Alice C. Linsley
St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430) wrote: “Numbers are the universal language offered by the Deity to humans as confirmation of the truth.”
St. Augustine is not saying that numbers tell us truth, only that numbers confirm God-established patterns and symbolically confirm the truth. This is what St. Augustine argues against the Donatist, Tichonius, observing that "if Tichonius had said that these mystical rules open out some of the hidden recesses of the law, instead of saying that they reveal all the mysteries of the law, he would have spoken truth" (De Doctrina Christiana, III, xlii).
The Church Fathers condemned magical use of numbers in occult practices such as divination but recognized the numerical symbolism of Scripture.
St. Ambrose, commenting on the days of creation and the Sabbath, explained: "The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit; for the prophet Isaias has enumerated the principal gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven.”
We see in Ambrose’ view a consideration of the consistency of biblical symbolism. The Church Fathers were not interested in philosophical speculation about numbers. Nor was the Apostle Paul. Risto Santala, the Finnish Bible scholar and expert on Paul, wrote, "The esoteric Qabbalah wandered off the right track in creating a very extensive literature on doctrines of angels and mysteries relating to God's being (razei El). Only those over the age of forty were allowed to study them. The angel RAZIEL, whose numeric value in gematria is 248 and who thus knew the inner secrets of the two hundred and forty-eight 'do'- commandments, gave Adam the 'Sefer Raziel', that is, 'the Book of Raziel', an esoteric source. The enormous literature of the Kabbalah is occupied with these imaginary conjectures. They indeed have 'an appearance of wisdom,' but both Jesus and Paul entirely renounced them."
St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430) wrote: “Numbers are the universal language offered by the Deity to humans as confirmation of the truth.”
St. Augustine is not saying that numbers tell us truth, only that numbers confirm God-established patterns and symbolically confirm the truth. This is what St. Augustine argues against the Donatist, Tichonius, observing that "if Tichonius had said that these mystical rules open out some of the hidden recesses of the law, instead of saying that they reveal all the mysteries of the law, he would have spoken truth" (De Doctrina Christiana, III, xlii).
The Church Fathers condemned magical use of numbers in occult practices such as divination but recognized the numerical symbolism of Scripture.
St. Ambrose, commenting on the days of creation and the Sabbath, explained: "The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit; for the prophet Isaias has enumerated the principal gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven.”
We see in Ambrose’ view a consideration of the consistency of biblical symbolism. The Church Fathers were not interested in philosophical speculation about numbers. Nor was the Apostle Paul. Risto Santala, the Finnish Bible scholar and expert on Paul, wrote, "The esoteric Qabbalah wandered off the right track in creating a very extensive literature on doctrines of angels and mysteries relating to God's being (razei El). Only those over the age of forty were allowed to study them. The angel RAZIEL, whose numeric value in gematria is 248 and who thus knew the inner secrets of the two hundred and forty-eight 'do'- commandments, gave Adam the 'Sefer Raziel', that is, 'the Book of Raziel', an esoteric source. The enormous literature of the Kabbalah is occupied with these imaginary conjectures. They indeed have 'an appearance of wisdom,' but both Jesus and Paul entirely renounced them."
Christ followers are grafted into the Faith of Abraham the Hebrew (c. 2100 BC). We do not know the number symbolism of that Faith, except to say that the number 7 was associated with the priestly office, and the early Hebrew clans appear to have been organized in 3-clan confederations.
It has never been demonstrated that Jewish mysticism (600-1175 AD), with its emphasis on numbers, has antecedents in the faith of the early Hebrew (4000 BC).
A 17th-century messianic movement called "Shabbetaianism" espoused the sacredness of sin in its extreme form. The leader of the movement was Shabbetai Tzevi (1626-1676), a self-proclaimed messiah and Jewish mystic of the Ottoman Empire.
After Shabbetai Tzevi’s death the sect continued to flourish and reached a peak in the 18th century with Jacob Frank who claimed to be Shabbetai Tzevi’s reincarnation and the Messiah. The ill feeling toward Shabbetaianism ran deep among many Jewish communities and some developed a strong aversion to Kabbala and messianic claims in general.
