"Lazarus, who is Simon Magus?"

What man is more mysterious and yet has such a legacy that his name is immortalized by an obscure noun ("simony") defining "the buying or selling of ecclesiastical positions, promotions, etc. [<LL simonia, from Simon Magus, a Samaritan magician, who tried to buy the power of conferring the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24)]." Just how deep was the state in establishing Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire? And why is this episode immediately following the announcement in Acts 8:8 that is eight words in Greek and probably most translations?

Barbara Thiering is quite illuminating on the histories of the persons agitating for political and religious power in the unstable period of Rabbi Jesus. John portrays such an intimate friendship between the Rabbi and Simon (the leper in the synoptics) that both names are numerically identical ("Ἰησοῦς" is 888 by letters and "Λάζαρε" by book number is 8880). The relationship is captured by two words: "Jesus wept."

Expanding the intimate circle to include a mysterious woman with a flask of ointment strengthens the bond between "Lazarus" and his sisters, Martha and Mary, and the Lord. Just as Luke and John are the only authors to use the name of the Rabbi's best friend (Lazarus means "God-helper" in Hebrew), so too are the placements of the naming of the Magdalene (Luke 8:2), the affair of an adulterous wife that is awkwardly redacted into John 8:1-11, and the cryptic message preceding the incident with Simon Magus (Acts 8:8).

It becomes more apparent that the nickname given to the denier was probably to differentiate him from the deceiver (Matthew 27:63 is the only gospel using that word, and also with two demonstratives, "that That one! the Deceiver | ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος"). Why are there so many Simon episodes but only two men with nicknames? Perhaps it is simply because the friendship between the Lord and "Lazarus" is the central motif of the gospel period. Why is it that in settings apart from groups and therefore more personal, include the Rabbi, a man named "Simon/Lazarus" and a woman with a flask of ointment?

Barbara Thiering theorizes (and demonstrates) that the importance of that name trumps the variations used by the evangelists to hide the competitive nature between these friends and their followers. How else to explain the absurdity of not shunning a man with a heinous disease but joyously being entertained by him at his home? Mark 14:3-9 paints a perfect picture of wholesomeness with a host described thus: "in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper." Even more remarkable is that the flask-woman will be immortalized in "the whole world" because she smeared the Rabbi's body with perfume. Surely, this woman's name is inferred by the association with her brother and his best friend. She is the woman who leads the search for two "entombed" lords (20:2 "the lord | τὸν κύριον" and 20:13 "the lord of me | τὸν κύριόν μου,"). Indeed, the lady found her lord.

Taking a word that can be used as an adverb ("indeed | μέντοι"), we can speculate on why it is used once each in James 2:8 and Jude 1:8. This conjoined particle is used eight times in the Greek Testament (four in the original John) plus the added chapter applies it to the disciples in 21:4. It appears the latter half of "μέντοι" is meant to indicate the masculine plural dative of the definite article ("τοῖς"). Why it signifies these seven men (21:2) may be corroborated by the numbers. "Disciple(s)" is nominative forty-three times and the first extra one is book word 15166 as the 44th. "Ship" is book word 15144 (21:3) and the "other disciples" is 15244 (21:8) as well as the pronoun as book word 15344 (21:13). The original author used the name Jesus 222 times (177 in the nominative). The author of the second ending places a numerically significant 188th "Jesus" as book word 15444 (21:17), as well as being the 233rd overall. These authors know their numbers!

The symbiotic relationship between father and son is numerically-based, but with a twist. And that twist is a doubtful character known as Thomas Didymus (both names mean "twin"). None of the other gospels have anything to say about this man, but John inserts him into the Lazarus chapter with two numbers: the first naming of this "twin twin" is book word 8440 and his "co-disciples" is book word 8444 (11:16). This word appears once in the Greek Testament.

Parallel numbering of two nouns shows the affinity between friends by the positioning of "hand" as book word 1888 (3:35) and "feet" as book word 8888 (11:44). "Father" is 1880 at 3:35 and "Lazarus!" is 8880 at 11:43. His name is book word 8240 (11:2) and 9180 (12:2), which shares a distinction with the name of his friend as 8840 (11:41) [ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς | ὁ δὲ Λάζαρος]. The "eyes" of Jesus are 8844 in the same verse. In 11:23, the Rabbi assures Martha that her brother "shall rise up"; that verb is book word 8544. The last of 11 times the name of Lazarus is used in 12:17 recollects his entombment. Book word 9440 is his name and his "tomb" is book word 9444. In the garden of crucifixion, the "tomb" where they put Jesus is book word 14444 (19:41) and his name is book word 14466 (19:42). Examples of pronouns of the Rabbi are "me!" as 8588 at 11:26, "him" as 8644 at 11:29 and "Himself" as 8788 at 11:38 (the fourth of four dative reflexive pronouns).

The two women in the chapter about their brother who has been befriended by the Rabbi, book word 8244 (11:3) is "sisters" and in 11:5, John writes that Jesus was loving Martha and her sister Mary: "sister" is book word 8288. The last time Mary is used refers to the Magdalene and is book word 14788 (20:18). The third of three times a feminine nominative demonstrative pronoun is used is for Mary as book word 14744 (20:16).

"Lord" is used 44 times and "Son" 55 times in the book of John. The vocative of the Rabbi's title is used 27 times; in 4:49 a royal person addresses him as "Κύριε," book word 2744 and in 13:36, book word 10644 is Simon Peter's challenge to offer the ultimate sacrifice.

A list of the double-four and double-eight numbers of "Father" begins with Moses, who is identified as the patriarch of the Judeans near the end of his first sermonette in 5:46 as talk word 488 (333). Looking first at talk words, in 5:23, "τὸν πατέρα" is talk word 88 (444) and in 16:27 "ὁ πατὴρ" is talk word 88 (555). In the sermon at the supper where the Rabbi reveals his number as 666, he assures his friends that he has heard all things "beside the father of me | παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου." "Father" is talk word 444 and "beside" is book word 11544 at 15:15. In 16:15, "ὁ πατὴρ" is talk word 888 and also book word 11988. In the Lord's revelation at 15:26, "τοῦ πατρός" is talk word 660 and "of me! | ἐμοῦ" is talk word 666.

The remainder are all book word numbers: 1880 (3:35), 3088 (5:17), 4444 (6:46), 6244 (8:28), 6444 (8:41), 10788 (14:6), 10844 (14:9) [also the 88th use of the noun], 10888 (14:11), 12044 (16:17), and 12244 (16:27). In 15:1, the Father is called "the earth-worker | ὁ γεωργός" once in the first gospel written. It is book word 11288. It is also used 18 times in the Greek Testament.