Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Pythagoras: Background
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
Pythagoreans and Music
Pythagoreans and Numbers
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoras: Background
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Was born around 570 BC on the Greek island of Samos. He
was a contemporary of Buddha and Confucius.
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Pythagoras: Background
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Was born around 570 BC on the Greek island of Samos. He
was a contemporary of Buddha and Confucius.
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Most of his life was in the Italian town of Croton (now spelled
Crotone). He was a very popular teacher, and is credited with
coining the words philosophy and mathematics.
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Pythagoras: Background
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Pythagoras founded a society (known today as the
Pythagoreans) that grew in popularity. Pythagoras eventually
implemented a strict (almost cult-like) routine for his students.
Pythagoras: Background
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Pythagoras founded a society (known today as the
Pythagoreans) that grew in popularity. Pythagoras eventually
implemented a strict (almost cult-like) routine for his students.
According to Aristotle, “The so-called Pythagoreans applied
themselves to mathematics, and were the first to develop this
science; and though penetrating it, they came to fancy that
its principles are the principles of all things.”
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Pythagoras: Background
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
Pythagoreans and Music
Pythagoreans and Numbers
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
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Born of a virgin.
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
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Born of a virgin.
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Calmed the stormy seas.
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
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Born of a virgin.
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Calmed the stormy seas.
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Walked on water.
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
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Born of a virgin.
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Calmed the stormy seas.
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Walked on water.
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Healed the sick.
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
The first Greek to articulate a dogma of the soul, various
“Christ-like” qualities have been attributed to Pythagoras:
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Born of a virgin.
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Calmed the stormy seas.
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Walked on water.
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Healed the sick.
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Raised the dead.
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Pythagoras: Background
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
Pythagoreans and Music
Pythagoreans and Numbers
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoreans and Music
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Unison of pitch occurs when vibrating strings are of equal
length. Thus, their respective lengths are in a 1:1 ratio.
Pythagoreans and Music
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Unison of pitch occurs when vibrating strings are of equal
length. Thus, their respective lengths are in a 1:1 ratio.
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The octave is obtained by a 1:2 ratio.
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The fifth is obtained by a 2:3 ratio.
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The fourth is obtained by a 3:4 ratio.
Pythagoreans and Music
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Unison of pitch occurs when vibrating strings are of equal
length. Thus, their respective lengths are in a 1:1 ratio.
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The octave is obtained by a 1:2 ratio.
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The fifth is obtained by a 2:3 ratio.
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The fourth is obtained by a 3:4 ratio.
Similarly, from the note C . . .
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6/5 gives the note A.
4/3 gives the note G.
3/2 gives the note F.
etc.
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Pythagoras: Background
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
Pythagoreans and Music
Pythagoreans and Numbers
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoreans and Numbers
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Odd numbers – qualities of males.
Pythagoreans and Numbers
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Odd numbers – qualities of males.
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Light and Goodness.
Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: “They say there is
divinity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance or death.”
Pythagoreans and Numbers
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Odd numbers – qualities of males.
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Light and Goodness.
Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: “They say there is
divinity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance or death.”
Even numbers – qualities of females.
Pythagoreans and Numbers
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Odd numbers – qualities of males.
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Light and Goodness.
Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: “They say there is
divinity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance or death.”
Even numbers – qualities of females.
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Also associated with darkness and evil.
Note: Darkness and evil were not associated with females.
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
2 – The first female number.
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Known as the number of opinion and division.
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
2 – The first female number.
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Known as the number of opinion and division.
This trait (opinion and division) is still associated with the
number two in current usage: “two-faced,” “double-tongued,”
“double-minded.”
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
2 – The first female number.
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Known as the number of opinion and division.
This trait (opinion and division) is still associated with the
number two in current usage: “two-faced,” “double-tongued,”
“double-minded.”
3 – The first male number.
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The first genuine number, having a beginning, middle, and end.
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
2 – The first female number.
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Known as the number of opinion and division.
This trait (opinion and division) is still associated with the
number two in current usage: “two-faced,” “double-tongued,”
“double-minded.”
3 – The first male number.
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The first genuine number, having a beginning, middle, and end.
The basis for construction of military units in the Bible.
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Judges 7 – Gideon chooses 300 men to fight the Midianites.
