Numbers

Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ.  καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα, “ὁ ὄφις” ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὅς ἐστιν “Διάβολος” καὶ “Ὁ Σατανᾶς,” καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη,  καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον, καὶ ἔκλεισεν καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη, ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη: μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν μικρὸν χρόνον.

And I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized (or overpowered) the serpent, the ancient snake, which is accuser and the satan, and he bound him a thousand years, and he cast him into the abyss, and he locked and sealed above him, that he might not yet mislead the gentiles, until the thousand years might be completed; after these it is necessary for him to be loosed a short time.

The passage goes on to describe a select physical resurrection, a ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη. In a recent conversation with my brother-in-law I speculated that perhaps the thousand years, which has been a source of much discussion among the rapture/dispensation camps, from Harold Camping to the Left Behind authors to R.C. Sproul, might not be a millennium in any quantitative sense at all. The terms premillennial, postmillennial, amillennial, etc, have become decisive boundary markers among the various eschatological camps. But perhaps, I wondered, might not the thousand simply mean innumerable? Among first century peasants, would the term "thousand" carry more of a superlative than cardinal sense? Having done some background reading, I was right and wrong.

The word χιλιάς, denoting the number 1000, was certainly the highest cardinal number in regular usage in the Koine language, just like mille (M) in Latin. The earliest Greek attempts at a numerology were quite similar to Hebrew. Including the diagamma and several other vestigial letters, the letters of the alphabet were assigned the values 1-10, then 100-900. (Using the Hebrew alphabet as a cipher, the Revelation 13 riddle about the number of the beast spells out the name of Nero, but this is far beyond the present discussion). Eventually the cardinal numbers were named, and χιλιάς appears as a cardinal and superlative number throughout ancient literature.

For example, Herodotus:

ὡς δὲ ἄβυσσοι εἰσι αἱ πηγαί, ἐς διάπειραν ἔφη τούτου Ψαμμήτιχον Αἰγύπτου βασιλέα ἀπικέσθαι: πολλέων γὰρ αὐτὸν χιλιάδων ὀργυιέων πλεξάμενον κάλον κατεῖναι ταύτῃ καὶ οὐκ ἐξικέσθαι ἐς βυσσόν.

And so that the sources are bottomless (abyssoi) unto trial of this said Psammetichus King of Egypt to come: for he had a rope of many thousands fathoms' length well woven and let down into the spring, but he could not reach to the bottom. (bysson)

In use as a cardinal number, though rather in a mystical than mathematical context, an excerpt from Phaedrus:
τῇ φίλῃ ψυχῇ ἐντεκοῦσα, ἐννέα χιλιάδας ἐτῶν περὶ γῆν κυλινδουμένην αὐτὴν καὶ ὑπὸ γῆς ἄνουν παρέξει.

having caused to the dear soul nine thousands of years above the earth rolled the same and to be present senseless under the earth.

In Revelation itself there are clear differentiations of usage, from a clear cardinal passage in ch. 13

Καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐγένετο “σεισμὸς μέγας,” καὶ τὸ δέκατον τῆς πόλεως “ἔπεσεν,” καὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν τῷ σεισμῷ ὀνόματα ἀνθρώπων χιλιάδες ἑπτά,

And in that hour came a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell and died in the earthquake the names (sic) of men seven thousands.

To a clear superlative passage in ch. 5
καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν “μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων,”
And I saw, and I heard the voice of many angels encircled round the throne and of the living things and of the elders, their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

To the confusing and unclear, as in ch. 9
καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν στρατευμάτων τοῦ ἱππικοῦ δὶς μυριάδες μυριάδων: ἤκουσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν.

And the number of the armies of the horseman twice myriads of myriads; I heard their number.

Which brings us to the question of μυριάς, which is clearly a higher number than χιλιάς but with an even more facile meaning. It seems to have had a relatively straightforward sense of "ten-thousand" at certain times, as in this passage from Herotodus:
ἐπείτε γὰρ τάχιστά σε ἐπυθόμην ἐπὶ θάλασσαν καταβαίνοντα τὴν Ἑλληνίδα, βουλόμενός τοι δοῦναι ἐς τὸν πόλεμον χρήματα ἐξεμάνθανον, καὶ εὗρον λογιζόμενος ἀργυρίου μὲν δύο χιλιάδας ἐούσας μοι ταλάντων, χρυσίου δὲ τετρακοσίας μυριάδας στατήρων Δαρεικῶν ἐπιδεούσας ἑπτὰ χιλιάδων.
For since swiftly I learned you were coming upon the Greek sea, desiring to give you money unto the war, so I inquired into the matter, and I found reckoned to me being two thousands of talents of silver, and of gold four-hundred ten-thousands of Daric staters, lacking seven thousands.

