Pythagoras: Architect of the Old Testament
(circa 575 to circa 495 BCE)
Nothing has caused more wars, torture, and violent deaths than disagreements over religion. Today’s major conflicts are, at their core, caused and perpetuated by intolerance of religious differences. Human rights violations are the result of differing opinions over who is more valuable, who should be served, and who should do the serving. Many argue that the answers to these disputes can be found in a sacred text – their sacred text, of course.
Throughout history, some of the more benevolent rulers attempted to put an end to this deity-based hatred and violence. Obviously, all attempts have failed.
The most notable attempt was initiated by the Babylonian King who ruled from c. 605 to c. 562 BCE, Nabuchadnezzar, which literally means, “O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son.” The Book of Daniel describes Nabuchadnezzar as the King who took Daniel to Babylon to be trained in “the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans,” i.e., Biblical Aramaic.[1][2]
Archaeological evidence suggests that not all Judeans were relocated to Babylonia. Some escaped and fled to Egypt. It can be surmised, however, that rigid, belligerent Judean priests and scribes were among those escorted to Babylonia for rehabilitation, reeducation, and reprogramming.[3]
The Captivity ended officially under Cyrus the Great c. 539 BCE.[4] By this time, more than two generations of priests and scribes had been subjected to Babylonian philosophy and religion. Their return to Jerusalem was gradual, and many chose to remain with their captors.[5] Those who stayed would have been encouraged to embrace Nabu and Inanna/Ishtar, the Goddess associated with the planet Venus whose symbols are the lion and the eight-pointed star. Julius Caesar claimed descent from Venus; Emperor Octavian’s name is a salute to Venus; octo is Latin for “eight”; his sister was Octavia.
How likely is it that no effort would have been made to bring the Judean concept of their deity closer to the Babylonian concept of their deities? Why hold them for forty-plus years only to release them with their preexisting opinions that led to their confinement in the first place? This is a question that has been largely ignored, but one that needs to be answered.
Biblical texts produced during the Babylonian Captivity include: Book of Jeremiah; 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Daniel; Susanna, Bel and the Dragon; Story of Three Youths; 1 Esdras; Tobit; Book of Judith; Book of Lamentations.[6] Not all of these made the final cut and into today’s Old Testament.
It’s important to know that the Hebrew script utilized in the Babylonian and post-exilic period differs from the script found in earlier Biblical texts.
This is also known as the Persian Period, when the final redaction of the Five Books of Moses is generally dated.[11] Jan Joosten notes, “In the late books of the Bible – Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ester – an archaic form of Hebrew is reused in a way that indicates it was ‘lifted’ from the earlier text and revivified on the basis of exegesis.”[7] “Some words took on different meanings. The authors’ conscientious choice to continue writing in Hebrew set it apart almost as a sacred language.”[8]
Dated by his own writings and snippets of information from historians’ accounts, Pythagoras lived from c. 575 to c. 495 BCE.[9] His biographer, Iamblichus, writes,
“In Egypt he frequented all the temples with the greatest diligence, and most studious research, during which time he won the esteem and admiration of all the priests and prophets with whom he associated. Having most solicitously familiarized himself with every detail, he did not, nevertheless, neglect any contemporary celebrity, whether sage renowned for wisdom, or peculiarly performed mystery; he did not fail to visit any place where he thought he might discover something worthwhile. That is how he visited all of the Egyptian priests, acquiring all the wisdom each possessed. He thus passed twenty-two years in the sanctuaries of temples, studying astronomy and geometry, and being initiated in no casual or superficial manner in all the mysteries of the Gods. At length, however, he was taken captive by the soldiers of Cambyses, and carried off to Babylon. Here he was overjoyed to associate with the Magi, who instructed him in their venerable knowledge, and in the most perfect worship of the Gods. Through their assistance, likewise, he studied and completed arithmetic, music, and all the other sciences. After twelve years, about the fifty-sixth year of his age, he returned to Samos.[10] (Emphasis added.)
