Taunting talk in the temple

The plan to provoke the religious authorities of Judea was laid out in the mini-sermon of John's fifth chapter. In Cana of Galilee, two signs were directed toward powerful figures, and a third was a prelude to the Rabbi's declaration of war in the 508-word diatribe in Jerusalem (John 5:19-47).

Our focus on sixes and eights reveals the combatants. Three book words ending with triple numbers set the scene. "The feast" in 4:45 is book word 2666 and "ship" in 6:17 is book word 3888. The first two words to identify the powers and the protagonists are "sheep-gate," used only once in the Greek Testament, is numbered 2866 (5:2), and "man" is book word 2888 (5:5). Even "the mat" of the man is 2988 (5:10) and the group that he is from is 2880 (5:3). In the retort by the Rabbi to justify himself, "the father" is book word 3088 (5:17).

The only monologue expansive enough to have four levels that become the 666 column (Matthew 5-7 has seven levels, 333-999), generates two double-eights: "myself" as talk word 88 (5:30) and "John" as talk word 188 (5:36). His cousin is joined by "Moses" as talk word 488 (5:46) in the first column. All too typically, this system also positions another word used once in this book: "lantern" is talk word 166 (5:35) in the 666 column.

The first shot across the prow is the claim to do as he wishes with the dead. The noun "lifeless ones" is used eight times. Book word 3188 is the noun and its pronoun is talk word 66 (5:21).

The second is the claim to be the Son of the Man. This title is used 13 times (13th at 13:31) and is always in the long form, except in the speech to the Judeans it is abbreviated and prefaced with a special demonstrative (ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου). Jesus predicts an hour comes when the ones in the tombs will hear the voice of him (this figure is always referred to in the third person in the mouth of the Rabbi). "Voice" is book word 3330 and "him" is talk word 199 (444) and 66 (666) at 5:28.

Toning down his rhetoric, the Rabbi admits that he is empowered to do nothing by himself. In a verse of 30 words, the sixth is "Myself," talk word 88 (5:30) in the 666 column. Continuing the humble tone, he declares that testifying about himself makes it absolutely not "true," book word 3388 (5:31). Hubris returns three verses later when he refuses "human testimony" (NRSV). "Man" is talk word 288 (333) and "testimony" is 288 (444) and 155 (666).

This double numbering is repeated five verses later in an accusation. In 5:39 the Rabbi says the Judeans search scripture because "you think in them life eternal to have." Three words in this speech show the fluidity of the Greek that is lost in English. "Scripture" is always feminine plural, "the writings | τὰς γραφάς" but both "letters" and "words" are neuter, except in the final verse of the Rabbi's ranting.

Echoing the double numbering in 5:34 of "testimony" is the pronoun referring to "the writings" of the Judeans as talk word 388 (444) and 255 (666). Bracketing this is the verb "ye think" (word 388, column 666) and the adjective "eternal" (word 388, column 555). These three words are in 5:39 and meant to denigrate the Hebrew Testament. It's not a coincidence that the number of Hebrew books is 39 (the Law being the first five) and both are reflected in this chapter/verse (5:39).

The final shot is in the final verse. The eighth last word is "letters" (5:47) in contrast to "writings" (5:39). This is where the gender shifts two neuter words to masculine to show an affinity of Moses and Jesus. The first of 16 (8+8) reciprocal pronouns "Myself" (5:30), is talk word 88 (666). Moses is talk word 488 (333) in 5:46. The taunt to the Judeans is that if they don't believe "the letters | τοῖς γράμμασιν" of Moses, how will they believe "the Mine words | τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασιν." The masculinized "letters" is talk word 499 (444), 366 (666) and the pronoun referring to the feminine "writings" is 388 (444), 255 (666).

The short strand of double-fives is tied up in 5:44 with "the glory" as talk word 355 (555) and the definite article as book word 3588. Those familiar with these posts will recognize and accept the occult eight.

This is then followed by an event that cascades multiple eights. The feeding of Five Thousand (πεντακισχίλιοι) married men (οἱ ἄνδρες) with five loaves sets the pattern in 6:10. At the eighth of eight uses, οἱ ἄνδρες is book word 3780, "the loaves" (3788 at 6:11), "disciples" (3880 at 6:16), "ship" (3888 at 6:17) and the name "Jesus" (3988 at 6:22) and "me" (4188 at 6:32). Then Judeans are murmuring that he said: "I AM the Loaf of the Life! | Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς!" (6:35). In their retort of 6:42, "mother" is 4380 and "heaven" is 4388. The Rabbi's rebuttal numbers "wilderness" as book word 4480 and "manna" as talk word 88 at 6:49; "loaf" (4488 at 6:50) and also as talk word 66 at 6:51. He concludes with the assertion that "one gnawing me | ὁ τρώγων με" shall live. Verb and pronoun are double-eights (6:57). The author uses his last opportunity in this chapter to mark "the twelve" as book word 4880 (6:71).

When one is aware of occult numbers, it isn't surprising John uses "Christ" as book word 5388 (7:31), because the numeric value of the six Greek letters of "Jesus" is 888.