Yet most often, as in Revelation, myrias meant myriad; an incalculable number, beyond the expression of what was regularly conceivable at the time. Given the language and mathematical crudeness of the time--keep in mind that Euclid dealt mainly with geometry, fractions, and proportions--I suspect that the "thousand years" in Revelation was a conceptually possible figure being used for superlative language. In a crude modern parallel, if I should say that I "sure could use a million bucks," I can, through some mental effort, determine how much, in terms of houses, taxes, and various subdivisions into thousands and ten thousands, that number "million" is. But this mental exercise is not what I meant to express; I really meant to express that I could use money, and superlative wealth in comparison to my habitual monetary life. This expression would mean something quite different to a professional athlete; perhaps the expressions in Revelation would mean something different to a mathematician or even a historian organizing dates. But the author of Revelation, given his use of superlative numbers elsewhere in the book, probably means "an age," without specifying in cardinal exactness its boundaries.

EDIT 7/6/11:
I was reading Plato the other day and came across this usage of muriados in the superlative exclusively, certainly worth mentioning:
ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πενίᾳ μυρίᾳ εἰμὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ λατρείαν.
but I am in vast (muria) poverty on account of my service to the god.

It's a been a busy week otherwise, full of RPO and patriotic music. We are very near the wedding of Samuel Magus and Kaitlyn...

Preterism Part 2 (Rev 1)

I am getting better, but now J is sick. Reading for today has been Il 4, Matt 18, Jos 8, Ps 15, Barnaby Rudge, and Orthodoxy. I had vivid nightmares last night (apparently during a lightning storm) of missing a gig, somehow more terrorizing after two nights of drugged sleep. Last night we watched The King’s Speech, which was outstanding. And for the record, the use of Beethoven didn’t bother me at all.

As promised, I am opening the book of Revelation in the most unscholarly of attitudes, simply flipping through the pages from high above its well-worn terrain. The first thing I see as I open to the book is the word ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣ, looking more etched than written in the stark Greek capital letters. It is, transliterated, apokalupsis, which has become our “apocalypse.” Now, apocalypse has gradually come to mean the same sort of event as Gotterdammerung, but before it picked up these extra flavors of meaning it was simply “revelation”—the revealing of the secret or the hidden.

What “God’s servant John” promises is to reveal is ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει; a painfully literal translation of which would read “what is necessary to be in swiftness,” probably in paraphrase more along the lines of “what soon coming shall pass.” Again, I will withhold myself from the scholarly fray, and without commenting on the merits of either case remark here that there are two possible dates for Revelation: circa 60 or 95. The case for Preterism is staked entirely on the earlier date. The Preterist would say that when John says “swiftly,” he means it. If, of course, none of Revelation has yet come about, the date makes no difference; but it makes John’s insistence of swiftness and imminence difficult to understand. He is always promising ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς; The time is near.

The presentation of Jesus and his address to the seven churches is, for our purposes, not needed. As I understand it, there is room in the philosophy of most Left-Behinders to understand these letters as local mail. Whether or not they are somehow allegorical or addressed to different ages of the church can be answered in the discussion afterwards. I’ll note only one other verse in chapter 1, since it further clarifies the imminent tone of the book, Jesus’ instructions in verse 19: γράψον οὖν ἃ εἶδες καὶ ἃ εἰσὶν καὶ ἃ μέλλει γίνεσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. Write thus, what you saw and what now is and what is intended to be after these.

3/24-4/2

I've not been silent so long for want of thoughts, events, and musings; I've rather been deluged by them. J and I are back from Pennsylvania, my concerts are completed, and I finally have a cup of coffee at my desk and a free morning to write. Here are some highlights from the past week and a half:

-I played a recital at RWC, shared with the trumpet ensemble, of light classical music. Ryan E. accompanied me, and I was genuinely touched when several loyal supporters from CPC showed up in the front row. The program included a Bach duet with Magister, a lyrical cornet solo (Endearing Young Charms), the Hubeau Sonata, and Bugler's Holiday with Magister and Opifera. It was, as J pointed out, my most serious solo effort since my graduate recital, and (with the assistance of a beta blocker) I thoroughly enjoyed it. Almost thou persuadest me to play solo music, Paul!

-J and I traveled to Hanover, PA, where she performed the Borne Carment Fantasie and the Chaminade with the HSO as a special guest alumna. We visited with the music director (a former trumpet player, and Northwestern/Chicago enthusiast, as we found out) to discuss tempi and transitions on Friday night, rehearsed with the orchestra Saturday morning, and played Sunday afternoon. She sounded marvelous. She looked resplendent. Orchestra and audience were gracious; it was, I hope, a most welcome break from the drudge of her day job. I played along as well, hopping into the orchestra to cover a cornet part on the Suite Algerienne.

-We spent considerable quality time with J's family, including several long and delicious conversations with her parents. It is saddening how little we've seen them in the past year, but every time we have seen them there has been immediate comfort and a genuine thirst for honest talk that can be addressed right up front, without wading through a period of niceties and polite small-talk. We also saw her brother Dan and his fiancee Emily, with whom J went out to buy yet more formalwear. Tim brought home a ladyfriend for us to meet, but spent most of the weekend preparing for his most recent musical project. We also saw all of her grandparents and a small selection of aunts and cousins at the orchestra concert.

