mjhurst
Hi, Mary,
Has O'Neill actually followed up on anything Betts had done? Is this online? Betts devised an elaborate theory about specific meanings of ALL the trumps being identified with particular figures of the Last Emperor legends from 14th-century France. AFAIK no one but Betts himself finds his interpretations plausible, nor accepts his connections with John of Rupescissa. (On the plus side, Betts did include a number of interesting findings and a few worthwhile insights, which puts his book ahead of most.) But his views certainly have nothing to do with those who find only the highest trumps to be eschatological. Did O'Neill agree with Betts' idiosyncratic interpretation?
Best regards,
Michael
You seem to be suggesting that there is some general consensus, even listing some names, but offering no specifics. What is it that you agree with, and in what sense do the other writers you named agree with it?Teheuti said:I agree with pretty much everything that's been said so far ...
I believe that they do, but only if you know which passages and how they relate to the highest trumps. Who has done this? Can you quote the passage or cite it, or link the webpage? I've read Betts, O'Neill's published stuff, Williams' book, etc., but I don't recall any of them explaining this supposed close correspondence in a way that any others have accepted.Teheuti said:The final third to half of the Trumps correspond very closely to images depicted from the biblical Book of Revelations...
Sort of... except that Betts misunderstood the entire sequence as being eschatological, which is patently absurd, (moral allegories such as Cupid's Love, Time, and the ups and downs of Fortune, are obviously not eschatological subjects), and except that it was a far-fetched correspondence with medieval legends, not a close correspondence with Revelation.Teheuti said:... (a book on this was written by Timothy Betts and followed up by Bob O'Neill who related it to the fact that so many Tarot-like images appear in the confraternity chapels of southern France and northern Italy).
Has O'Neill actually followed up on anything Betts had done? Is this online? Betts devised an elaborate theory about specific meanings of ALL the trumps being identified with particular figures of the Last Emperor legends from 14th-century France. AFAIK no one but Betts himself finds his interpretations plausible, nor accepts his connections with John of Rupescissa. (On the plus side, Betts did include a number of interesting findings and a few worthwhile insights, which puts his book ahead of most.) But his views certainly have nothing to do with those who find only the highest trumps to be eschatological. Did O'Neill agree with Betts' idiosyncratic interpretation?
Best regards,
Michael