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'was a rule among the ancients, that those persons were the most happy, in whose names the numeral letters, added together, make the greatest sum, for which reason, say they, it was that Achilles vanquished Hector,* for the former name contains 1276, and the latter only 1225. † Artemidorus, in his Oneirocritica, tells us, that there were seven names of numbers used in a mystical sense among the Greeks. These were ἓν, μία, ἓξ, δέκα, ἕνδεκα, and dexáxis déxa. They also imagined that the numeδεκάκις δέκα. rical value of any of these seven words was equal to the number of years the person or persons would live who came under the rules prescribed in this case. "Thus (one) contains fifty-five; for it is written with an epsilon and a nu; pía (one) contains fifty-one; for it is written with a mu, an iota, and an alpha; (six) contains sixty-five; for it is written with an epsilon and a xi. If, after the same manner, we compute the number in the remaining words déxa, (ten,) évdexa, (eleven,) and deκάκι δέκα, (ten times ten, we shall find in δέκα thirty, in ἕνδεκα eighty-five, and in δεκάκι δέκα ninety." They also found in dúo (two) the num

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* See Chambers on the word Onomantia.

+ A, 1, X, 600, 1, 10, λ, 30, λ, 30, ε, 5, v, 400, and s, 200, 1276. And E, 5, x, 20, г, 300, w, 800, and p, 100,=1225▲ Artemidorus lived in the reign of the emperor Antoninus. § Εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι μόνοι· ἕν, μία, ἓξ, δέκα, ἕνδεκα, δεκάκις δέκα. καὶ ἐςὶ τὸ μὲν ἐν, πεντηκονταπέντε, γράφεται γὰρ διὰ τοῦ ε, καὶ τοῦ ν. Τὸ δὲ μία, πεντήκοντα ἐν, γράφεται γὰρ διὰ τοῦ μ, καὶ τοῦ ι, καὶ τοῦ α, τὸ δὲ ἐξ, ἑξηκονταπέντε, γράφεται γὰρ διὰ τοῦ ε,

ber four hundred and seventy-four after the same mode of computation.* The Greeks also had a great predilection for the number 100; and fancied that every word containing this number has à reference to something good. Thus the words άÿÿɛλ, † a message, Te, pedestrian travelling, ἀγγελὴν, πεζῇ, μéve, § abide, rédas, || fellow-travellers, and véμe, I feed, contain each 100.

The reason assigned for this idea of the centenary number is, because the Greek words ' ayaJa** (for good things) contain it; ++ but these words appear rather to be made for the number, than the idea of the number to be drawn from the

καὶ τοῦ ξ· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰ δέκα, καὶ τὰ ἕνδεκα, καὶ τὰ δεκάκι δέκα, τῇ αυτῇ ἐπίνοια γράφειν καὶ ψηφίζειν χρὴς ἐυρεθησεταὶ γὰρ τὰ μὲν δέκα ὄντα, τριάκοντα· τὰ δὲ ἕνδεκα, ὀγδοηκονταπέντε. τὰ δὲ δεκάκι δέκα, ἐννενήκοντα.—Oneirocritica, ii. 75, Περὶ χρονῶν ζωῆς. The numbers in these words are thus counted: ɛ, 5, v, 50,=55; μ, 40, 1, 10, α, 1,=51; ε, 5, 5, 60,=65; d, 4, ε, 5, x, 20, x, 1, =30; ε, 5, v, 50, 8, 4, ɛ, 5, x, 20, a, 1,=85; ♪, 4, 8, 5, x, 20, a, 1, x, 20, 1, 10, 5, 4, ɛ, 5, x, 20, a, 1,—90.

* Ibid. The number is thus computed: 8, 4, v, 400, and 0, 70,=474.

+ a, 1, y, 3, y, 3, ε, 5, λ, 30, 1, 8, 7, 50, 100. Wetstein, in his comment upon Apoc. xiii. 18, says that dvyɛλia is here written for dyrexia; if so, the centenary number is found as follows: α, 1, v, 50, y, 3, ɛ, 5, λ, 30, 1, 10, α, 1,-100.

‡π, 80, ε, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8,=100.

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§ μ, 40, ε, 5, v, 50, 2, 5,100.

T, 80, ε, 5, 8, 4, α, 1, 1, 10,=100.

¶v, 50, ε, 5, μ, 40, ε, 5,100.

**ε, 5, π, 80, α, 1, 7, 3, a, 1, 9, 9, a, 1,100.

++ ἰδίᾳ δὲ τὸ Ρ. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ κρίνεται.—ἐςὶ γὰρ ἀγίες

λία [lege ανγελία] τὰ ἑκατὸν

καὶ πεζῇ, ἴση γὰρ καὶ τούτε ἡ

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words. Artemidorus further informs us, that it was a custom among the Greeks to interpret dreams or visions by means of the iconoía; thus, if an old woman was seen by sick people, it was deemed a symbol of death; because gas, an old woman, and expoga, the funeral, contain each the number 704.+ But Artemidorus very satirically observes, "that, without this equality of number, an old woman is a symbol of a funeral, for her death cannot be at any great distance."‡

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The art of counting the number in words, was very prevalent among the primitive Christians, and heretics, especially the latter, who carried it to a most extravagant length; and in some instances outstripped even the heathen themselves in the manifest absurdity of their remarks upon this subject, The most ancient example of the isompia upon record produced by any of the Christians, is that found in the general epistle of Barnabas, the companion of St. Paul, respecting the number

ψῆφος

· καὶ τὸ μένε ἑκατὸν καὶ πέδαι ἑκατὸν TÒ VÉμE TÕ VýOW Exazov.-Artemid. Opeirocrit. iji. 34. Wetstein in Apoc. xiii, 18.

