Introduction

In general, whole numbers appear to the eye, (a) as objects or events of interest to be counted, or (b) as strings of symbols to be interpreted. The first concern absolutes and may be idealised with reference to collections of uniform spheres. The second are to do with matters of human expediency; they involve choice of radix, and the creation (or adaptation) of a set of symbols, together with rules for their use. The currently-used method of number writing represents the final stage in a long process of evolutionary development; included in this was a period during which complete alphabets were requisitioned for use as numerals as, for example, among the Greeks (from c.600 BC) and the Jews (from c.200 BC). Because the original documents of the Judaeo-Christian Scriptures were written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) it follows that they may also be fairly read as sets of numbers. (Hebrew and Greek schemes).

Whether arising from (a) or (b), numbers sometimes exhibit interesting patterns. In the case of (a), it may be possible to place the objects to be counted (uniform spheres, as suggested) inside a regular polygonal or polyhedral frame so as to fill it precisely and completely. In such situations the numbers represented are said to be figurate. A typical example is found in the game of snooker - the 15 'reds' being tightly arranged in equilateral triangle fashion prior to the commencement of each frame. With regard to (b), it may be that the repetition of a particular digit catches the eye, or it is seen that a number reads the same backward as forward, or again that a simple digit rotation yields a multiple of the original number.

When many events of these kinds are observed to occur in a small set of numbers, we may feel strongly led to attribute them to intelligent design (ID).

[Please note: following standard mathematical practice, the period (.) will here be used to signify 'multiplied by'.]

An Auspicious Beginning

In his writings, Ivan Panin has drawn attention to the interesting fact that the 7 Hebrew words of the Bible's first verse total 2701, or 37.73 - both factors prime. Here are the details:

However, more interested in following a trail of 7's, and apparently having little understanding of probability theory, he completely missed a far more significant thread and entered a world of fantasy - nevertheless, unearthing the occasional nugget of gold.

The developments that Panin missed are now considered.

• 2701 is 73rd triangular number; the outline of this triangle is formed of 216, or 6.6.6 counters, thus:

• large multiples of 37 exhibit the interesting property that the sum of the numbers formed by grouping the digits in threes from the right will always be a multiple of 37; in this particular instance, 701 + 002 = 703, or 19.37 - this being the sum of the two final words of this opening verse (each a multiple of 37) , ie 407 + 296 = 703

• 703 is 37th triangular number, thus:

• when inverted, this fits precisely within 2701-as-triangle, dividing the remaining area into a trio of 666-as-triangle, thus:

• the picture incorporates the first three triangular multiples of 37 and is highly symbolic: we are reminded of the general context of Revelation 13 and the number of the beast, 666

• a small replica of this structure has been included (top left); it depicts 10 - radix of the denary system and basic collective unit in metrication and decimalisation - in a setting of perfect numbers, viz 6 and 28 - 3rd and 7th triangular numbers, respectively - the latter spelling out the number of Hebrew words and letters of Genesis 1:1; the satellite trio of sixes, and the outline of 28-as-triangle are further suggestive of 666

• because Panin missed these numerical geometries he also failed to observe that the sum of the Bible's first 8 words, 3003, is also triangular (77th in the series); it follows that word 8 - the first of Genesis 1:2 (value 302) - takes the form of a trapezium of 4 rows supporting (and underscoring!) the Genesis 1:1 triangle; here are the details:

• it is interesting - and possibly significant - that Genesis 1:1 seems to imply the larger triangle, thus: concatenating the factors (and order numbers of the main participants) of 2701 we obtain 3773, and actually see 3003 (its value) embracing 77 (its order number in the triangular series)!

• another feature linking the two is to be found in the word sequence 4 to 8, inclusive; the sum of these 5 numbers is 1801 - ie the numerical hexagon representing the symmetrical self-intersection of the Genesis 1:1 triangle, thus:

• 3003 may be written, 33.91; in other words, division by 91 simply removes the central zeros of the palindrome

Clearly, there is sufficient material here to attract the attention of all earnest seekers of truth. But the story is only half told, and we continue...

The Plot Thickens

The foregoing analysis has revealed 37 to be a key player in the Genesis 1:1 phenomena. However, the depth of its involvement is greater yet, for consider:

• of the 127 sums formed from combinations of the 7 words of this verse, 23 are found to be multiples of 37, ie nearly 7 times the number expected of a random set!

• included among these are the eye-catching analogues of 666, viz 999 (occurring twice as the sums of words 1 and 3, and of 2, 4 and 5), 777 (sum of the three nouns, 3+5+7), and 888 (3+5+6)

• 37 may be written as the difference of the cubes of 4 and 3, thus: 37 = 64 - 27; on the other hand, 91 (factor of 3003, and digit reverse of 19 - factor of 703) is the sum of the same two cubes, thus: 91 = 64 + 27

• but, even more remarkably, 37 and 91 are unique among the natural numbers in that they may each be realised geometrically in 3 distinct ways, thus:

and

• no instances of higher orders of figuracy (as here defined) are known to exist

• 73 and 19 - the numbers formed by reversing the digits of 37 and 91 - each possess a single geometrical form that is closely coordinated with 37, thus:

and

• for figures having the same order, the product hexagon.hexagram = triangle; the instances relevant to this discussion are tabulated below:

• these triangles and their factors are therefore implied by the following figures:

• the 6/1 theme of the creation narrative is clearly seen in these composite figures

In Search of an Author

There can be little doubt that this confluence of coincidences, springing from the heart of mathematics, speaks loudly of intelligent design. Could it be that Panin's basic assumptions have been right all along? - that God, in His infinite wisdom, has by these means provided man with empirical evidence of His Being and Sovereignty? To ascribe the phenomena to chance - bearing in mind the nature of the Book in which they occur, and their strategic position and content - surely demands a leap of faith of mammoth proportions; on the other hand, to believe they are the work of man, one has to hypothesise the existence of some mathematical/literary genius writing many centuries before the introduction of alphabetic numeration into Israel.

That the phenomena are undoubtedly of supernatural origin, and intended to achieve some serious purpose, is made clear by the following extension to the foregoing analysis:

• the Creator's name (Jesus Christ), as we find it in the Greek of both New Testament and Septuagint (c 300 BC), is 2368, or 64.37

• its components are 888 (Jesus), or 24.37, and 1480 (Christ), or 40.37

• as an eye-catching analogue of 666, and a multiple of 37, 888 is clearly linked with the phenomena previously described

• however, there is a further link: the HCF of 888 and 1480 is 296 - the value of the Bible's 7th word, translated 'the earth'; to find it a factor of both components of the name of one who claimed to be God Incarnate cannot be lightly dismissed!

• but for even more convincing evidence, we turn again to numerical geometry: 64 is, of course, the cube of 4; to represent it in on screen we typically draw 37-as-hexagon; this one figure thus implies 2368 (Jesus Christ), the product of 64 and its 2D representation!

• the second figure depicts the 6th cube, 6.6.6 - outline of the Genesis 1:1 triangle; typically, we see only 91 of its 216 elements

Vernon Jenkins MSc

7th February, 1999

email: vernon.jenkins@virgin.net

See also: http://www.jsampson.co.uk/miracla1.htm for 'Aspects of a Miracle'

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