John's signs by their numbers

Mario Puzo's fictitious godfather may be less fabulous than the three fathers invoked by Rabbi Jesus in the book of John. The parallel between authors of the first and twentieth centuries is a three-letter Greek word and a three-letter English word. Taking the first three words of 5:20, the transliteration of a primary particle between article and noun renders the English reading "the gar father | ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ." The significance of the next three words ("befriends the son | φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν") is beautifully expressed by the numbers behind the words. Book word 3166 is "son | υἱὸν" and both talk word columns share a number: "father | πατὴρ" is 33 (333); "the son | τὸν υἱὸν" is 33 (444).

What makes this most interesting is that the sixth of six vocatives, "Father! | Πάτερ" is book word 12555 (17:11) and the adjective "holy | ἅγιε" makes it the second of three fathers invoked by Rabbi Jesus. Near the end of his prayer, the adjective "righteous | δίκαιε," (17:25) is in the vocative, coincidentally as talk word 455, but "father" is not. The penultimate "I AM!" is an assertion that Rabbi Jesus is "the Way | ἡ ὁδὸς" (book word 10777) toward "the father" (book word 10788 at 14:6 can be read the same way as "the Christ" as book word 5388 at 7:31, "the parents" as book word 7188 at 9:22 and "No One" as book word 12588 at 17:12). "Father" is indeed 10888 and talk word 66 (14:11) as the 45th nominative with 45 other cases following: the ultimate "father" is book word 14866 (20:21).

The miracles of John are the seven "signs" as numbered by the pair that took place in Cana of Galilee and summarized by comments of the authorities. "Many" said to Rabbi Jesus that his cousin John ("ὅτι Ἰωάννης") made not one sign (10:41) and after the episode with his friend Lazarus, reports to the Sanhedrin relate that Rabbi Jesus ("ὅτι οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος") makes many signs (11:47). What may appear as redundant is the versatile "hoti | ὅτι" which can be a conjunction, a demonstrative or a causative and apparently, sometimes irrelevant. In this case, a triad is formed by Jesus, John and a blind man.

John 9:1-38 is the penultimate "sign" and the second longest text. Connecting the cousins to this blind man (and his parents) are the first three words "uttered" by him that uncannily mimic the seven divine "I AM!" declarations by the Rabbi. John's narrative opens the debate about "that beggar | ὅτι προσαίτης" (9:8 plus Mark 10:46) with three comments, one by neighbors and two by others. The middle comment is three words: "that This! is | ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν" and the last suggests the blind man is like him but the blind man boldly asserts in three words: "that I AM! | ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι" (both 9:9).

A thread of fives weaves together what the Sanhedrin hears and the blind man says. In John 11:47, "man | ἄνθρωπος" is book word 8955 and "ὅτι" is book word 6955 at 9:9. The adjectival noun "like" is also used by the Rabbi to say he would be like a "liar" if he said he did not know "that GOD | ὅτι θεὸς" of the Judeans. "Liar" is book word 6750 (8:55) and "like" is book word 6950. Both words are used twice ("liar" is in 8:44 which is the longest verse in the book at 47 words).

Only three people "utter": the Baptist, the blind man and Pilate (the verb is book word 13400 at 18:29). Book word 7440 is the same verb at 9:38 and the pair of words indicating the blind man ("ὁ δὲ") is the 88th such construction. Continuing this thread of fours is the verb "worshiped," which is book word 7444. He is the only person to do this to the Rabbi. Two coincidences of numbering are the pronouns "him" (99th accusative case) as book word 7399 at 9:35, and "me" (44th genitive case) as book word 7044 at 9:15. "Them" is also in this verse as the 44th dative case.

Ten times "eyes" is used in chapter 9; as book words, four of them are 6899 (9:6), 6966 (9:10), 7099 (9:17) and 7266 (9:26). "Parents" is only used in chapter 9 (six times) and the first is 6833 at 9:2 and the occult triple-eight as book word 7188 at 9:22. "God" is 7233 at 9:24 and 66 words later, "Moses" is the occult triple-nine 7299 at 9:28.

The first two "signs" at Cana (book word 999 at 2:11) have similar numbers except double-eights. Twice in a comment on the type of drinks served, "wine" is 977 and 988 in the same verse (2:10). That critic is the banquet boss; the verb "tasted" is 944 (2:9), "mother" is 844 (2:1) and the verb "says" is 888 (2:5). In the second event at Cana, "slaves" is its most significant word number as 2777 at 4:51. Their master's dominant numbers are the verb "heard" as 2699 at 4:47 and "him" as the occult triple-nine 2799 at 4:52. He uses the fourth vocative "Lord!" as book word 2744 (4:49).

The third "sign" (5:2-15) is a mirroring of the event in chapter 9. The blind man is told to wash in a pool called Siloam (6988 at 9:9). And like "Lazarus!" (8880 at 11:43), this one is a very certain "man" (2888 at 5:5) who is in a group of "ones weakening" (2880 at 5:3). This one was found "walking" (2966 at 5:9) and thus probably exited by the "sheepgate" (2866 at 5:2, exclusive to John in the Greek Testament).

The next two "signs" are set near the Sea of Tiberias (another word exclusive to John and book word 3650 at 6:1). A "much" crowd is involved (3655 at 6:2) and a child "who" (3750 at 6:9) is the source of the "loaves" (3788 at 6:11) fed to the five thousand "married men" (3780 at 6:10) who were told to "up-fall" (3770) at a "place" (3777) with much grass. The event following is numerically insignificant: "ship" is book word 3888 at 6:17.

The ultimate "sign" (11:1-44) has a wealth of more than two dozen words with significant numbers. The "feet" of Lazarus is the only quadruple number (8888 at 11:44) and is also the final word/number. Even "cave" is represented by a neuter pronoun ("αὐτῷ") as book word 8800 (11:38) and the Rabbi by the masculine ("αὐτῷ") in the next verse with 8808. The first numbered name is Lazarus (8240 at 11:2) and the next is Thomas (8440) and his "co-disciples" (8444 at 11:16 which is yet another exclusive Greek Testament word). His friend Jesus is the fourth of four dative reflexive pronouns (8788 at 11:38) and two pronouns: "him" as 8644 at 11:29 and "me!" as 8588 at 11:26. The first of three constructions of the Rabbi's name ("ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς") has the particle in the middle as word 8840 and "eyes" as 8844, both in 11:41. Concluding this pair of number threads is a verb repeated by Martha ("he shall up-rise | ἀναστήσεται") as word 8544 (11:23) and two nouns: "sisters" as word 8244 (11:3) and "sister" as word 8288 (11:5). Mary the Magdalene is the only person whose name remains unnumbered here (Martha is 8550 at 11:24).

Typically, the sole triple-six is "Judeans" as book word 8666 (11:31). Amazingly, Martha has two words of a similar kind: the verb "met" as word 8660 (11:30) and the only affirmative in the original book, "yes" as word 8599 (11:27). The crowd "around-standing" is 8866 at 11:42. Knotting this thread of the numerical tapestry are three examples relating to the Rabbi, respectively, his name, a title and a pronoun. Book word 8399 (11:13) is the only other double-nine, and a title he took as "that the Light | ὅτι τὸ φῶς" has the noun as 8366 (11:10). Showing the prowess of John is the placement of the 66th emphatic pronoun of the fifth divine declaration, "I AM! the Resurrection | Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις," as book word 8566 (11:25).