Numbers, Astronomical Observations, and the Cardinal Points
Much of the number symbolism of the Bible is based on astronomical observations of the early priests. According to Plato, the priests of the Nile Valley had been stargazing and keeping records of astronomical events for 10,000 years. The number 7 especially related to astronomical observations. There are 7 visible planets (bowls).
When the number 3 is associated with south it seems to signify peace on earth or "thy kingdom come". This is evident in the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation. The city has twelve gates and sits on twelve foundation stones (Rev. 21:12-14). Three face east, three face north, three face south, and three face west. We may illustrate this as follows:
3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← Notice that the third position faces south.
Compare this to the “bronze sea” in Solomon’s temple that rested on twelve oxen (1 Kings 7:23-26).
3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← Notice that they coincide.
The Number 3
A reference to the third day resurrection is found in the Pyramid Texts: "Oh Horus, this hour of the morning, of this third day is come, when thou surely passeth on to heaven, together with the stars, the imperishable stars." (Utterance 667) In fact, the earliest known resurrection texts were written by the Nilotic Hebrew.
3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← Notice that the third position faces south.
Compare this to the “bronze sea” in Solomon’s temple that rested on twelve oxen (1 Kings 7:23-26).
3→ 3↑ 3↓ 3← Notice that they coincide.
The Number 3
Abraham's Nilo-Saharan ancestors were deeply spiritual and regarded both the body and the spirit/soul as sacred and intended for immortality. The "second death" came when the two became separated at death. This explains why they took great pain to ritually bury their loved ones, and especially their rulers. They expected a Righteous Ruler to appear who would defeat death and lead his people to immortality. This is the origin of Messianic expectation.
The term Kabbalah is derived from the ancient Egyptian words ka (soul) and ba (body). The prayers of the early Horite and Sethite funerary priests were on behalf of deceased rulers who hoped for life after death in their bodies. That is why Judaism and Eastern Orthodoxy discourage cremation. Christianity stresses the value of the body and the resurrection of Jesus, the "first born from the dead" who leads His people to immortality. His third-day resurrection is symbolic as well as anticipated in early Horite texts which speak of HR (Most High One) going to the place of His Father on the third day.
Jesus spoke of Jonah's third day rising in connection with what was to happen to Him. If we take the Jonah story as an historical event, it means that Jonah spent 2 nights in the stomach of a great fish before God called him forth.
Kabbalah is not the mystical symbolism of the early Hebrew. It represents a much later development within Judaism, and Judaism was not the faith of Abraham.
The Tree of Life
The Ten Sefirot or the "Tree of Life" (shown right) is used to explain the mystical number symbolism of Kabbalah. The ten Sefirot are:
The notion here is that of a shuttle moving back and forth. The weave requires redoubling to make the fabric or the web strong. The English word web is likely derived from the word keb or kab. Kab pertains to weaving with a shuttle. Weavers are called the ka, those who kab. Ka also refers to the the body which is "knit" in the womb. Ka-ba refers to the relationship of body and soul. Kab also implies a doubling or redoubling to strengthen.
This movement between points corresponds to the ancients' observations of the stars and constellations. They were adept at sidereal astronomy. Horus of the two horizons (east-west, dawn-dust) and Horus of the two crowns (north-south, Lower Nile-Upper Nile) are examples of how meaning is derived by holding 2 points in view. We see this in the Passover sacrifice at twilight, what is called in Hebrew ben ha-'arbayim, meaning "between the two settings." Rabbinic sources take this to mean "from noon on." According to Radak, the first "setting" occurs when the sun passes its zenith at noon and the shadows begin to lengthen, and the second "setting" is the actual sunset (p. 55, vol. 2, The Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary, "Exodus").
Risto Santala, the Finnish Bible scholar and expert on Paul, has written about the corruption of the mystery of Christ. He wrote, "The esoteric Qabbalah wandered off the right track in creating a very extensive literature on doctrines of angels and mysteries relating to God's being (razei El). Only those over the age of forty were allowed to study them. The angel RAZIEL, whose numeric value in gematria is 248 and who thus knew the inner secrets of the two hundred and forty-eight 'do'- commandments, gave Adam the 'Sefer Raziel', that is, 'the Book of Raziel', an esoteric source. The enormous literature of the Qabbalah is occupied with these imaginary conjectures. They indeed have 'an appearance of wisdom,' but both Jesus and Paul entirely renounced them."
