—Nonnus.
Dionysiac, 41, 275-280. [Whewell].
[2149]. The number seventy-seven figures the abolition of all sins by baptism.... The number ten signifies justice and beatitude, resulting from the creature, which makes seven with the Trinity, which is three: therefore it is that God’s commandments are ten in number. The number eleven denotes sin, because it transgresses ten.... This number seventy-seven is the product of eleven, figuring sin, multiplied by seven, and not by ten, for seven is the number of the creature. Three represents the soul, which is in some sort an image of Divinity; and four represents the body, on account of its four qualities....—St. Augustine.
Sermon 41, art. 23.
[2150]. Heliodorus says that the Nile is nothing else than the year, founding his opinion on the fact that the numbers expressed by the letters Νειλος, Nile, are in Greek arithmetic, Ν = 50; Ε = 5; I = 10; Λ = 30; Ο = 70; Σ = 200; and these figures make up together 365, the number of days in the year.
Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 117, p. 380.
[2151]. In treating 666, Bungus [Petri Bungi Bergomatis Numerorum mysteria, Bergamo, 1591] a good Catholic, could not compliment the Pope with it, but he fixes it on Martin Luther with a little forcing. If from A to I represent 1-[9], from K to S 10-90, and from T to Z 100-500, we see—
M A R T I N L U T E R A
30 1 80 100 9 40 20 200 100 5 80 1
which gives 666. Again in Hebrew, Lulter [Hebraized form of Luther] does the same:—
ל י ל ת ר
200 400 30 6 30