Pythagoras was taken to Babylon c. 525 BCE, which falls within the post-exilic period (c. 537 to c. 430 BCE). He would have encountered Jewish priests, scribes, and sages who lingered there. Ezra did not return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Exile with the Tanakh until “…the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” (Ezra 7:7). Artaxerxes I was King from c. 465 to c. 424 BCE, dating the return of the Tanakh to Jerusalem c. 458 BCE.
Therefore, the first Tanakh was conceived, and produced, during the reigns and under the influence of Cyrus the Great (c. 560 to c. 530 BCE);[12] his elder son Cambyses II (c. 525 to c. 522 BCE); Cyrus’ younger son Bardiya (c. 522 BCE); Cyrus’ son-in-law, Darius (married Cyrus’ daughter Atossa; ruled c. 522 to c. 486 BCE); Darius and Atossa’s on Xerxes I (c. 519 to c. 465 BCE); Xerxes’ third son Artaxerxe I (c. 465 to c. 424 BCE).[13]
Examined carefully and without preconceived notions, it can be seen that the Tanakh was compiled, edited, and written by an unidentified word-genius in Babylon who created a new unique version of Hebrew that few scholars have been willing to acknowledge: One text carries two different messages.
The version people revere, the one used to translate modern Christian versions of the Tanakh, was composed for citizens who were more likely to respond to fear and superstition; YHWH served this purpose quite well and was adopted by the YH-udean Kings for their tribe, the Judeans.
The other version was for subjects more likely to respond to reason and logic; BL and LHM, “Father El and Goddess the Mother,” also known as Isha Ora (“Woman Light”), served this purpose and were adopted by the Israelite Kings and Queens for their tribe, the Isha Ora lites . The dual-purpose language of the Tanakh was designed to peacefully unite perpetually warring tribes by placing two “Sacred Texts” into one “Sacred Gook” for all to share under one roof in one Temple.
The stories of the interactions that pit Ba’al and Asherah (“Father God” and “Woman Light”) against their arch-enemy, King YHWH, can be found in both versions but with different outcomes, all produced during and after the time Pythagoras was in Babylon.
The genius of the Tanakh comes from the fact that it is written in consonants only. Vowels, spaces, and punctuation were determined by scribes, and they were given more than one choice. Philo of Alexandria refers to this unique characteristic when writing of the Essenes:
“Then one [Essene] takes up the holy volume [Tanakh] and reads it, and another of the men of the greatest experience comes forward and explains what is not very intelligible, for a great many precepts are delivered in enigmatical modes of expression, and allegorically, as the old fashion was.”[14] (Emphasis added.)
Josephus, an important first century Jewish historian, ties Essenes to Pythagoreans: “The Essenes also, as we call a sect of ours … live the same kind of life as do those whom the Greeks call Pythagoreans.” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 1999 (15.10.4 (371), 521. Emphasis added.)
The first century Greek historian Plutarch writes of Pythagoras and uses some of Philo’s key terminology :
“Pythagoras greatly admired the Egyptian priests and copying their symbolism and secret teachings incorporated his doctrines in enigmas.” And, “If you listen to the stories about the gods in this way…you may avoid superstition which is no less an evil than atheism.” [15]
Here’s an example in the Old Testament of “precepts…delivered in enigmatical modes of expression” and “secret teachings incorporated” in a “doctrine” written in “enigmas“:
Gen 1:1 opens with the Hebrew letters BRSTBRLHM, traditionally rendered BaReSiT BaRa eLoHiM and translated word-for-word, “In the beginning…created…Gods…” This is always translated incorrectly as “In the beginning God created…” This is incorrect because the im suffix creates the plural of Eloah, the Hebrew word for the singular “God.” Elohim is plural: “Gods.”
Christian apologists argue that “Gods” refer to the Christian Holy Trinity, “Father, Son, Holy Spirit,” the three-in-one deity. And to a certain extent, they are right – almost; they just don’t know it. And, here’s where the genius of the Babylonian influence can be seen:
The same consonants in the same order, BRSTBRLHM, can be correctly rendered BaR iS, eT aB oR, eLa Ha eM, “Son of Man, Father Light, Goddess the Mother,” the Essene’s Holy Trinity. This rendition solves the problem of the mysterious “Son of Man” sayings in the New Testament; furthermore, it identifies the Holy Trinity that includes “Goddess the Mother,” suggesting that women are as valuable as men, God forbid!