Santala explains, "Paul did not fall into esoteric peculiarities. He rested on the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. But they too are, as it were, sealed until the time of fulfillment. Therefore, we are told about the disciples that the risen Jesus 'opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures' (Luke 24:45)."
Kabbalah is not the mystical symbolism of the early Hebrew. It represents a much later development within Judaism, and Judaism was not the faith of Abraham.
This is the conclusion of Assyriologist Dr. Simo Parpola in his treatment of this topic. (See Parpola's “The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Jewish Monotheism and Greek Philosophy”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume 52, July 1993.)
The number symbolism of Jewish mysticism reveals centuries of theosophical reflections on the Talmud and on selected biblical narratives such as Jacob's Ladder and the Burning Bush. However, it is not possible to trace the numerological meanings of Jewish mysticism to Abraham and his ancestors.
The Tree of Life
The Ten Sefirot or the "Tree of Life" (shown right) is used to explain the mystical number symbolism of Kabbalah. The ten Sefirot are:
1. Keter Elyon - the "supreme crown" of God
2. Hokmah - the "wisdom" of God
3. Binah - the "intelligence" of God
4. Hesed - the "greatness" or "love" of God
5. Din (Gevurah) - the "power" or "judgment" of God
2. Hokmah - the "wisdom" of God
3. Binah - the "intelligence" of God
4. Hesed - the "greatness" or "love" of God
5. Din (Gevurah) - the "power" or "judgment" of God
6. Rahamim (Tifaret) - the "compassion" or "beauty" of God
7. Netzah - the "lasting endurance" of God
8. Hod - the "majesty" of God
9. Tzaddik (Yesod Olam) - the "righteous one" or "foundation of the world"
10. Malkut - the "kingdom" of God
7. Netzah - the "lasting endurance" of God
8. Hod - the "majesty" of God
9. Tzaddik (Yesod Olam) - the "righteous one" or "foundation of the world"
10. Malkut - the "kingdom" of God
[Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, p.213; and Kabbalah, p.106]
The notion here is that of a shuttle moving back and forth. The weave requires redoubling to make the fabric or the web strong. The English word web is likely derived from the word keb or kab. Kab pertains to weaving with a shuttle. Weavers are called the ka, those who kab. Ka also refers to the the body which is "knit" in the womb. Ka-ba refers to the relationship of body and soul. Kab also implies a doubling or redoubling to strengthen.
This movement between points corresponds to the ancients' observations of the stars and constellations. They were adept at sidereal astronomy. Horus of the two horizons (east-west, dawn-dust) and Horus of the two crowns (north-south, Lower Nile-Upper Nile) are examples of how meaning is derived by holding 2 points in view. We see this in the Passover sacrifice at twilight, what is called in Hebrew ben ha-'arbayim, meaning "between the two settings." Rabbinic sources take this to mean "from noon on." According to Radak, the first "setting" occurs when the sun passes its zenith at noon and the shadows begin to lengthen, and the second "setting" is the actual sunset (p. 55, vol. 2, The Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary, "Exodus").
Unfortunately, some kabbalists delve into the occult. The 22 connecting paths on the Tree of Life represent the connections between the Sephiroth. Each path is associated with a specific Hebrew letter, Tarot card, and a range of meanings and correspondences. Hermetic Kabbalists see the cards of the tarot as keys to the Tree of Life.
Santala explains, "Paul did not fall into esoteric peculiarities. He rested on the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. But they too are, as it were, sealed until the time of fulfillment. Therefore, we are told about the disciples that the risen Jesus 'opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures' (Luke 24:45)."
Reactions to Kabbalism
After Shabbetai Tzevi’s death the sect continued to flourish and reached a peak in the 18th century with Jacob Frank who claimed to be Shabbetai Tzevi’s reincarnation and the Messiah. The ill feeling toward Shabbetaianism ran deep among many Jewish communities and some developed a strong aversion to Kabbala and messianic claims in general.
Related reading: Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity; 40 Days and 40 Nights; Longevity in the Genesis King Lists; The Seven Planets and Seven Bowls; Saharan Antecedents of Pharaonic Egypt; INDEX of Topics at Just Genesis; What Did Jesus Mean by "Three Days and Three Nights"? (biblearchaeology.org); The Three-Clan Confederations of the Bible
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