For many centuries, before they learned the Indo-Arabic numeral als we use now, Europeans used Roman numerals. Of course, they are clumsy when you have to do calculations. But they are very useful when you want to connect numbers and letters.
In ancient and medieval times, Jews used the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as symbols for numbers. But they had a taboo on writing the name of Jehovah. One way to spell the name was the combination yod heh. This combination also stood for fifteen—ten and five. So they solved the problem by using the combination nine plus six for fifteen.
Some Jews, and later some Christians, thought they could predict the future or describe the character of a person by adding the values of the letters in a word or name. This practice is called Gematria (gah-MAH-tree-ah). That’s how some people came to be labeled the “beast.” This is how it worked.
Find the value of the Roman number DCLXVI. Notice that each letter, representing
D |
C |
L |
X |
V |
I |
500 |
100 |
50 |
10 |
5 |
1 |
is used just once. This number, 666, was considered the “number of the beast.” It was used to attack people who were disliked. This is how it might work. Spell the person’s name. Cross out all the letters that are not used to write Roman numbers. Add some letters—make up a reason to do that. Rearrange the letters. If you are clever, you can make the letters spell out DCLXVI. In the struggle between Catholics and Protestants in the sixteenth century, both Pope Leo X and Martin Luther were labeled the “beast” by their opponents. In the same way, Julius Caesar and Napoleon became the “beast.”
Play this game with your friends, using letters as numbers.
1. Write the numbers from 1 to 9 in a column along the left side of a sheet of paper. Make up a personality trait for each of the numbers. For example: 1 = Cheerful; 2 = Helpful; and so on.
2. Write the letters of the alphabet across the page. Write the numbers 1 to 26 under the letters.
A |
B |
C |
... |
X |
Y |
Z |
1 |
2 |
3 |
... |
24 |
25 |
26 |
3. Add the values of the letters in your name. If the sum has more than one digit, add those digits. Repeat the process until the final sum has just one digit.
4. Check that digit with the list of personality traits. Does it describe your personality?
For example, look at the name Ann.
A = 1, N = 14
1 + 14 + 14 = 29-> 11-> 2
2 = Helpful
Different numbers are considered special in various societies. What can you find out about them?