In the early years of Christianity, the Church Fathers commented extensively on numerology. The Fathers repeatedly condemned the magical use of numbers which had descended from Babylonian sources to the Pythagoreans and Gnostics of their times. They denounced any system of philosophy which rested upon an exclusively numerical basis. Even so, they almost unanimously regarded the numbers of Holy Writ as full of mystical meaning, and they considered the interpretation of these mystical meanings as an important branch of exegesis. There was reluctance in the Christian teachers of the early centuries to push this recognition of the significance of numbers to extremes.
Irenaeus
explains the number of the beast 666 by adding the numerical value of each "Greek letter" in the word "Lateinos." The constituent of all the Greek letters yields the total: "Latin" is the official language of Rome, which specifically is also that of the Roman Catholic Church. Irenaeus also discusses at length the Gnostic numerical interpretation of the holy name "Jesus" as the equivalent of 888, and he claims that by writing the name in Hebrew characters an entirely different interpretation is necessitated.
Ambrose
commenting upon the days of creation and the Sabbath remarks,
Influenced mainly by Biblical precepts, the Fathers down to the time of Bede and even later gave much attention to the sacredness and mystical significance not only of certain numerals in themselves but also of the numerical totals given by the constituent letters with which words were written. An example is in the early Epistle of Barnabas. This document appeals to The Book of Genesis as mystically pointing to the name and self-oblation of the coming Messias. "Learn, therefore," says the writer, "that Abraham who first appointed circumcision, looked forward in spirit unto Jesus when he circumcised, having received the ordinances of three letters. For the Scripture saith, And Abraham circumcised of his household eighteen males and three hundred.' What then was the knowledge given unto him? Understand ye that He saith the eighteen' first, and then after an interval three hundred.' In the eighteen stands for 10, for eight. Here thou hast Jesus. And because the cross in the was to have grace, he saith also three hundred.' So he revealeth Jesus in two letters and in the remaining one the cross". Here the numerical value of the Greek letters iota and eta, the first letters of the Holy Name, is 10 and 8, for 18, while Tau, which stands for the form of the cross, represents 300. 1+8 = 9 Nine is the Mystical number of consciousness. "Eighteen males" = 9 "And three hundred" is 9 + 3 = 12 Twelve is completion, perfection. If you circumcise, cut away the flesh of the world, of materiality you will be perfected. You will become Spiritual and no longer material. This is the meaning of "Deny yourself". You must kill the ego to become one with God. 7 is the mystical number of enlightenment, salvation. It is the seventh Chakra. The Holy Spirit.
