On the Mystery of Numbers
Faith is a thing that the soul directs toward God, being intangible, incomprehensible, unseen, unmanageable, unassailable, and silently honored, and worshipped in the mind; it is the foundation of the soul, the living root of life, an unfading branch, the fruit of immortality, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and the justification of all the holy.
The Trinity, which is simple, uncompounded, unmixed, unutterable, inexplicable, and indissoluble, consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; it is of the same substance in all things, according to harmony, according to power, according to energy, according to divinity, and according to magnitude, being divided in name only, yet united in power and in works.
The Trinity existed before the ages, without beginning, without end, without decay, without death, without limitation; it neither deserves nor lacks anything, always remaining the same as itself, and it is not newly found, but always worshipped, proclaimed by the apostles, and magnified by the faithful Church; it is almighty, all-seeing, the Creator, loving, good, incomprehensible, and perfect.
Even the number of the Trinity itself, as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, is a mystery and a wonder.
Thirdly, the cherubim sing: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord' (Isaiah 6:3).
Three are the great elements: heaven, earth, and sea; and three are those in us: mind, spirit, and word.
Three were the fathers: Adam, Seth, and Enoch; and three were the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Three angels appeared by the tent of Abraham.
Three were the days of Abraham's sacrifice; and Sarah, having received the angels, set before them three measures of fine flour.
Jacob peeled three rods and set them in the watering troughs; after three decades of years, Joseph became king.
Moses was hidden by his parents for three months; and three times three, nine plagues of the Egyptians.
Three months after leaving Egypt, the law was written and the stone tablets were brought out; and three are the good things of the wilderness: water, quail-meat, and manna.
Three, he says, seasons Moses appeared before the Lord; and three were the priests: Moses, Aaron, and Samuel.
Three were the mighty commanders: Joshua son of Nun, Caleb Jephunneh, and Phinehas; and three stood against the Amalekites upon the rock: Moses, Joshua, and Hur.
Three were the mighty judges: Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson; and three were the elders of the sons of Israel: Moses, Job, and Daniel.
Three weeks was Daniel's fast; and three boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did not worship the golden image.
By three things the earth trembles, as Solomon said (Proverbs 30:21-23): if a servant becomes king, and a fool is filled with food, and a hateful woman happens to a good man.
There are three things that are never satisfied: Sheol, the lust of a woman, and the cracked earth (Proverbs 30:15-16).
There are three things that are beyond tracing: the track of the eagle in flight, the way of the serpent on rock, and the path of the ship in the sea (Proverbs 30:18-19).
There are three things that go prosperously: the lion's cub, stronger than beasts, the rooster walking among hens, and the he-goat leading the flock (Proverbs 30:29-31).
The woman of Tekoa rescued the man Nabal; the Shunammite woman rescued Absalom by craft; and Abigail, having run to the son of the prophet and not having ignored him, saved him.
Three women prophetesses, tambourine-players, were Miriam, Deborah, and Judith.
Three holy women were Sarah, Rebekah, and the one who was rescued by the prophet, showing that the feminine subject is being referred to in this context.
The earth trembles at the rise of a servant to kingship, a fool being filled with food, and a hateful woman being married to a good man, as the Scripture says (Proverbs 30:21-23), where it is written that the earth trembles at these three things, and the sense of the accusative masculine, τὸν, is applied to the good man.