*Artemid. Oneirocrit. iv. 26.

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+7, 3, p, 100, a, 1, v, 400, 5, 200,-704; and 7, 8, 8, 59 x, 20, 0, 500, 0, 70, p, 100, a, 1,704.

† Ἰσοψήφοις δὲ χρῆσθαι, ὅταν καὶ χωρὶς τῶν ἰσοψήφων τὰ βλε πόμενα τοῦτο, ὅπερ ἂν τὰ ἰσόψηφα περιέχη, σημαίνει. οἷον γραῦς τοῖς νοσοῦσιν ὁρωμένη, θανάτε γίνεται σύμβολον. ἐςὶ γὰρ γραῦς ψδ'. καὶ ἡ ἐκφορὰ ψδ'. ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ ἰσοψήφε, ἢ γραῦς ἐσὶν ἐκφορᾶς σημαντική, αυτή μέλλεσα μὴ εἰς μακρὰν ἀποθνήσκειν. ν. 26.-Wetstein in Apoc. xiii. 18.

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318. This writer says, that Abraham circumcised all the servants of his household, 318 in number, as a type of Christ crucified. In explication of this assertion, he addresses his Christian readers in words to the following effect: "Wherefore fearn, my children, chiefly above all things, that AbraIham at first circumcised in spirit; for, having a reference to the Son, he circumcised, receiving at the same time the doctrine of the Three Letters. For it is said, that Abraham circumcised of his household males to the number of 10, and 8, and 300. What information, then, is designed to be conveyed by this? Learn, therefore, that the eigh teen are mentioned first, and afterwards the three hundred Now in the letters which stand for eighteen, that is to say, in iota and eta, you have Jesus, and in the three hundred, that is to say, in the T, (tau,) the figure of the cross. Thus Abraham typifies Jesus by two letters, and the cross by Clemens Alexandrinus remarks, in addition to Barnabas, that Abraham routed his ene

one."*

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* Μάθετε οὖν, τέκνα, περὶ πάντων πλεσίως, ὅτι Αβραάμ, ὁ πρῶτ τις περιτομὴν δοὺς ἐν πνεύματι, προβλέψας εἰς τὸν υἱὸν, περιέτεμε λαβὼν τριῶν γραμμάτων δόγματα: λέγει γὰρ καὶ περιέτεμεν Αβρα ὰμ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκε αυτοῦ ἄνδρας δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ καὶ τριακοσίες. τίς οὖν ἡ δοθεῖσα αυτῷ γνῶσις; μάθετε τοὺς δεκαοκτὼ πρώτους, εἶτα τοὺς τριακοσίες· τὸ δὲ δέκα καὶ ὀκτῶ, ἰῷτα δέκα, ἦτα οκτώ, ἔχεις Ἰησοῦν. ὅτι δὲ σαυρὸς ἐν τῷ Τ, ἔμελλεν ἔχειν τὴν χάριν, δηλοί οὖν τὸν μὲν Ἰησοῦν ἐν τοῖς δυσὶ γράμμασι, καὶ ἐν' ἑνὶ τὸν σαυρόν Epist. Cathol, c. 9, pp. 28, 29, 30, Edit. I. B. Cotelerius, p. 229, Edit. Lond. 1680, ab Isaaco Vossio. See also Canisii Lectiones Antiquæ, Tom. I. p. 357, Antwerpiæ, 1725.

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mies by virtue of the number 318; and he farther observes, "that ten is allowed on all hands to be perfect, and that eight is the first cube, and is equal in all its dimensions of length, breadth, and depth."* Prudentius, in his preface to his Psychomachia, speaks of the efficacy of the number 318 as follows:

Nos esse largè Vernularum divites,
Siquid trecenti bis novenis additis

Possint, figurâ noverimus mysticâ. t

We shall have acknowledged him to be abundantly rich in servants by a mystic figure, if three hundred with twice nine added can avail any thing.

The opinion of Barnabas that the Greek letter T stands for the cross, as in the example just given, has also been applied by Tertullian to Gideon's three hundred men by whom the enemies of Israel were discomfited. His words on this subject are the following:

Hoc etenim signo prædonum stravit acervos
Congressus populo Christi, sine milite multo
Tercenteno equite numerus Tau, litera Græca,
Armatis facibusque et cornibus ore canentum. ‡

For by this sign having assembled with the people of Christ, he dispersed the troops of the robbers with a very small force, only three hundred, (the number of Tau, the Greek letter,) armed with torches and trumpets.

* Ἡ δεκὰς δὲ ὁμολογεῖται παντέλειος εἶναι· ὁ δὲ ὀκτὼ κύβος δ πρώτος, ἡ ἴσωτης ἐν ἅπασαις ταῖς διασεσεσι, μηκοῦς, πλατοῦς, βασ Sous-Strom. Lib. vi. c. 11, in initio.

+See also Bashage's Hist. of the Jews, Book iii. chap. 26, § 4. Carm. ad Marc. Lib. iii. c. 4.

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