Pythagoras’ wife Theano[16] was also a philosopher as were their daughters, Damo,[17] Agrinote,[18] and Myia.[19]
The name “Theano” can be translated “Divine” and/or “Goddess.” The famous Cleopatra of Egypt’s full name was Cleopatra Thea-Philo Pater, translated, “Father-loving Goddess.” It is likely that “Thea ano” was derived from “Thea Anna,” which identifies a specific Persian Goddess, Anahita. She was one of the earliest “Great Mother Goddesses,” and she has been associated with Egypt’s Anat and Rome’s Athena.[20] Theano’s Goddess-name suggests she was married to the God-King, not a mere philosopher, circumstantial evidence that her husband was Cyrus the Great and that he was also known as Pythagoras. Like Ishtar, Anahita was associated with the planet Venus.
Throughout the years the Tanakh was being compiled and edited, the rulers were descendants of Cyrus the Great who were blood-and-duty-bound to carry on his legacy. So, what was Cyrus the Great’s legacy?
According to Xenophon in Cyropedia, c. 370 BCE, Cyrus was a unique King who was beloved by his subjects.
“And those who were subject to him, he treated with esteem and regard, as if they were his own children, while his subjects themselves respected Cyrus as their ‘Father’ … What other man but ‘Cyrus,’ after having overturned an empire, ever died with the title of ‘The Father’ from the people whom he had brought under his power? For it is plain fact that this is a name for one that bestows, rather than for one that takes away!”
So, “Father Cyrus,” like aB eL and eLa Ha eM, “Father God and Goddess the Mother,” treated his subjects as if they were his children, and they responded to him with reverence and respect.
King Nabuchadnezzer adopted the name of his deity, Nabu, a common practice in antiquity. Xenophon suggests that King Cyrus may have done the same. The etymology of the name Cyrus is the Greek word Kurios, which is translated “lord.” Plutarch notes, “…the sun … in the Persian language, is called Cyrus.”[21] This is another clue that ties “Pythagoras” to “Cyrus.”:
Queen Cleopatra named her son Helios and her daughter Selene, Greek for “Sun and Moon.” Furthermore, Luke 1:28 introduces the “Virgin Mary” to “Kurios,” just before she conceives “Jesus the Nazarene.” The significance of this introduction, which associates Jesus with King Cyrus, also known as, “Father,” has been overlooked and uninvestigated.
The name Pythagoras, like the name Cyrus, can also be associated with “Light” through Gematria, the ancient method of assigning a numerical value to a Hebrew name, word, or phrase based on its letters. It originated as an Assyro-Babylonian Greek system of alphanumeric code adopted into Jewish culture.[22]
The name Pythagoras has a numerical value of 864; the diameter of the sun is 864,000 miles. John Michell, in The Dimensions of Paradise, writes, “In the language of symbolic number 864 clearly pertains to a centre of radiant energy, the sun in the solar system.” [23]
The Tanakh is filled with numbers that can be associated with Pythagorean Sacred Numbers that demonstrate knowledge of Babylonian astronomy.[24] The key to finding them is recognizing that the Egyptian Royal Cubit is 1.728 feet, the result of converting a 12-in-per-foot measurement to a 10–inch-per-foot measurement: 12 divided by 10 = 1.2. Now, Cube it:
1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 = 1.728, “Egyptian Royal Cubit (ERC).”
Genesis 6:15: Noah’s Ark measures 300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits:
1.728 x 300 = 5184 ERC
1.728 x 50 = 864 ERC and “Pythagoras”
1.728 x 30 = 518.4 ERC
Precession of the equinox is 25,920 years x 2 = 51,840 years.
