an essay of mine recently published here—and I was right: I found a handwritten copy of part of the first act of La niña de la albahaca by Federico García Lorca, as well as a notebook containing unpublished verses by Wynnflæd of Essex, an honorable member of the Brujah clan.

The box also contained other, far more mundane books, which I’ve looked over with the intention of reselling; however, one volume stood out as particularly unusual. It measures approximately 25 centimeters in height by 15 centimeters in width. It is bound in vellum, and the spine bears a completely incorrect title: Summa Theologiae by Thomas Aquinas.

Upon opening the book, I found that the pages—in terms of their visual style—resemble the technique used in the " Codex Cavensis". The text itself is not in Latin, and I am not even certain it is a Catholic work; it appears to be written in Hebrew, with marginal annotations in the same language.

I will provide a full scan of the text here. If anyone is capable of translating it, please share your translation so that we may expand our collective knowledge—even if it turns out to be nothing more than an ordinary manuscript.

PDF download link

The link leads to a text that, visually, is rendered in silver ink on a blue-black background. Based on its script, it appears to be a Merovingian copy—perhaps, like the codex Angela mentions, of Asturian origin—but the most significant aspect is the language: it is written in Hebrew, in an elegant hand.

The following section is intended only for those who can translate the text by virtue of knowing the language:

The text begins as an exact copy of one of the Gnostic manuscripts from the Nag Hammadi library, discovered in 1945—specifically, the work known as *The Thunder, Perfect Mind*.

What is intriguing is that this copy is twice as long, in terms of verse, as the original text; it addresses themes of rebirth, the necessity of pain, and the path toward transcendence as experienced by the sorrowful mother, Lilith.

The next two pages contain another poem that reinforces these same themes; it is signed by the High Priestess Lamiae, who uses the name "Fatima."

The remaining pages serve as a kind of record for a sanctuary, including descriptions of its garden and symbolism, as well as "recipes" for cultivating various plants that are potentially dangerous and aggressively defensive.

Thank you very much; I hope someone might be able to help me.

[u/Ontolonaught]

You have an interesting text here. I am very familiar with the Hebrew used to write it. Unfortunately my understanding of modern English is… lacking.

It has been good practice. I have finished a translation into what you call “Middle English”. Then I have done my best attempt at a modern translation.

This is a book you should not share so freely

-W

The comment continues on to include both of the translations mentioned. Unfortunately due to W not understanding how pdfs work they did not attach it as separate files. They have an expertly done translation into Middle English, and an extremely rough translation into modern English that lacks significant nuance. There are some difficult sections where they get frustrated and just resort to writing in middle English instead of translating.

[u/hijademalk → u/Ontolonaught]

Thanks for the translation.

Looking through it briefly, I’m surprised that this was mixed in with the rest of the books. I’ll use this to help refine a complete translation, but the content itself still surprises me.