One of the most frequent symbolic numbers found in ancient cultures across the globe is undoubtedly number 37. Strong affection towards this number is found in Christian kabbalah, where this number somehow plays the central role in the mysticism of numbers.
Particularly the Greek kabbalah seems to love number 37. Most well-known, from a wide range of words that have the gematric value as a multiple of this number, is the value of “Jesus” in Greek gematria:
ΙΗΣΟΥΣ = 10+8+200+70+400+200 = 888 = 24 x 37.
The same number rules also "Christos":
ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ = 600+100+10+200+300+70+200 = 1480 = 40 x 37.
Even Jesus' predecessor John the Baptist has 37 hidden in the gematric value of his name:
ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ = 10+800+1+50+50+8+200 = 1119
ΒΑΠΤΙΣΤΗΣ = 2+1+80+300+10+200+300+8+200 = 1101
1119 + 1101 = 2220 = 60 x 37.
It is a telling coincidence that both names, Jesus' and John's, are linked with same prime number at the root of their gematric value. Perhaps, that says something about their nature…
Whole books are written about the meaning of the number 37 and its multiples. Particularly obsessed with such useless endeavor were two Anglican priests Simcox Lea and Bligh Bond from the beginning of the 20th century, who lost themselves in calculations of the Biblical appearances of 37 multiples (see the references).
Even the Great Beast from the Apocalypse couldn't escape "the curse" of being a multiple of 37:
Particularly the Greek kabbalah seems to love number 37. Most well-known, from a wide range of words that have the gematric value as a multiple of this number, is the value of “Jesus” in Greek gematria:
The same number rules also "Christos":
Even Jesus' predecessor John the Baptist has 37 hidden in the gematric value of his name:
ΒΑΠΤΙΣΤΗΣ = 2+1+80+300+10+200+300+8+200 = 1101
1119 + 1101 = 2220 = 60 x 37.
It is a telling coincidence that both names, Jesus' and John's, are linked with same prime number at the root of their gematric value. Perhaps, that says something about their nature…
Whole books are written about the meaning of the number 37 and its multiples. Particularly obsessed with such useless endeavor were two Anglican priests Simcox Lea and Bligh Bond from the beginning of the 20th century, who lost themselves in calculations of the Biblical appearances of 37 multiples (see the references).
Even the Great Beast from the Apocalypse couldn't escape "the curse" of being a multiple of 37:
ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑ ΘΗΡΙΟΝ = (300+70)+(40+5+3+1)+(9+8+100+10+70+50) =
666 = 18 x 37.
But why is this number so important that was cross-culturally embedded in philosophy, art, and mostly architecture, what is so special about it? It seems that every important church has this number embedded in its dimensions. As an example of St. Paul's Cathedral in London will suffice since the width of the floor-plan is 555 ft or 6660 inches, obviously again a multiple of 37.
Perhaps the reason for the unusual veneration of number 37 comes from mathematics. Surprisingly but if we take any three-digit number and add together all possible permutations of these three digits, the result is always a multiple of 37. For example:
666 = 18 x 37.
But why is this number so important that was cross-culturally embedded in philosophy, art, and mostly architecture, what is so special about it? It seems that every important church has this number embedded in its dimensions. As an example of St. Paul's Cathedral in London will suffice since the width of the floor-plan is 555 ft or 6660 inches, obviously again a multiple of 37.
Perhaps the reason for the unusual veneration of number 37 comes from mathematics. Surprisingly but if we take any three-digit number and add together all possible permutations of these three digits, the result is always a multiple of 37. For example:
| 123 132 213 231 312 321 ---------- 1332 36 x 37 | 148 184 418 481 814 841 ---------- 2886 78 x 37 | 111 111 111 111 111 111 ---------- 666 18 x 37 | 469 496 649 694 946 964 ---------- 4218 114 x 37 |
Similarly, constant numbers are found also if numbers with different number of digits are taken:
| digit | number | factors |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 11 | 11 |
| 3 | 111 | 3 x 37 |
| 4 | 1111 | 11 x 101 |
| 5 | 11111 | 41 x 271 |
The progression obtained from the above calculations of permutations is therefore: 1-11-37-101-271…
