A Brief History of Gematria
Gematria is an ancient esoteric practice rooted in the correlation between numbers and letters, linking the meaning of words to the numerical value of their letters. Beginning with its origin in Mesopotamian civilizations, gematria has spanned millennia of history, exerting its influence on diverse cultures such as the Hebrew, Greek, and ultimately, modern English.Gematria traces its origins to Sumerian and Babylonian culture, which flourished in Mesopotamia between the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE. These civilizations developed a sophisticated writing system, called cuneiform, that used characters engraved on clay tablets to represent words and numbers. The Babylonian numerical system was sexagesimal, based on multiples of 60, which allowed expressing large numbers with few symbols.
The Sumerians and Babylonians were among the first civilizations to adopt a writing system, known as cuneiform, which used characters engraved on clay tablets to represent words and numbers. Cuneiform writing was polyvalent, meaning that the signs could have both phonetic and numerical values, depending on the context in which they were used. This feature allowed establishing a connection between words and numbers, which forms the basis of gematria.
The Sumerian-Babylonian numerical system was sexagesimal, based on multiples of 60. This choice likely stemmed from the use of a counting system based on the fingers of the hands and feet, which allowed counting up to 60. The sexagesimal system proved to be extremely versatile and was also adopted for representing fractions and expressing very large numbers with few symbols.
The sexagesimal system is the origin of our current time measurement system (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour) and angle measurement (360 degrees in a circle).
Although there is no direct evidence of a gematria system similar to the Hebrew one among the Sumerians and Babylonians, some practices suggest a correlation between numbers and letters. For example, in Sumerian and Babylonian royal inscriptions, numbers were often used to represent the names of kings, suggesting a link between numerical value and royal power. Furthermore, in some literary works, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, passages feature numbers that seem to have symbolic and allusive value, indicating a possible connection between numbers and words.
The Evolution of Gematria in Judaism
Gematria spread among the Jews through contact with the Babylonian civilization during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE. The Hebrew numbering system assigns a numerical value to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, allowing each word to be associated with a numerical value corresponding to the sum of the values of its letters.
Gematria became a fundamental element of Kabbalah, the esoteric and mystical Jewish tradition. Kabbalah views gematria as a way to decipher hidden secrets in sacred texts, such as the Torah and the Talmud, and to understand the divine nature and workings of the universe. Kabbalists believed that the Hebrew language was a divine gift and that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet had magical and mystical powers, as well as representing the primordial forces that give life to creation.
A famous example of Hebrew gematria is found in the Hebrew word "chai" (חי), which means "life." "Chai" is composed of the Hebrew letters Chet (ח) and Yud (י), which have numerical values of 8 and 10, respectively. Adding the values of the two letters, we get the number 18. Consequently, the number 18 is considered lucky in Jewish tradition and is often associated with life and prosperity. It is common, for example, for donations to Jewish charities to be made in multiples of 18 as a sign of good fortune.
Another example of Hebrew gematria concerns the Tetragrammaton (יהוה), the ineffable name of God composed of the four Hebrew letters Yud (י), Hei (ה), Vav (ו), and Hei (ה) again. The numerical values of these letters are 10, 5, 6, and 5, respectively. Adding these values, we get the number 26, which is considered a sacred number in Jewish tradition and symbolizes the divine essence.
Hebrew gematria has had a significant impact on Jewish culture and the daily life of Jews. In addition to its role in Kabbalah and Jewish theology, gematria is also used in more practical contexts, such as dream interpretation and divination. Furthermore, Hebrew gematria has influenced the formation of names and the choice of words in prayers and blessings. Hebrew gematria has also influenced popular culture and art. For example, it has been used by Jewish writers such as Franz Kafka and Isaac Bashevis Singer to create wordplays and symbolic allusions in their stories. Hebrew gematria has also been incorporated into visual and architectural works of art, such as synagogues and monuments, to express spiritual and theological concepts.
The Adoption of Gematria in Greek and Roman Culture
Gematria also spread to Greek culture, where it found fertile ground among the Pythagorean philosophers, who considered numbers as the fundamental principle of the universe. They adopted and adapted gematria to their writing system, associating a numerical value with each letter of the Greek alphabet. Greek gematria, also known as isopsephy, was used for divinatory purposes, interpreting sacred texts, and investigating the occult relationships between different words with the same numerical value.
