Luke's loaves and priests

No one has as many names of priests with special numbers as Luke does. Eight of the eighteen times "No One | Οὐδεὶς" is the subject, the word has significant numbers. The first and sixth are book words 930 (1:61) and 4130 (5:39), the third and seventh are talk word 70 at 4:27 and 7:28, the fourth is book word 4070 at 5:36 and the twelfth is talk word 150 at 14:24. Most significant are the fifth and fourteenth as book words 4099 (5:37) and 13077 (16:13). Three other times it is the fifth word and five of the eight times listed here are fives or sevens.

This structure is inherent in the hierarchy disguised in Mark's riddle of the loaves (8:19,20) and explained by Barbara Thiering. During the reign of King David, a priest allowed him and his men to eat five of the twelve daily loaves of the Presence (Mark 2:25,26). The Levitical priesthood was persuaded to share power with the laity and during the gospel period an additional change is related in the "feedings."

Luke's ratio of "priest" and "chief-priest" is five to fifteen and the division is reflected by the ordering of numbers. The laity of lesser priests is introduced in Luke's book with John the baptizer's father Zechariah (book word 55 at 1:5), who is a priest. Additionally, his name is called once by the angel Gabriel as book word 177 (1:13) and the fifth word of his response is book word 277 (1:18) as first of twenty-four emphatic pronouns ("I | ἐγὼ" is used by Rabbi Jesus twelve times, the first as book word 6877 at 8:46). Twice "priest" is book word 3655 and 13655 which are at 5:14 and 17:14 (note these verse numbers equal five). The seventh and eighth "chief-priest" are book words 16770 (note the occult seven) at 22:4 and 17477 at 22:50.

This play of fives and sevens is also demonstrated with the Rabbi's name and a title that only Luke gives him. In 5:5, the first of seven times that he is called it, "Instructor! | Ἐπιστάτα" is book word 3477 (note the occult seven). Three of the 88 times his proper name is used, it is as book words 3577 (5:10), 6755 (8:30) and 14655 (18:42). This emphasis of name and number is most strongly indicated with the prominently positioned Zacchaeus (Hebrew meaning "pure"). Three times the chief tax-collector's name appears in the Greek Testament, the last as book word 14777 at 19:8. A name in Mark 5:22 is used in Luke 8:41 and nowhere else. Jairus is a synagogue ruler whose name means "enlightener" and is book word 6777 in Luke.

The priests of the temple system are strongly suggested by these names and their numbers. The first chapter opens with the heritage of John the baptizer and closes with a prophecy of his father who uses the second person plural ten times, referring to Israel. Three times the pronouns are significant book words: 1077, 1099 and 1166. "Israel" is the last word of the chapter as book word 1188. John's mother's name (Elizabeth) is book word 655 at 1:40 and 666 at 1:41.

Other names conforming to this pattern in this book are three in Luke's genealogy: Levi 2477 at 3:24, Jesse 2555 at 3:32 and Isaac 2577 at 3:34 (note the occult seven). Moses is book word 7655 at 9:33, Abraham is talk word 155 at 16:23 and David is book word 1355 at 2:11. Two historical names are Elijah ("God of Jehovah") as book word 7377 at 9:19 and Noah ("rest") as book word 13855 at 17:27. Persons of the gospel period are Philip (one of the Herod brothers) as book word 2055 at 3:1, Peter as book word 17577 at 22:55 (covers both fives and sevens; the figures that are neither do add up to five) and Lazarus appears with "Abraham" in 16:23 as book word 13277.

Revealing symbolic numbers behind obscure names is demonstrated in Luke 4:27. Three words (two names, a nationality) are used once in the Greek Testament in this verse. It is said there were "many lepers | πολλοὶ λεπροὶ" in Israel during David's generation. A son ("Elisha the prophet") and a leper identified as "Naaman the Syrian" are both in synch by numbers attached to each name and nationality. Luke has structured three layers of talk words by using the device of shifting subjects with a cuing phrase, "Amen, I say to you | Ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν" and not counting either directional word as counted conversational words which thereby staggers numbers across three columns. This generates "Israel/Elisha" as 66/66 and "Naaman/Syrian" as 77/77. "Prophet" is talk word 55 and "Elisha" is book word 3077 (Strong's Dictionary tags this name with #1666). "Syrian" is book word 3088.

It is by now apparent that the artful arrangement of words/numbers orchestrated by the writers as the original inventors of the hierarchy are verified by the number 666 in Revelation 13:18 and its revelation as "LORD" in Matthew 2:13. Priests rule in a theocracy and they are the writers of the history of the Hebrews. Eleven times "writers" are the subject and the seventh time is as book word 15455 at 20:1 (not a true occult five). The last of 14 plurals (7+7), "writers" is book word 17977 at 23:10. Two verbs are applied when in cahoots with the "murmuring" of the Pharisees as book word 3955 at 5:30 and "being guarded" with the chief priests which is book word 15755 at 20:20. Twice pronouns are a group including chief priests and elders when "us | ἡμῖν" is book word 15466 at 20:2 and "you | ὑμῖν" includes the Pharisees as book word 12370, talk word 60 (66th pronoun) at 15:7.

Finally, a clue to understanding the elegantly structured riddle of the loaves in Mark 8:19,20 is to realize a word used by every evangelist when relating the "feedings" stories is deliberately absent. In Luke 5:9 it is used the second of seven times in the phrase "the catch of the fishes | τῇ ἄγρᾳ τῶν ἰχθύων" and is book word 3555.