stephan huller

Philo says that 24 is the 'substance' of the number 300 in part because

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 = 300

stephan huller

There is a slightly different version of the material found in irenaeus in the Philosophumena Book Six:

Know, (therefore,) that these letters which with you are (reckoned at) twenty-four, are emanations from the three powers, and are representative of those (powers) which embrace even the entire number of the elements. For suppose that there are some letters that are mute--nine of them--of Pater and Aletheia, from the fact that these are mute--that is, ineffable and unutterable. And (again, assume) that there are other (letters that are) semi-vowels--eight of them--of the Logos and of Zoe, from the fact that these are intermediate between consonants and vowels, and receive the emanation of the (letters) above them, but the reflux of those below them. And (likewise take for granted) that there are vowels--and these are seven--of Anthropos and Ecclesia, inasmuch as the voice of Anthropos proceeded forth, and imparted form to the (objects of the) universe. For the sound of the voice produced figure, and invested them with it. From this it follows that there are Logos and Zoe, which have eight (semi-vowels); and Anthropos and Ecclesia, which have seven (vowels); and Pater and Aletheia, which have nine (mutes). But from the fact that Logos wanted (one of being an ogdoad), he who is in the Father was removed (from his seat on God's right hand), and came down (to earth). And he was sent forth (by the Father) to him from whom he was separated, for the rectification of actions that had been committed. (And his descent took place) in order that the unifying process, which is inherent in Agathos, of the Pleromas might produce in all the single power that emanates from all. And thus he who is of the seven (vowels) acquired the power of the eight (semi-vowels); and there were produced three topoi, corresponding with the (three) numbers (nine, seven, and eight),-- (these topai) being ogdoads. And these three being added one to the other, exhibited the number of the twenty-four (letters). And (he maintains), of course, that the three elements,-- (which he himself affirms to be (allied) with the three powers by conjugal union, and which (by this state of duality) become six, and from which have emanated the twenty-four elements,--being rendered fourfold by the Quaternion's ineffable word, produce the same number (twenty-four) with these. And these, he says, belong to Anonomastus. And (he asserts) that these are conveyed by the six powers into a similarity with Aoratus. And (he says) that there are six double letters of these elements, images of images, which, being reckoned along with the twenty-four letters, produce, by an analogical power, the number thirty.

What follows is particularly interesting:

And (he says) that the expressed name-- (that is, Jesus) --of the Saviour consists of six letters, but that His ineffable name, according to the number of the letters, one by one, consists of twenty-four elements, but Christ a Son of twelve. And (he says) that the ineffable (name) in Christ consists of thirty letters, and this exists, according to the letters l which are in Him, the elements being counted one by one. For the (name) Christ consists of eight elements; for Chi consists of three, and R of two, and EI of two, and I [ota], of four, S [igma] of five, and T of three, and OU of two, and San of three. Thus the ineffable name in Christ consists, they allege, of thirty letters

stephan huller

I've been trying to find some practical context for the tradition of Mark's interest in the number 24 (= Christ). The answer is Pythagorean music theory. There are 12 keys but only with 24 can you express the ratios as whole numbers

la70119

All you asked about was the spear of penetration.

They may not be prominent but they're there.

The emphasis was more important as a sign of Victory. Note in each of these early to medieval scenes Longinus is shown about to stab Jesus with the spear. Why they didn't want to show the blood itself, I don't know. :huh:

stephan huller

It can't be accidental that you need twenty four notes to develop all the intervals in music theory. I know this may seem like an unnecessary tangent. But I am trying to understand why the Alexandrian tradition would have taken such an interest in the number 24:



We can't forget that the 'Diatessaron' gospel is taken straight from musical theory. The word 'canon' is Pythagorean and Clement often uses the term in the Pythagorean sense. Also, we can't over look that Christian choirs were quite famous in antiquity (imitating the angels) but clearly deriving from the antiphonal choirs of the Therapeutae described in Philo.

The earthly Church is imitating the heavenly assembly which are stoicheia

stephan huller

A couple of more things. When the Marcosians say:

This is derived from Philo who expresses the three ogdoads in slightly different form. The twenty four says the Alexandrian:

In other words the Marcosians are literally producing three ogdoads which Philo expresses as 1 x 3 x 8.

Also, Philo says:

here is the entry for οὐσία:

stephan huller

Roger Beckwith sums up the section in the following terms:

stephan huller

And here is Clement's references to the number twenty four:

This may well be a standard reference to the development of letters in the alphabet. Yet the Marcoisans at least said that Christ having twenty four stoicheia (in the Marcosian system) is connected with the idea of twenty four heavenly elements. Patricia Cox Miller notes in her Poetry of Thought in Late Antiquity that:

A similar interest in present in the writing of Paul and Clement writes in the Stromata Book Six:

And Clement uses the Apocalypse of John so rarely (and the rest of the Alexandrian tradition seems to have thought it was spurious) that I wonder if we can detect another editorial addition here. The chapter from the beginning (proposed editorial addition in red):

stephan huller

What is interesting about this passage - and my proposed emendation which makes Clement a Marcosian and one who viewed Judas as a special beloved of Jesus (cf AH 2.22) is that Judas and Mary represent the two "twelves" who come together as twenty four.