Exodus 25:10: The Ark of the Covenant measures 2.5 cubits x 1.5 cubits x 1.5 cubits:
1.728 x 2.5 = 4.32 x 2 = 8.64 ERC (diameter of sun; “Pythagoras”)
1.728 x 1.5 = 2.592 ERC (precession is 25,920 years)
Most of the measurements in the Tanakh can be found in Babylonian astronomy measurements when the Egyptian Royal Cubit is applied. It was the authors’ way of identifying themselves as Pythagoreans. Furthermore, a 25-hour day consists of 86,400 seconds, and a normal rate of 60 beats per minute is the daily total for the human heart. And, just to self-identify as a Pythagorean, “Luke” inserted six numbers in Chapter 1:
5 x 6 x 6 x 3 x 8 = 4320 x 200 = 864,000, the diameter of the sun.
4320 divided by 2 = 2160, the diameter of the moon.
432 x 432 = 186,624, the speed of light within .0012 miles per second.
Iamblichus notes that Pythagoras spent twenty-two years in Egypt, “…studying astronomy and geometry…” before being taken to Babylon where he associated with the Magi, who, “…instructed him in their venerable knowledge, and …studied and completed arithmetic, music, and all the other sciences” for twelve years. [25] Who can forget the visit from the Magi after the birth of Jesus? (Mt 2:1-2).
In Egypt Pythagoras would have encountered Judeans who took refuge there after the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah in 597 BCE. Iamblichus stresses “…he won the esteem and admiration of all the priests and prophets with whom he associated.” This would include Judean priests and prophets. After twenty-two years, he would have been quite familiar with their legends and texts, as well as legends and texts from other traditions, including Sumerian-Babylonian.
This aptly describes the Tanakh. It’s clear that the two creation stories that open Genesis are derived from two different traditions. The first version never mentions YHWH; the second version begins at Gen 2:4 and is all about YHWH and LHM, who was introduced in the opening words of Gen 1:1 as “Goddess the Mother” or “Gods,” which would refer to Eloah and Ela Ha Em. It’s here that the competing deities become One, assumed by Judeans to be male, but known to the Essenes as God and Goddess. This Jewish sect was egalitarian; men and women were equal in value!
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden first appears at Gen 3:1. The Hebrew word translated “serpent” is nachash; the same word is translated elsewhere in the Tanakh as: divination, divined, enchantments, indeed practice divination, indeed uses, interprets omens, practice divination, took as an omen, used divination. [26]
A Hebrew nachash haggan,[27] “Serpent in enclosure,” is a Greek Python in agora. Python+agora becomes Pyth agora, the purveyor of “Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Whomever eats of the fruit of that tree will know right from wrong and respond to deities who are parent-teachers, rather than tyrants. Those who do not eat of that tree require explicit instructions, something like the Ten Commandments accompanied by threats of eternal suffering if the rules are not obeyed. Fear was their driving force.
Pythagoras’ mother’s name was Pythia; according to Iamblichus, the Pythia at the Oracle of Delphi prophesied to her that she would “…give birth to a man supremely beautiful, wise, and beneficial to humankind.” [28]
The Oracle of Delphi was located on Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. According to legend, the hill was guarded by a giant serpent called Python, who was a follower of the cult of Gaia for hundreds of years. After killing Python, Apollo claimed Delphi as his own sanctuary.[29] The name Pythia is derived from Pytho, the original name of Delphi, the location of the famous Oracle:
“The Pythia was established at the latest in the 8th century BC, and was widely credited for her prophecies inspired by being filled by the spirit of the god (or enthusiasmos), in this case Apollo. The Pythian priestess emerged pre-eminent by the end of 7th century BC and would continue to be consulted until the 4th century AD. During this period the Delphic Oracle was the most prestigious and authoritative oracle among the Greeks, and she was without doubt the most powerful woman of the classical world. The oracle is one of the best-documented religious institutions of the classical Greeks. Authors who mention the oracle include Aeschylus, Aristotle, Clement of Alexandria, Diodorus, Diogenes, Eruripides, Herodotus, Julian, Justin, Livy, Lucan, Nepos, Ovid, Pausanias, Pindar, Plato, Plutarch, Sophocles, Strabo, Thucydides and Xenophon.” [30] (Emphasis added.)
