Isopsephy (pronounced /ˈaɪsəsɛfi/, iso meaning "equal" and psephos meaning "pebble") is the Greek word for the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. The early Greeks used pebbles arranged in patterns to learn arithmetic and geometry. A Latin word for "pebbles" is "calculi", the origin of the word "calculate."
Isopsephy is related to Gematria, the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet, and the ancient number systems of many other peoples (for the Arabic alphabet version, see Abjad numerals). A Gematria of Latin-script languages was also popular in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and indeed its legacy remains in numerology and Masonic symbolism today.[1]
Contents |
Letter Values
| Letter (upper and lower case) |
Value | Name | Trans- literation |
| Α α | 1 | Alpha | A |
| Β β | 2 | Beta | B |
| Γ γ | 3 | Gamma | G |
| Δ δ | 4 | Delta | D |
| Ε ε | 5 | Epsilon | E |
| Ϝ ϝ | 6 | Digamma (later Stigma) |
W |
| Ζ ζ | 7 | Zeta | Z |
| Η η | 8 | Eta | E |
| Θ θ | 9 | Theta | Th |
| Ι ι | 10 | Iota | I |
| Κ κ | 20 | Kappa | C |
| Λ λ | 30 | Lambda | L |
| Μ μ | 40 | Mu | M |
| Ν ν | 50 | Nu | N |
| Ξ ξ | 60 | Xi | X |
| Ο ο | 70 | Omicron | O |
| Π π | 80 | Pi | P |
| Ϙ ϙ | 90 | Qoppa | Q/H |
| Ρ ρ | 100 | Rho | R |
| Σ σ | 200 | Sigma | S |
| Τ τ | 300 | Tau | T |
| Υ υ | 400 | Upsilon | Y |
| Φ φ | 500 | Phi | Ph |
| Χ χ | 600 | Chi | Ch |
| Ψ ψ | 700 | Psi | Ps |
| Ω ω | 800 | Omega | O |
| Ϡ ϡ | 900 | Sampi | Ss |
See also
Notes
References
- The Greek Qabalah: Alphabetic Mysticism and Numerology in the Ancient World, Kieren Barry, Samuel Weiser, 1999. ISBN 1-57863-110-6
External links
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