内容はというと・・・。
ダ・ヴィンチ・コードに関連するような内容を含んだ古文書が発見され、今日どれだけの重要性があるのかをトップ・オークションハウスが分析中との記事です。
ウェールズ（スコットランド）の国立図書館で、そこの職員であるホーガン氏がたまたま書庫に写本があるのを発見。中を見てみると１７世紀の手書き写本で聖書に出てくる全ての人々についての伝記を含んでいた。また、ホーガン氏によると、それを書いたのは、ウィリアム・スペンサーという人物で聖職者ではないそうです。何よりも、イエス・キリストの完全な家系図が書かれているんだって。
更に苦労して調べてみると、前半の半分は家系について書かれ、聖書に出てくる人々の家系図に重点を置いている。後半の半分は伝記に従って挙げられた全ての人達について「誰が誰であるか？」が書かれているとのことです。
また、写本の余白には、マグダラのマリアについての逸話も含まれていて、彼が聖書の中で見たことがないような内容だったとも言っています。（マジ？！ 是非、その内容を知りた～い！！）
で、ここからがまた面白いんですが、この本は人をかついでいるのか？重要性はどのくらいあるのだろうか？ということでロンドンのクリスティー（あの有名なオークションハウス）に持ち込んだそうです。それで分かったのが・・・。
その写本が594頁の手書き写本で170年前にランドバリー大学の創立者、外科医師トーマス・フィリップによって購入されたとのこと。ホーガン氏は、いくらぐらいの値が付くのかと考えると気になって、神経質になっているんだって（うわあ～、取らぬ狸の皮算用ってやつ？）
以上が記事の内容なんですが、怪しいお話ですなあ～。本当にオークションにかけられるのかな？ もしやるなら、落札するお金なんて持ってないですから、出品リストの載ったカタログだけでも欲しいなあ～。また、ビル・ゲイツ氏みたいなのが落札するのでしょうか？？？ ＩＴでお金の余ってるところで買ってくれればいいのに・・・（買えない者のヒガミでした）。
Ancient Manuscript Discovery has 'Da Vinci Code' Touch
An ancient document likened to something which could have been featured in best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code was being analysed at a top auction house for its significance today.
The manuscript, believed to date from the 17th century, contains biographical details of every person in the Bible.
It was unearthed in the depths of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth where it had been kept in storage for Llandovery College, an independent school near the Brecon Beacons. It was among about half of the school’s archive of books which were taken to the library around 50 years ago.
When college warden Peter Hogan asked to see the books recently he was told of the existence of the manuscript, and it was delivered to his office on Wednesday.
It was apparently written by a man called William Spenser, who was not a cleric, Mr Hogan said.
“What he claims he has written is a complete genealogy of Jesus Christ,” said Mr Hogan.
“It is painstakingly researched. It is just a phenomenal piece of literature.”
The first half of the book is concerned with genealogy and features the family trees of people in the Bible. The second half is a “Who’s Who“, with every individual listed along with biographical details.
Mr Hogan compared the book with something which could have been part of the plot of the best-selling mystery novel by Dan Brown, which has seen tourism flourish at the historical sites it mentions.
Claims in The Da Vinci Code that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and has descendants have outraged may Christians. They have also been dismissed by historians and theologians.
Mr Hogan said: “With The Da Vinci Code hot at the moment I very quickly flicked to the ’M’ section.
“This section claims that Jesus rid Mary Magdalene of seven demons and as a consequence she then became an assistant of his.
“Then there is a whole section crossed out which is quite mysterious.”
Mr Hogan said the margins of the manuscript contained anecdotal information about Mary Magdalene, none of which he could find in the Bible.
He took the document to Christie’s in London in an attempt to establish whether it is a hoax and what its significance could be.
The manuscript, which has around 594 handwritten pages, was purchased for £13 about 170 years ago by the founder of Llandovery College, surgeon Thomas Phillips.
“I’m slightly nervous thinking about what it is worth,” said Mr Hogan.
“I would imagine it will have a very, very high commercial value. The difficult decision I have got to take is whether I am willing to exploit that.”
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国立図書館でダ・ヴィンチ・コードの反響（同じ内容の記事）
