When asked "Which is the first commandment of all" the Lord Jesus Christ
declared (Mark 12.29f) "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O
Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with
all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like,
namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these."
The Scripture He was referring to begins in Deuteronomy 6.4, commonly referred to as the Shema (Hb. Hear). Further details and related graphics (a picture is worth a thousand words!) of the information presented below may be found at http://www.BibleWheel.com/Holographs/Holographs_Unity.asp It would be best to read the article on my site since it has the graphics that really help see the incredible beauty of the structure of this verse.
I begin with the word translated as One:
One (Echad) = 13
This number coincides with the value of the noun cognate to the verb used in
the next verse (Deut 6.5):
Love (Ahavah) = 13
The Jews have long recognized the significance of these relations. I would be surprised if it were not one of the reasons Moses Maimonides formulated the Jewish Faith as Thirteen Articles.
Further insight is found in this quote from Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai (15th Century):
"For the perfect adoration worship demanded of the true worshipper is the
service of the Unity, that is, the unification of the glorious and Only
Name. But the essence of Love is the true Unity, and the true Unity is what
is termed Love..."
Obviously, these are not new associations. Nor are they lacking in theological significance. Consider this verse from Col 3.14 "And over all
these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
(NIV)
Yet we have just begun: The Shema declares that The LORD (YHVH) is one. We have the identity:
YHVH = 26 = 2 x 13
It would seem Moses Maimonides had this identity in mind when he wrote his thesis called "Twenty-six propositions the philosophers use to prove the existence of God."
Calculating the value of the assertion found in the Shema, we find:
The LORD is ONE (YHVH Echad) = 26 + 13 = 39 = 3 x 13
Hummmm ... The LORD is One = 3 x 13 ---> 3 x ONE .... any potential theological significance here?
Yet we have just begun!
The sum of the entire Shema is 1118 = 13 x 86. And what is the significance of 86? It is the value of the Name of God given in the first verse of the first book of the Bible:
Elohim = 86
Therefore:
The Sum of the Shema = 13 x 86 = ONE x GOD
Ringing any bells yet?
Yet there is more! The fundamental way in which Jesus referred to God is "The Father". In Greek, the value is:
Ho Pater = 559 = 13 x 43
Hummmmmmm .... Lets put it all together now
The Lord = 2 x 13
God (Elohim) = 2 x 43
The Father (Ho Pater) = 13 x 43
These are the three of the primary NAMES OF GOD found in Scripture, and these three numbers are generated from a single set by following a single rule. They are generated by multiplying pairs of primes from the set {2,13, 43). There are three numbers generated from this set in this fashion, and these three numbers are 26, 86, and 559. And where have we seen the set {2, 13, 43} before? They are the set of prime factors of the Sum of the Shema:
Sum of the Shema = 1118 = 2 x 13 x 43
I am eager to receive a review of these results from the ASA list.
God Bless!
Rejoice forevermore!
Richard Amiel McGough
Graphics and much more detail are available on my site:
http://www.BibleWheel.com
Look for the Unity Holograph under Biblical Holographs on the main menu.
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