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Print Free Pamphlet - - Brief Summary

Why  153  Fish  in  John  21:11  ?

Sections :

Introduction
Church Fathers : Sts. Jerome, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Cyril A.
No Reason ?
Why Church Fathers’ Answers Could Not Be John’s
Problems with Square Root of 3 Answer
Context Points to the Answer : An Explanation That Works
Archimedes : Context of Time and Place
Greeks and Wisdom
Fish
Calculating the Measure of the Fish
John’s Purpose
Why Church Fathers Did Not (could not?) Give John’s Idea
Conclusion

 

Problems with Square Root of 3 Answer

Some have said the John was referring to the square root of three when he used the number 153.  This is an interesting idea, but it has some real problems.

Wikipedia states:

The number 153 has also been related to the vesica piscis, with the claim that Archimedes used 153 as a "shorthand or abbreviation" for the square root of 3 in his On the Measurement of the Circle. However, examination of that work does not find the number 153 used in that way.
Wikipedia

There are two fractions that were used to approximate the value of √3.   They are  1351/780   >  √3   >   26/153

John was an effective communicator.  So, it is reasonable for us to conclude that John would have given his readers sufficient information to infer whatever reference to which he was alluding. So, if John had intended “153 fish” to be specific allusion to the square root of 3 then we must ask the question, “How could John have known that his readers would make a solid inference and not just attributed his text to being just a chance similarity without any necessary correlation?”

The link between 153 fish and what John was alluding to would have to have been strong enough for John to known that his readers would make the proper connection. It seems unlikely that the single and possibly chance occurrence of 153 in one of the denominators, in one of the four numbers, that were used to make up the two fractions that were used to approximate the square root of 3 would have made that link strong enough. 

The primary reference John was making would have to be a lot stronger than what we see here for John to know that his readers would follow the connection he was making.

And we might add, if John had been alluding to the square root of 3 we would have to ask why?  The square root of 3 is not part of the Gospel.

 
 
 

Continue ...
Context Points to the Answer : An Explanation That Works


 

Sections :

Introduction
Church Fathers : Sts. Jerome, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Cyril A.
No Reason ?
Why Church Fathers’ Answers Could Not Be John’s
Problems with Square Root of 3 Answer
Context Points to the Answer : An Explanation That Works
Archimedes : Context of Time and Place
Greeks and Wisdom
Fish
Calculating the Measure of the Fish
John’s Purpose
Why Church Fathers Did Not (could not?) Give John’s Idea
Conclusion

 

 

Print Free Pamphlet - - Brief Summary

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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