Numerologists pine to find a deeper meaning in numbers. In today’s more science-based culture, at least in the first world, numerology is considered parascience.
While there are multiple representations, at a basic level numbers–and mathematics in general–are interesting because it is possible to have a consistent understanding across spoken languages and cultures, as observed by St. Augustine “Numbers are the Universal language offered by the deity to humans as confirmation of the truth.”
We can look beyond the individual digits and extrapolate a wider meaning. 9,327/18,654 can also be written as 1/2; mathematical synonyms. As well, the former uses one and only one instance of each number from 1 to 9. SIX, may be interpreted as the number 6 or 8.5 if you use the Roman method of interpretation (Semi – IX); mathematical homonyms [1].
In some instances a deeper meaning of a number extends from its history:
The number 22 also has a profound Biblical meaning. The 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is Tav, with the sound of ‘T’. Before the Jews picked up new ‘fonts’ in Babylonia Tav was written as + in Phoenicia and as x by the Hebrews, in other words as a cross. The cross is the meaning of 22. That is why there are 66 books in the Bible, 3 x 22. The Bible hints at the 3 crosses (22) of Calvary. Of those 66 books 44 have less than 22 chapters. Exactly 22 books have 22 chapters or more. The last (66th) book of the Bible – Revelation – ends with chapter 22.
On the cross Jesus allegedly said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, thus quoting Psalm 22. Christians consider Psalm 22 as the Psalm of the Cross. Another intriguing thing is that the God of the Bible only asked one man to sacrifice his son, namely Abraham. It is reported in Genesis 22. The chapter number refers to the cross (+ x). The United Kingdom has both kind of crosses, the St. Andrew’s cross (x) of Scotland and the St. George’s cross (+) of England. The two flags of England and Scotland – with the two crosses – together form the Union Flag, numerologically 22 + 22 = 44. Coincidentally, the United Kingdom’s telephone code is 44. (Source: the Bible, The Telephone Guide, Flags). However, Bible verses were not numbered until the fourth century during the Council of Nicaea. [2]
In some cases meaning–or implied relevance–draws from co-incidence, and there are many of them [3, 4, 5].
So, the question may be how much meaning can be drawn from numbers; how far can it be stretched? This line is moving, being pushed by “science” or more precisely the bounds of our logically and systematically well-founded interpretation of the world and its mechanisms. But the scientific method is one for interpreting, understanding and explaining mechanisms not thinking and the things we think about. It does not and can not explain faith, although it might offer a probability. So in those uncharted areas, the precursors to the scientific process–numerology, astrology, etc.–may reign. Are they good and reliable methods? Who knows, but keep in mind they are methods, as science is a method.
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