1 Samuel 13 – Saul chooses 3000 to fight the Philistines.
2 Samuel 23 (the “three warriors,” and the “thirty chiefs” who
joined David at Adulam).
Qualities of Numbers
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1 – The generator of all numbers, but not a number itself.
2 – The first female number.
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Known as the number of opinion and division.
This trait (opinion and division) is still associated with the
number two in current usage: “two-faced,” “double-tongued,”
“double-minded.”
3 – The first male number.
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The first genuine number, having a beginning, middle, and end.
The basis for construction of military units in the Bible.
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Judges 7 – Gideon chooses 300 men to fight the Midianites.
1 Samuel 13 – Saul chooses 3000 to fight the Philistines.
2 Samuel 23 (the “three warriors,” and the “thirty chiefs” who
joined David at Adulam).
4 – The number of justice and order.
Qualities of Numbers
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5 – Love and marriage (the union of the first male and female
numbers).
Qualities of Numbers
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5 – Love and marriage (the union of the first male and female
numbers).
6 – The first perfect number.
Qualities of Numbers
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5 – Love and marriage (the union of the first male and female
numbers).
6 – The first perfect number.
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The number of creation.
Precisely equals the sum of the smaller numbers that divide it:
(6 = 1 + 2 + 3).
Qualities of Numbers
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5 – Love and marriage (the union of the first male and female
numbers).
6 – The first perfect number.
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The number of creation.
Precisely equals the sum of the smaller numbers that divide it:
(6 = 1 + 2 + 3).
Philo thought that God created the world in six days because
six was a perfect number.
Qualities of Numbers
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5 – Love and marriage (the union of the first male and female
numbers).
6 – The first perfect number.
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The number of creation.
Precisely equals the sum of the smaller numbers that divide it:
(6 = 1 + 2 + 3).
Philo thought that God created the world in six days because
six was a perfect number.
Augustine (City of God): “Six is a number perfect in itself, and
not because God created the world in six days; rather the
contrary is true: God created the world in six days because this
number is perfect, and it would remain perfect, even if the
work of the six days did not exist.”
Qualities of Numbers
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7 – Called “worthy of veneration.” The Pythagoreans thought
it was the number of religion because they believed humans
were controlled by seven celestial spirits.
Qualities of Numbers
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7 – Called “worthy of veneration.” The Pythagoreans thought
it was the number of religion because they believed humans
were controlled by seven celestial spirits.
Seven is also prominent in Judeo-Christian thought. See, for
example, Isaiah 11:2; Rev. 1:4; 3:1, 4:5; 5:6.
Qualities of Numbers
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7 – Called “worthy of veneration.” The Pythagoreans thought
it was the number of religion because they believed humans
were controlled by seven celestial spirits.
Seven is also prominent in Judeo-Christian thought. See, for
example, Isaiah 11:2; Rev. 1:4; 3:1, 4:5; 5:6.
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8 – Important because it is the number of the first cube,
whose form has eight corners.
Qualities of Numbers
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7 – Called “worthy of veneration.” The Pythagoreans thought
it was the number of religion because they believed humans
were controlled by seven celestial spirits.
Seven is also prominent in Judeo-Christian thought. See, for
example, Isaiah 11:2; Rev. 1:4; 3:1, 4:5; 5:6.
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8 – Important because it is the number of the first cube,
whose form has eight corners.
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9 – The first square of an odd number, it is associated with
failure and shortcoming because it falls one short of the
number 10, which has special significance . . .
Qualities of Numbers
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7 – Called “worthy of veneration.” The Pythagoreans thought
it was the number of religion because they believed humans
were controlled by seven celestial spirits.
Seven is also prominent in Judeo-Christian thought. See, for
example, Isaiah 11:2; Rev. 1:4; 3:1, 4:5; 5:6.
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8 – Important because it is the number of the first cube,
whose form has eight corners.
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9 – The first square of an odd number, it is associated with
failure and shortcoming because it falls one short of the
number 10, which has special significance . . .
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10 – Represents the cosmos as a whole.
The fact that 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 makes 1, 2, 3, and 4 special.
Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
Pythagoras: Background
Pythagoras: Signs and Wonders
Pythagoreans and Music
Pythagoreans and Numbers
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoreans and Religion
Pythagoreans and Religion