Lamp
- Introduction
- Foundational principles
- The radix-dependent features of N-R
- The absolute features of N-R
- A summary of N-R
- The Bible and A-T
- The matter of the ‘riddle’
- Conclusions
A well-defined structure (hereafter, N-R) is found to exist in the world of number per se – its roots extending into the arbitrary system, based upon ten, that man has devised to facilitate the writing and naming of numbers. There is the suggestion here that although essentially based upon his counting by fingers and thumbs, for other reasons, ten appears to be the natural choice of system radix! But there are other far-reaching implications: it transpires that the Judeo-Christian Scriptures are undergirded by a similar structure (hereafter A-T) which closely maps onto N-R!
Of all natural or ‘counting’ numbers, thirty-seven (usually written ’37’, or three tens plus seven) deserves special mention. As a denary object it is observed to involve the digits 3 and 7 – each of considerable biblical significance, whose sum is ten – radix or collective unit of the denary system of numeration. However, it is particularly in combination with three and its multiples that the attention-attracting features of thirty-seven are fully revealed. Some of the more striking of these are documented below; many are radix-dependent while others are absolute – ie independent of place, of time, and of man’s hand! As the account unfolds, a second number, ninety-one, will be seen to emerge as a natural companion of thirty-seven.
3 – The radix-dependent features of N-R
This list could be extended, but from what has already been catalogued it is clear that from the point of view of radix-dependency, the symbiotic combination {10, 37, 3} – now augmented by 91 – has been established as an essential and prominent feature of N-R
4 – The absolute features of N-R
The foregoing account identifies 37 and 91 as trifigurate numbers. In other words, each may be represented as a symmetrical arrangement of uniform counters in three distinct ways: 37, as hexagon, hexagram and octagon; 91, as triangle, hexagon and pyramid. This shared attribute of trifiguracy is neither bettered nor matched by any other natural number! Furthermore, 37 and 91 are related as difference and sum, respectively, of the cubes of 3 and 4.
In a denary context (familiar to all!) – and particularly in association with 3 and its multiples – this relationship is extended, and gives rise to many eye-catching curiosities that are particularly appealing to those seeking recreation through numbers. No other number, in this context, offers anything approaching the same degree of interest!
These observations are augmented by information from another quarter: Mr. J. Iuliano has drawn this author’s attention to the following:
- the number 37 is rooted in the double periodic modular forms of Fermat’s Last Theorem;
- an expression of the fine structure constant
– ie the amplitude of an electron to emit or absorb a photon – involves 37, thus:
[Note: the up-arrow (^) is used here to represent ‘to the power of ‘]
Clearly then, N-R – the structure that is defined by these parameters – is both real and unique, and it therefore follows that any artefact that is based upon the same parameters must command the widespread attention and respect of all who claim to follow truth – no matter where it leads!
The original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek documents which form the basis of all Bible translations are also sets of numbers. [This matter is explained and elaborated here and here.] Attention focuses particularly on
- the opening Hebrew words of the first book – Genesis, and
- the Creator’s name, ‘Jesus Christ’ (see Jn. 1 : 3, 10) as rendered in NT Greek,
for it is there that we meet the highest concentrations of the A-T phenomena.
Here are their salient features:
Clearly, 37 and its companion 91 – both remarkable as numbers per se, as we have seen – feature strongly in the first eight words of the Scriptures! However, the account is not complete for we have yet to consider the numerical implications of the Creator’s name as it is rendered in the Greek, nominative case, of both Septuagint and New Testament:
In other words, the ‘Elohim’ of Genesis 1:1 – a context dominated by 37, as we have seen – is also a multiple of 37 – and a unique one at that!!
Details relating to the foregoing statements may be found here, here and here.
7 – The matter of the ‘riddle’
There is an explicit reference to 666 in Revelation 13:18. This multiple of 37 and unique triangular number is found in the context of an invitation to read Hebrew and Greek words as numbers – with the promise of wisdom to those who do! Intriguingly, the number is of the same form as 888 – ‘Jesus’!
Later, in the same Book, the Christian is warned of the dire consequences of ‘…taking away from the words of the book of this prophecy…’ – in particular, ignoring or trivialising the riddle and its clear implications (Rev.22:19).
There can be little doubt that A-T – the biblical number structure whose salient features have been briefly described above – is specified by the riddle of Rev.13:18.
A careful assessment of the circumstances attending the writing of the documents which were to form part of the Bible reveals, (a) that the words of Genesis 1 predated by many centuries the use of Hebrew letters as numerals and, (b) that the Greek forms of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’ were already in being some centuries before the Incarnation. Thus, unless we invoke some remarkable and extensive miracle of chance, the conclusion that must be drawn is that a supernatural hand has purposefully engineered these wonders!
Though other facets of the phenomena are to be found elsewhere in the Scriptures (these including powerfully-symbolic imagery), it is in the first eight strategically-placed Hebrew words (augmented by the New Testament evidence re the Creator’s name), that they achieve their maximum impact. There they are seen to function as a seal that (a) confirms God’s being and sovereignty, (b) speaks of his abiding interest in us, and (c) establishes the self-authenticating credentials of his word to man.
Vernon Jenkins MSc
email: vernon.jenkins@virgin.net
Created 22.03.00
Modified 10.03.01
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”