-I attended, for the first time since September, a Sunday service outside of CPC. It was wonderful. I will go back to CPC (for Chant Sunday) gladly this week having been refreshed in Hanover. The message addressed dispensational views of the endtimes, a significant piece of JMHEFCOP's identity. Knowing very little of the history of dispensationalism, I had an excellent chat with J's father afterward, and am resolved (especially in the light of my N.T. Wright volume) to explore the subject further.

-No mention at any point was made of preterist considerations, which convinces me all the more that American Christianity is still more unaware of it as a theological position than opposed to it. I am also convinced I ought to blog about it sometime in the near future, though of course I'm hesitant to misrepresent something I understand so poorly and hold so loosely.

-Having traveled back on Monday evening, J and I both played in the RWCCO rehearsal of American in Paris. She is playing the concert, and I was covering the third trumpet part for an absentee student. Steven. S. sounds fantastic on the solos in the part.

-We took my parents out to O'Lacy's in Batavia, where we celebrated their sale of the studio property. After twenty years of business there, they are back to a single mortgage. It has been heartbreaking to watch them scrap the property and the business model, but a relief to see my Dad move away from self-employment. As enjoyable as it was to share IPAs and Reubens with them, we share in their season of grief.

-After sending out several pointed and potentially bossy emails (my younger brothers tell me I can be that way) about rehearsal attendance, I had confirmed all parties of RBQ for a Tuesday evening practice. I arrived at 8:30 (for an 8:40 rehearsal), looked in the backseat, and realized that I'd left everyone's music at home in N. Chili. Incredibly, wonderfully, and mercifully, J left a recital early to drive it into us. It would have been an additional hour for me to drive both ways, and she saved my severely chastened hindquarters for that particular evening.

-I played the RPO Around the Town "March" concerts, getting cornet doubling, and switching back and forth between the 2nd and 3rd books. The concerts were free, and all held at different local churches. In the middle of the Thursday evening show, the conductor was introducing works by Grieg and Halvorsen, then mentioned "and speaking of Norwegians, our new music director Arild Remmereit is in attendance tonight." The orchestra sat visibly straighter. The highlight for me was playing 2nd on Aida, which was enough for a solo bow. I love RPO.

-My college-aged student, Ryan H., will attend Houghton College next year. I am proud of how well he is playing, and saddened that he'll be leaving. I did, however, pick up another student, an adult living in N. Chili, that starts this week.

-The RBQ played three assemblies at the Naples Elementary School on Thursday morning, all of a patriotic disposition. (Including one piece which was hastily renamed "American" Fire Dance, so as to fit the program bill.) The kids were respectful and responsive, though I don't think I'll ever instruct them to march in place again while playing anywhere other than a highly elevated stage. We came perilously close to having a horde of 2nd graders march into our bells while we played Stars and Stripes. I saw an RWC alumna who I overlapped with while at the school, and thoroughly enjoyed walking the halls as a distinguished guest instead of as a substitute teacher.

-I returned to substitute teaching in the form of high school Algebra II (read: Study Hall) on Friday morning, and was able to catch up on some neglected reading. I recently have read Tartuffe, some of the collected letters of C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright's People of God, Matthew 8-11 (v. interesting stuff) up through Is. 62, some of the early Psalms, more letters of Cicero, and Iliad book 4.

-J and I spent quality time with Pax & K. J likened this video to Pax and I discussing the Bills draft needs. Pax is playing a gig this weekend for which he will travel by private jet and limousine. We also got together with Calvus & Beka last night (and a visit from Baby H!), and Calvus and I read Matt. 4-5 aloud in Greek over coffee and onions.

Needless to say, it has been a full week in the Smith house.

Reading List

Reading today:
Revelation ch.8, Isaiah ch.40
Iliad II, Aeneid VI
Cicero
Comparative Grammar (Buck)
The Mysteries of Udolpho (Radcliffe)

I wonder if this line
Καὶ οἱ ἑπτὰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἑπτὰ σάλπιγγας ἡτοίμασαν αὑτοὺς ἵνα σαλπίσωσιν.
(And the seven angels holding the seven trumpets made them ready that they might sound)
means that they were emptying the water keys on a little mat before the throne, and if this
Μηριόνης τ᾽ ἀτάλαντος Ἐνυαλίῳ ἀνδρειφόντῃ:
is a bawdy joke.

Talked on Thurs. about Matt. 9 and the differences between the accounts of the paralytic. St. Matthew is called in the verses which immediately follow, and we will all look to see whether his accounts are closer to the other gospel writers once he is present in ministry. Future posts will include whether this proves to be true and whether this says anything about authority or inspiration. Two other questions: 1) Was it through the faith of the paralytic or the faith of his friends that he was forgiven and healed? 2) Why are the Pharisees abused every Thurs? More on this too...