Pythagoras has never been considered as a possible contributor to the Tanakh. After all, he was a Greek philosopher, not a Judean priest or scribe. This preconceived notion might be worthy of scholarly reconsideration. His twenty-two years of study in Egypt, documented by his biographer Iamblichus and repeated by Plutarch, gave him the time needed to perfect the new Hebrew script that he took back to Babylon. It was all he needed to create the dual-text Tanakh to carry a multitude of traditions popular around the known world. Genius, indeed!
COPYRIGHT 2019, P.J. GOTT, SPRINGFIELD, MO
Image of Bust of Pythagoras of Samos currently on display at the Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy. Image downloaded from: Pythagoras – Wikipedia Joost-Gaugier, Christiane L. (2006), Measuring Heaven: Pythagoras and his Influence on Thought and Art in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, ISBN978-0-8014-7409-5
Footnotes:
[1] Collins, John J. (1999). “Daniel.” In Van Der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob, van der Horst, Pieter Willem. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the bible. Erdmans, p. 219; Wikipedia, “Nebuchadnezzar II”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar II.
[2] “Aramaic Language.” “Chaldee” or “Chaldean Aramaic” used to be common terms for the Aramaic of the Chaldean dynasty of Babylonia. It was used to describe Biblical Aramaic, which was, however, written in a later style.” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language#Middle_Aramaic.
[3] Coogan, Michael (2009). A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[4] Encyclopaesia Judaica. 3 (2nd ed.), p. 27.
[5] Stern, Ephraim (November-December 2000). “The Babylonian Gap.” Biblical Archaeology Review.
[6] “Babylonian Captivity,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity#cite_note-Finkelstein-16.
[7] Joosten, Jan (2017). “How Hebrew Became a Holy Language,” Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 2017 (emphasis added).
[8] “How was the bible Written During and After the Exile?” https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/how-was-the-bible-written-during-and-after-the-exile/. Emphasis added.
[9] William Keith Chambers Guthrie, (1978), A History of Greek Philosophy, Volume 1: The Earlier Pre-Socratics and the Pythagoreans Cambridge University Press, p. 173.
[10] Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras, Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie, trans. (Chapter IV: “Studies in Egypt and Babylonia”), 9. Emphasis added.
[11] Finkelstein, Israel; Silberman, Neil Asher (2001). The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the origin of Its Sacred Texts. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-86912-4
[12] Dandamayev, Muhammad A. “Cyrus III. Cyrus II the Great.” iranicaonline.org. (Encyclopaedia Iranica 1989), p. 71).
[13] Collins, John J.’ Manning, J.G. (2016). Revolt and Resistance in the Ancient Classical World and the Near East: In the Crucible of Empire. BRILL. p. 99.
[14] Yonge (2013): Philo, “Every Good Man is Free” (12.82), 690. Emphasis added.
[15] Plutarch. Isis and Osiris, “introduction,” (Loeb Classical Library, 1914, Babbit trans.), Bill Thayer’s website. Emphasis added.
[16] “Theano (philosopher), ” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theano)_(philosopher).
[17] “Damo (philosopher),” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damo_(philosopher).
[18] “Arignote,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arignote.
[19] “Myia,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myia.
[20] “Journeying to the Goddess,” https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/goddess-anahita/
[21] Plutarch, Artoxerxes in “Parallel Lives.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus#cite_note-8
[22] “Gematria,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria.
[23] Michell, John; The Dimensions of Paradise (Kempton, Adventures Unlimited Press, 2001), 170-1.
[24] Wikipedia, “Babylonian Astronomy”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_astronomy.
[25] Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras, Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie, trans. (Chapter IV: “Studies in Egypt and Babylonia”), 9 (emphasis added).
[26] Biblehub: “nachash”: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5172.htm
[27] Biblehub: “haggan”: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1588.h5m
[28] Riedweg, Christoph (2005) [2002], Pythagoras: His Life, Teachings, and Influence (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press), 62.
[29] “Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi,” Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/pythia-oracle-delphi-001641 (emphasis added.)
[30] “Pythia,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia (emphasis added).
Following Philo 