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Number 165 - February 20, 2010
"Numbers
constitute the only universal language." Nathanael
West
"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes
small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and
esteem to all." President and W. Bro. George
Washington
Freemasonry and 153 Fish by Elliott
Saxton
Member of the Grand Lodge Education Committee of
the Grand Lodge of Minnesota Freemasonry teaches through
metaphors, numbers, geometry and symbols in general. It is a
progressive science that encourages us to become better men
through the study of the liberal arts and sciences, especially
geometry.
The 47th proposition of Euclid is a central
symbol to freemasonry and teaches masons to be general lovers of
the arts and sciences. There are two reasons that may explain why
it is a prominent symbol within freemasonry.
Firstly, it
was believed to be a highly guarded secret within the Pythagorean
mystery school because it shows that the universe is ordered by
numbers and gives the appearance of design by a great creator.
Secondly, it is simple in its design and complex in its
explanation and interpretation.
Like masonry as a whole,
it is plain and practical on its face, yet abstract and
theoretical when studied further.
The 1st proposition of
Euclid is likewise simple in its notions and complex in its
meaning, it was likely chosen as the first because of how
strikingly it shows this attribute of being simple in notion and
complex in meaning.
The 1st proposition of Euclid shows
how a equilateral triangle can be constructed by beginning with
two points within a circle. The circles surrounding the points
are arranged so that the circle of both
overlaps the points of
both. By drawing a line between the points and the intersection
of the circles, a equilateral triangle is created. This symbol
and the resulting fish shaped symbol is more well-know
and has
been remarked on throughout history. The fish shaped symbol
within the 1st proposition of Euclid is often called the 'Vesica
piscis'. In the Pythagorean tradition, the height to width ratio
of the fish was 265:153. As a result, 153 was referred to as the
number of the fish.
There are interesting religious
examples of the number 153 being connected to fish. It appears in
Pythagorean legend, the gospel of John, and likely as a result,
the historian Jerome estimated the total varieties of fish to be
153. In the Pythagorean legend, Pythagoras traveled from Sybaris
to Croton. On his way he met some
fishermen who had caught a
large number of fish. He asked them if he could guess how many
fish they had caught, if they would give them to him. He
proclaimed that they had 153 fish. They humored him and
counted
out the fish. To their surprise, there were indeed 153 fish in
their net. When asked what they wanted him to do with his fish,
he told them to set them back. Miraculously, despite the long
length of time they had been out of the water, every fish
survived. A strikingly similar story is recorded in John 21:1-14.
John 21:11
reads "Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged
the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so
many the net was not torn." The apostles were told to be
'fishers of men'.
In
these examples, the number 153 is associated with the fish. The
number 264, the first number in the ratio of the fish can be seen
as the net. The 265 is a square lattice number, in that it can be
arranged as a lattice, like how the number five is represented on
dice. Corresponding with the twelve apostles being charged
with
being fishers of men, the number 265 is the twelfth
square lattice number. Further, the last digit in all square
lattice numbers repeats the digits of the number of the fish;
1,5,3,5,1.
The net always 'catches' the last digit of the
fish, and always will, no matter how large the number; even with
so many, the 'net' will not tear.
These geometrical
propositions show us how relatively simple symbols can hold
deeper meaning and through another person's interpretation can
teach with a fuller meaning and take on a life of its own,
separate from its author's intent. Masonry is like that, its
symbols take on a life of their own when interpreted and
understood from our own experiences.
"Hamming's
Motto: The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers."
Hamming
Words to live by: Whatever special gift you have
been given, celebrate it and share it as often as possible.
From volumes of Sacred Law:
"Moreover, man
does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and
birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an
evil time when it suddenly falls on them."
Ecclesiastes
9:12 - NASB Tanakh
They gave Him a piece of a broiled
fish;" Luke 24:42 NASB New Testament
"To hunt
and to eat the fish of the sea is made lawful for you, a
provision for you and for seafarers; but to hunt on land is
forbidden you so long as ye are on the pilgrimage. Be mindful of
your duty to Allah, unto Whom ye will be gathered." Qur'an
005:096 Pickthall
translations
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