Chapter XLII.—His System Applied to Explain Our Lord’s Life and Death.

And he says, as the result of this computation and that proportion,⁷⁵¹⁷⁵¹    Or, “economy.” that in the similitude of an image He appeared who after the six days Himself ascended the mountain a fourth person, and became the sixth.⁷⁵²⁷⁵²    Christ went up with the three apostles, and was therefore the fourth Himself; by the presence of Moses and Elias, He became the sixth:  Matt. xvii. 1; Mark ix. 2. And (he asserts) that He (likewise) descended and was detained by the Hebdomad, and thus became an illustrious Ogdoad. And He contains in Himself of the elements the entire number which He manifested, as He came to His baptism.  (And the symbol of manifestation was) the descent of the dove, which is O[mega] and Alpha, and which by the number manifested (by these is) 801.⁷⁵³⁷⁵³    The Greek word for dove is περίστερα, the letters of which represent 801, as may be seen thus:—
   π = 80
   ε = 5
   ρ = 100
   ι = 10
   σ = 200
   τ = 300
   ε = 5
   ρ = 100
   α = 1
   ___
   801
   This, therefore, is equipollent with Alpha and Omega, as α is equal to 1, and ω to 800. [Stuff! Bunsen, very naturally, exclaims.] And for this reason (he maintains) that Moses says that man was created on the sixth day. And (he asserts) 96that the dispensation of suffering (took place) on the sixth day, which is the preparation; (and so it was) that on this (day) appeared the last man for the regeneration of the first man. And that the beginning and end of this dispensation is the sixth hour, at which He was nailed to the (accursed) tree. For (he says) that perfect Nous, knowing the sixfold number to be possessed of the power of production and regeneration, manifested to the sons of light the regeneration that had been introduced into this number by that illustrious one who had appeared. Whence also he says that the double letters⁷⁵⁴⁷⁵⁴    γράμματα:  some read πράγματα. involve the remarkable number. For the illustrious number, being intermingled with the twenty-four elements, produced the name (consisting) of the thirty letters.