Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

My life couldn't get any more esoteric. I have been reading all I can about the letter san or sampi and stumbled across A. N. Jannaris's The Digamma, Koppa, and Sampi as Numerals in Greek. Some curious facts. First of all the numerals episemon, koppa and san all originated in Alexandria. The letter is digamma the numeral episemon (as one would expect) but it occurred to me that digamma is literally (and figuratively) two gammas. This seems to align with gnostic interest in 'letters within letters' which Irenaeus references more than once. But what was new is that the sampi (or sanpi) was quite literally three Taus:

As a matter of fact, the numeral symbol m is a genuine Greek invention : it is a triple Tau (TTT) or a pi (n) with a middle (central) leg, as Galen himself says (xvii. I. 525 Kiihn) : 6 tov TT XaPaKT*)P ^X(ov opOiav /iiarjv ypa/j.firjv, to? evioi ypd<f>ovai tov t&v ivaicoa iccv XapaKTrjpa. Now a capital ' n with a middle perpendicular naturally forms a triple Tau (tit), which threefold T in the cursive hand had its side strokes curved. Accordingly the symbol rr assumed the rounded shape T and this again gradually — since Byzantine times — became -^ , that is a backward slanting n http://www.jstor.org/stable/636031?read ... b_contents

But if this was common knowledge in antiquity was the addition of the two other crosses beside Jesus's 'tau' deliberate? Or better yet did the Marcosians 'see' meaning in the three taus at Cavalry?

“They took Jesus, and … crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.” (John 19:16-18).

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23)

The gospel of the Epistle of the Apostles - " Concerning whom we testify that the Lord is he who was crucified by Pontius Pilate and Archelaus between the two thieves (and with them he was taken down from the tree of the cross, Eth.), and was buried in a place which is called the place"

I wonder whether the single cross is really later than the three crosses story . Maybe there is import in the triple tau. Curious also that the gospel of the community that produced the Epistle of the Apostles begins with the question 'what is alpha what is beta?' as if setting up for the triple tau ending.

Secret Alias wrote: ↑Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:24 pm I wonder whether Mark's single cross is really later than the three crosses story .

Are you reading a different version of Mark to me?

Mark 15:27

And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

I don't know much about the letter symbolism, though considering Marcosians and Carpocratians employed it, there could be something to it.

So far, to me, the triple crucifixion scene reiterates the idea of duplication present in the Gospels, just as how Jesus is crucified, and Judas is hung on a tree.

Xoroaster once said that the two thieves fulfilled the need for two witnesses in the Old Testament. This is why, in the Gospel of Nicodemus, Leucius and Kharinus are resurrected, to testify on behalf of the resurrection.

I am just wondering where the idea of the triple tau in the gospel came from. If the crucifixion was a historical incident then surely one would expect it to have been well established whether there was one or three crosses. Why would someone have changed the incident to include the two other crosses? The introduction of the two thieves doesn't seem to serve as any help to 'witness' the truth of the crucifixion narrative because - presumably - the two thieves died and can no longer testify to anything. So why introduce them at all? Different memories? But since Luke and John are so late why would someone have altered a pre-existent single tau narrative in the second century? There must have been a need or a desire to establish a triple tau ending. Surely the two thieves were absolutely insignificant as witnesses. We've already established that. It has to have something to do with the symbolism of three or three crosses.

It is curious that if the end of the gospel ends with san or sanpi, alpha and beta appear at the beginning of some gospels. I wonder if the Marcosian gospel went through all of the letters of the alphabet like a mystical Dr Seuss Book:

Tertullian argues that the symbolism was to establish a connection with Isaiah:

Moreover two malefactors are crucified around Him, in order that He might be reckoned amongst the transgressors.

There are almost no references to the two thieves in the writings of the Church Fathers.

Curious also that in some manuscripts of Mark words are added like Luke. The majority of manuscripts:

They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Curious also that if Jesus is '30' (= l) at the beginning of the gospel he's '300' (= t) at the end.

You're forgetting that this is an allegorical narrative written over a historical event. I would even venture to say the crucifixion is itself more allegorical than historical. (Justin certainly seems to think so.) But identifying Lukuas with Simon of Jerusalem does lend credibility to a historical crucifixion. The two thieves are likely Julian and Pappus, again conforming to the use of allegory and symbolism, and just bad record tracking.