Introduction
The New Testament is headed by four Gospels that tell us almost everything we know of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The first three of these books—Matthew, Mark and Luke—are known as the synoptic Gospels, because they give very similar accounts of Jesus’ life (it is thought that Matthew and Luke used Mark’s book as a source for their own accounts). The Gospel of John, however, has its own distinctive style and content and consequently stands apart from the synoptic Gospels.
The fundamental distinction between John and the other three Gospels appears to be highlighted by the encoding of two triangular numbers, one the sum of the ordinal values of the opening verses the Synoptic Gospels, the other the sum of the ordinal values of all four opening verses (note 1). A study of the structural properties of these numbers reveals numerical links to the subject of all four Gospels: Jesus Christ.
The Synoptic Gospel Verses
The first verses of the three synoptic Gospels are as follows:
Matt. 1:1 (NIV)
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Mark 1:1 (NIV)
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Luke 1:1 (NIV)
Many have undertaked to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
Matt 1:1 + Mark 1:1 + Luke 1:1 (o) = 669 + 580 + 831 = 2080
The number 2080 is the 64th triangular number, as illustrated below.
This is a fairly unlikely event: the chance of 2080 being triangular is only 1 in 64 and the chances of it having any figurate properties, whilst higher, is still much less than evens. Moreover, the triangle is a potent symbol of the divine, embodying the concept of the Trinity.
The Four Gospel Verses
Adding the first verse of John to the synoptic verses we can find the ordinal values of all four Gospels.
Matt. 1:1 (NIV)
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Mark 1:1 (NIV)
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Luke 1:1 (NIV)
Many have undertaked to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
John 1:1 (NIV)
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
Matt 1:1 + Mark 1:1 + Luke 1:1 + John 1:1 (o) = 2080 + 695 = 2775
Amazingly, 2775 is also a triangular number, the 74th in its series! Again, few numbers of this magnitude have any geometric properties. Its triangular form is illustrated below.
The place value of this triangle, which happens to be the number of units along its base, is 74. This number also happens to be very strongly linked with the name and person of Jesus through gematria!
Jesus (o) ...................= 74
Messiah (o) ..............= 74
Cross (o) ..................= 74
Gospel (o) ................= 74
So 74 is the ordinal value of the name of the man whose life, mission, death and resurrection are so carefully recorded in the four Gospels. Note that the word ‘Gospel’ itself has an ordinal value of 74, as does the word ‘Messiah’, the Hebrew equivalent of ‘Christ’. The triangularity of this number again reflects the Christian concept of the Trinity, which was no doubt the intention.
The Gospel Triangles
If we now superimpose triangle 2080 upon triangle 2775 we see a natural division between the triangle representing the synoptic Gospels and the remainder, a trapezium, representing the fourth Gospel. The trapezium extends the triangle, just as John is an extension and completion of the Gospels.
Triangle 2775 itself has further features of interest for us, to which we will now turn.
From Triangle To Trapezium
Two out of every three triangular numbers (those with three and six units at their centre) are divisible by 3. 2775 is such a number and division of 2775 by 3 gives 925. This is the standard value of the name ‘Jesus Christ’!
Jesus Christ (s) .......= 925
925 x 3...................= 2775
This leads us to a natural trisection of triangle 2775 and a third geometric form for 925, already known to us as a diamond and a pentagon. The form this time is a trapezium.
Jesus Christ (s) .......= 925
The three trapezia are identical in every respect and show that the number 925 is very naturally derived from the second Gospel triangle.
Triangle 3003
Finally, the study of triangular numbers reveals a startling geometric link between the triangular extensions of the numbers 74 and 77, the ordinal values of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’. The 77th triangular number is 3003, which is illustrated below.
Triangle 3003 is the smallest triangle that can completely enclose triangle 2775. This relationship is a consequence of the fact that they are the 77th and 74th triangles in the series: a difference of three in ordinal values is the minimum requirement for triangle nesting.
Triangle 5778
Triangle 3003 can also form a trapezium on which triangle 2775 can sit to yield a larger triangle, the 107th in the series, with 5778 units. Of the first 100 triangular numbers about 4% will create another triangular number when paired in this way. Therefore this phenomenon is statistically unlikely.
Such an uncommon geometric feature is evidence of prior planning, rather than random action, a hypothesis that is greatly strengthened when we discover that the geometric connection between these numbers is implied by the ordinal values of some phrases directly related to Jesus Christ.
Jesus (o) ...................= 74
Christ (o) ..................= 77
The Messiah (o) ........= 107
The Cross (o) ............= 107
God the Son (o) .........= 107
Summary
The Gospel triangles are stunning evidence that the natural division of the four Gospels into the three synoptics and John has been consciously reflected in the numerical values of their opening verses. The internal structures of these triangles provide numbers that, via gematria, have primary links with Jesus Christ, the subject of the Gospels. The triangles are therefore further evidence that both the translation of the NIV bible and the evolution of the English language have been guided by a divine hand, and appear to be hallmarks of divine approval on the Gospels themselves.
Bill Downie
29/4/07
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