The number of the Trinity, as presented in the divine Scriptures, holds a mystical and wondrous significance.
Greek
ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΑΡΙΘΜΩΝ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΩΝ. Περὶ πίστεως. Αʹ. Πίστις ἐστί. Πίστις δὲ ἡ εἰς Θεὸν πρᾶγμα ἀψηλάφητον, ἀκατάληπτον, ἀθεώρητον, ἀπολυπραγμόνητον, ἀκαστορητὴς, σιωπῇ τιμώμενον, καὶ νῷ προσκυνούμενον, ἕδρα ψυχῆς, θεμέλιον ζωῆς, ῥίζα ζῶσα, κλάδος ἀμάραντος, καρπὸς ἀθανασίας, ἐλπιζομένων πραγμάτων ὑπόστασις, ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων, πάντων τῶν ἁγίων δικαίωσις. ‹43.509› Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος. Βʹ. Τριὰς ἁπλῆ, ἀσύνθετος, ἀσυνείκαστος, ἀνέκφραστος, ἀδιήγητος, ἀδιόρεστος· Πατὴρ, Υἱὸς, ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· ὁμοούσιος κατὰ πάντα, κατὰ συμφωνίαν, κατὰ δύναμιν, κατ' ἐνέργειαν, κατὰ θεότητα, κατὰ μέγεθος, ἐν ὑποστάσει, καὶ ὀνόμασι μόνον διηρημένη, ἐν δυνάμει, καὶ πράγμασιν ἡνωμένη. Τριὰς πρὸ αἰώνων ὑπάρχουσα, ἄναρχος, ἄχρονος, ἀγήρατος, ἀθάνατος, ἀτελεύτητος, οὐκ ἄξουσα, οὐ λήγουσα, ἀεὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡς αὔτως τυγχάνουσα, οὐ νῦν εὑρεθεῖσα, ἀεὶ δὲ προσκυνουμένη, ὑπὸ ἀποστόλων κηρυττομένη, ὑπὸ Ἐκκλησίας πιστῆς μεγαλυνομένη· παντοδύναμος, παντεπίσκοπος, δημιουργὸς, φιλάνθρωπος, ἀγαθὴ, ἀπροσδεὴς, τελεία. Ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῆς Τριάδος αὐτῆς ὁ παρὰ ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς ἐμφερόμενος μυστηριώδης ἐστὶ καὶ θαῦμα. Γʹ. Τρίτον τὰ χερουβεὶμ τὸ Ἅγιος, ἅγιος, ἅγιος Κύριος ἀνυμνεῖ. Τρία τὰ μεγάλα στοιχεῖα· οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, καὶ θάλασσα. Τρία τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν· νοῦς, πνεῦμα, λόγος. Τρεῖς πατέρες, Ἀδὰμ, Σὴθ, Ἐνώχ. Τρεῖς πατριάρχαι, Ἀβραὰμ, Ἰσαὰκ, Ἰακώβ. Τρεῖς ἄγγελοι παρὰ σκηνὴν Ἀβραάμ. Τρεῖς ἡμέραι τῆς θυσίας τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως ἡ Σάῤῥα λαβοῦσα τοὺς ἀγγέλους παρέθηκε. Τρεῖς ῥάβδους Ἰακὼβ πελεκίσας ταῖς ληνοῖς τῶν ποτιστηρίων ἐνέθηκε. Τρεῖς δεκάδες ἐνιαυτῶν, καὶ τότε βασιλεὺς Ἰωσήφ. Τρεῖς μῆνας παρὰ τοῖς γονεῦσιν κρυπτόμενος Μωϋσῆς. Τρὶς τρεῖς ἐννέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων αἱ μάστιγες. Τρεῖς μῆνας ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τότε νόμος ἐγράφη, καὶ πλάκες ἐξήλεων. Τρία τἀγαθὰ τῆς ἐρήμου· ὕδωρ, ὀρτυγομήτρα, τὸ μάννα. Τρεῖς, φησὶ, καιροὺς Μωϋσῆς ὤφθη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Τρεῖς ἱερεῖς, Μωϋσῆς, Ἀαρὼν, Σαμουήλ. Τρεῖς στρατηγοὶ θαυμαστοὶ, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναυῆ, Χάλεβ Ἰεφονὴ, καὶ Φινεές. Τρεῖς οἱ κατὰ Ἀμαλὴκ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἱστάμενοι· Μωϋσῆς, Ἰησοῦς, Ὤρ. Τρεῖς κριταὶ δυναστοὶ, Γεδεὼν, Ἰεφθάε, Σαμψών. Τρεῖς πρεσβῦται τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· Μωϋσῆς, Ἰὼβ, ∆ανιήλ. Τρεῖς ἑβδομάδες ἡ νηστεία τοῦ ∆ανιήλ. Τρεῖς οἱ παῖδες οἱ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ μὴ προσκυνήσαντες· Σιδρὰχ, Μισὰχ, Ἀβδεναγώ. ∆ιὰ τριῶν σείεται ἡ γῆ, ὡς ἔλεγε Σολομών· ἐὰν οἰκέτης, φησὶ, βασιλεύσῃ, καὶ ἄφρων πλησθῇ σιτίων, καὶ μισητὴ γυνὴ ἐὰν τύχῃ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ. Τρία ἐστὶν, ἃ ἐμπίπλαται, ᾅδης, ἔρως γυναικὸς, γῆ ψαφαρά. Τρία ἐστὶν ἀκατάληπτα· ἴχνη ἀετοῦ πετομένου, ὁδὸς ὄφεως ἐπὶ πέτρας, τρίβος ποντοπορούσης νηός. Τρία ἐστὶν ἅπερ εὐόδως πορεύονται· σκύμνος λέοντος ἰσχυρότερος κτηνῶν, ἀλέκτωρ ἐμπεριπατῶν ἐν θη ‹43.512› λείαις ἔμψυχος, τράγος ἡγούμενος αἰπολίου. Τρεῖς σοφαὶ γυναῖκες, ἡ Θεκουῆτις, ἡ Σουναμῖτις, ἡ Ἀβιγαία· ἡ μὲν γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν Νάβαλ, ἡ δὲ Ἀβεσαλὼν διὰ τέχνης, ἡ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ προφήτου προσδραμοῦσα, καὶ μὴ ἀπογνοῦσα, διέσωσεν. Τρεῖς γυναῖκες προφήτιδες τυμπανήστριαι· Μαριὰμ, ∆εββόρα, Ἰουδίθ. Τρεῖς ἅγιαι γυναῖκες· Σάῤῥα, Ῥεβέκκα,