The problem with Pharisees

Matthew the tax collector has a problem with Pharisees. His twenty-third chapter presents seven woes concerning hypocritical writers in league with the powerful Pharisees. Is this writer a disgruntled former member of that sect? And are there numbers that would be helpful in explaining the animosity the author displays against these groups?

Auspiciously, near the end of chapter twenty-two is a plural pronoun that is counted as book word 13444 (note the occult fourth four). It is the Pharisees that Rabbi Jesus is talking to. Purity issues are grounds for many of the arguments concerning this group's teachings. The forty-fourth word of the sermon on the mountain is "the pure ones | οἱ καθαροὶ" and following the sermon, chapter seven includes book word 3644 "the writers | οἱ γραμματεῖς"(7:29). If written rules are to have authority, the decrees of self-righteous purists would indeed be hypocritical if not practiced by their preachers.

Rabbi Jesus wastes no words in opening his rant by referring to "the works | τὰ ἔργα" of them (talk word 22 and book word 13544 (23:3). He repeats these words as talk word 55 and book word 13577 and then uses a word exclusive to the Greek Testament, "phylacteries" as talk word 66 and book word 13588. He cautions the crowds and the disciples against being called, literally, "down-leaders" because there is but one "down-leader" and that is the Christ (book word 13660). Numerically connecting the leader and the ones he leads, the plural "you" is talk word 144 and book word 13666 (23:11).

Then the warnings to the hypocritical writers and Pharisees begins with the numerical pairing of double-eights with double-sixes. He says they lock the kingdom of the heavens ("kingdom" is talk word 166, book word 13688). The third warning has "blind ones | τυφλοί" as talk word 266, book word 13788 (23:19). The next uses "τυφλοί" to describe "way-leaders | ὁδηγοὶ" with the exclusive verb, "through-straining" as talk word 366, book word 13888 (23:24). The seventh of seven warnings concerns righteous ones whose tombs are adorned by the writers and Pharisees ("tombs" is talk word 466, book word 13988). "Righteous ones" is book word 13990 in 23:29 but when he describes the impression given to men by the hypocrites, "δίκαιοι" is talk word 444, book word 13966 in 23:28.

Before looking at verbs with double-four numbers, we must mention that the penultimate "hypocrites" is book word 13940, which are like "sepulchers having been whited | τάφοις κεκονιαμένοις" (the verb is book word 13944 at 23:27). Twice in 23:22 there are verbs taking a double-four number. One who has sworn (talk word 44) by heaven swears by "the throne of the God (book word 13840)" and by the one sitting (book word 13844) upon it. Presumably this is the seat of Moses (23:2) which is occupied by a priest of a Pharisee persuasion.

The most serious allegation is the same charge Matthew levels at the book of John's Lazarus (respectively, "murders | φόνοι" is book word 8880 at 15:19 and "Λάζαρε" is book word 8880 at 11:43). Pharisees defending themselves say that if they lived in the days of the fathers they would never have been "common partners | κοινωνοὶ" in the blood of the prophets. Matthew arranges the mind and the mouth of the Lord's ten-word rebuttal to produce a string of double-fours and double-eights. "As ye witness to Themselves that sons ye are of the ones having murdered the prophets | ὥστε μαρτυρεῖτε ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι υἱοί ἐστε τῶν φονευσάντων τοὺς προφήτας" (23:31). "Themselves" is eighth of eight times plus the 88th masculine dative plural pronoun. This is the 44th time "son/sons" is the subject and in "the ones murdering | τῶν φονευσάντων" the plural definite article is the 44th word of the seventh of seven warnings and also the eighth of these constructions. In 23:30 "the prophets" is talk word 488 but here is talk word 499. "The fathers" is doubly significant as talk word 477 and book word 13999.

Rabbi Jesus twice uses the verb meaning "to send out" (from which "apostle" is derived) and the noun "serpents" three times. The first order is directed to the twelve named in chapter 10 that as "sheeps" among "wolves" they are to be as "serpents" (book word 5133) and "pigeons" (talk word 33, all nouns at 10:16). Twice the Rabbi mimics the phrase of his cousin the Baptist ("generations of vipers") and at 23:33 adds "serpents" (5133 at 10:16) as book word 14030 to remind hypocrites that "I apostle" prophets, wise ones and writers and in 23:34 "ye shall whip" them in the synagogues and "ye shall pursue" them. References to what happens in synagogues occurs eight times and the noun here is warning word 88 and the last in the book. Both verbs are ultimates ("whip," third of three as book word 14060 and "pursue," sixth of six as book word 14066 and sermon word 544).

The final phrase of chapter 23 is prefaced by emphasizing words in 22:42 and 23:38 that are numerically significant. In the former verse, Pharisees are the ones taking the plural pronoun as book word 13444 and in the latter verse, "house" is talk word 44 in the ultimate use of a masculine noun, "the house of you | ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν." Four times the verb "ye may say" is used (the last as book word 14160) and four times the form "the one being coming" is used. The last three words of 23:39 are "in a name of a lord | ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου" and the author proves his skill at the numbering game by making "κυρίου" as talk word 644 and book word 14166 ("κυρίου" is book word 666 at 2:13). Clearly, tax collector Matthew is adept at utilizing occult numbers to show definitively that 666 is not a satanic number.

Pharisees are associated with numbers ending in fours and may be identified with the 44th word of the Rabbi's most famous sermon ("the pure ones | οἱ καθαροὶ") whom he has cursed as hypocrites.