In ancient Greek culture, the letters of the Greek alphabet also had specific numerical values. Consequently, each word or phrase could be represented as a number, and these numbers could be interpreted to find hidden meanings and connections. The numerical values of words or phrases could be interpreted in various ways to uncover hidden meanings or establish connections between words and concepts. For example, numbers could be added, multiplied, divided, or compared with other numbers to search for patterns and relationships.
Isopsephy was primarily used in ancient Greek culture, particularly among the Pythagoreans, Platonic philosophers, and Gnostics. It was employed for religious purposes, such as interpreting sacred texts, and philosophical purposes, such as seeking truth and wisdom hidden in numbers and words.
One of the most well-known examples of isopsephy in ancient Greek culture is the Number of Apollo, or 1864, which is the sum of the numerical values of the first seven letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha + beta + gamma + delta + epsilon + zeta + eta). This number had a mystical and symbolic meaning, as Apollo was the god of light and knowledge, and the number 1864 represented the essence of his divinity.
In later times, isopsephy influenced numerology and gematria in Western cultures, particularly in the context of esotericism and occultism. For example, Christian Kabbalah, a mystical and philosophical system of thought based on the interpretation of the Bible, incorporated elements of Greek isopsephy alongside Hebrew gematria to create a unified symbolic and numerical language.
Isopsephy has also been used to analyze literary and philosophical works, such as Plato's dialogues, in search of hidden meanings and numerical symbolism. Furthermore, Greek gematria has been adopted and adapted by various esoteric and mystical currents, such as Neoplatonism and Hermeticism, which have developed additional systems of interpretation and correlation between numbers and words.
During the era of the Roman Empire, Gematria gained some popularity among Christians, particularly in the Gnostic context. In this setting, the practice of gematria was often connected to the use of Latin, which was the lingua franca of the empire.
The use of Gematria in Latin was based on the correspondences between the letters of the Latin alphabet and Roman numerals, which were commonly used to indicate quantities. This practice was often employed to search for hidden meanings in sacred texts or philosophical writings, or to establish connections between different words and concepts. However, the majority of Christian theologians opposed the use of Gematria, considering it heresy and a form of divination. In general, the use of Gematria during the Roman Empire era was limited to certain scholarly and philosophical circles and was not a widespread practice in Latin culture.
Gematria in Modern English and the Base-6 System
Gematria was also adapted to the Latin alphabet and, consequently, to modern English. Among the various English gematria systems, one of the most well-known is the one based on multiples of 6, in which each letter of the English alphabet is associated with a numerical value corresponding to its order in the alphabet multiplied by 6 (A = 6, B = 12, C = 18, etc.).
This system presents interesting parallels with the Babylonian sexagesimal system and offers a variety of tools for analyzing and interpreting the occult meaning of texts in English. A possible correlation between the English gematria multiples of 6 system and the Babylonian sexagesimal system could be found in their common emphasis on using highly divisible numbers (6 and 60) to represent and organize information. In both systems, the use of numbers with many divisors can facilitate the search for connections and patterns between different words and concepts through their numerical values.
The origins of English gematria can be traced back to the influence of Hebrew and Greek gematria on European culture, as many scholars and philosophers became interested in gematria and its esoteric implications and began to develop gematria systems for European languages, including English.
There are several English gematria systems, including: Ordinal Gematria: assigns to each letter of the English alphabet a numerical value corresponding to its order in the alphabet (A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, etc.). Multiples of 6 Gematria (also known as Sumerian Gematria in some sites): assigns to each letter of the English alphabet a numerical value corresponding to its order in the alphabet multiplied by 6 (A = 6, B = 12, C = 18, etc.). Pythagorean Gematria: based on Pythagorean numerology, and many others.
English gematria has been used in various contexts, including biblical exegesis, theology, literature, philosophy, and occultism. For example, some scholars have used English gematria to analyze the English translation of the Bible, seeking to uncover hidden meanings and connections between words and concepts through their numerical values.
In the realm of occultism, English gematria has had a significant impact thanks to the work of Aleister Crowley, an influential esotericist and founder of the philosophy and religion of Thelema. Crowley attached great importance to gematria and used it as a tool to interpret the sacred texts of his tradition, such as the "Liber AL vel Legis" or "The Book of the Law," which he and his followers considered the revelation of a new spiritual era. Crowley developed an English gematria system based on numerology and Kabbalistic symbolism, which he called "Thelemic gematria" or "Crowleyan gematria." This system is still used by Thelemites and occultists interested in Crowley's work to decipher hidden meanings in his texts and to discover connections between words and concepts through their numerical values.