Pi encoded in Genesis claim.

[DBT]

Obviously the claim is being used as an attempt to give the impression of divine inspiration, something that the human authors could not have worked out for themselves.

For example;

First Verse in Torah - 22/7​

Let us begin with a simple hint of Pi and afterwards move on to something far more impressive.

The first verse of the torah is:

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
("in the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth")

If we take the first letter (Roshei Teivot) of each of the seven hebrew words. The gematria (numerical value) is:

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ

= Beit+Beit+Aleph+Aleph+Heh+Vuv+Heh=2+2+1+1+5+6+5=22

Dividing this by the number of words gives:
22/7=3.14285

This number is 99.96 percent the value of Pi.''

 

[steve_bank]

Was that apple or cherry PI?

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

Obviously the claim is being used as an attempt to give the impression of divine inspiration, something that the human authors could not have worked out for themselves.

For example;

First Verse in Torah - 22/7​

Let us begin with a simple hint of Pi and afterwards move on to something far more impressive.
The first verse of the torah is:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
("in the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth")
If we take the first letter (Roshei Teivot) of each of the seven hebrew words. The gematria (numerical value) is:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
= Beit+Beit+Aleph+Aleph+Heh+Vuv+Heh=2+2+1+1+5+6+5=22
Dividing this by the number of words gives:
22/7=3.14285
This number is 99.96 percent the value of Pi.''

If God was involved it should be 100% accurate. Of course it can't be because Pi is a transcendental number. However, an all powerful god should have been able to create a universe in which Pi has a finite value.

 

[bilby]

How was God able to get his cryptic encoding of Pi accurate to 0.04%, while the explicit figures for the value in the Bible have an error of 4.7%?

And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

Why encrypt the value at all, when he had a perfect opportunity here to be explicit to whatever level of accuracy he chose?

And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty one point four one five nine two six five three five eight nine seven nine three two three eight four six and a bit cubits did compass it round about.

 

[DBT]

AiG defends Kings by basically calling it metaphor, an approximation used to illustrate a different point, hence not applicable to the hidden codes that are meant for the discerning eye.

"Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.” This verse describes a cylindrical vessel built at the order of Solomon.

First of all, notice that this passage does not say “exactly ten cubits” or “exactly thirty cubits.” The numbers have been rounded to the nearest integer (or possibly the nearest multiple of ten). Dividing the circumference (30 cubits) by the diameter (10 cubits), we infer that pi is approximately equal to three. But, of course, pi is approximately equal to three, so the passage is quite correct."

 

[bilby]

AiG defends Kings by basically calling it metaphor, an approximation used to illustrate a different point, hence not applicable to the hidden codes that are meant for the discerning eye.

"Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.” This verse describes a cylindrical vessel built at the order of Solomon.

First of all, notice that this passage does not say “exactly ten cubits” or “exactly thirty cubits.” The numbers have been rounded to the nearest integer (or possibly the nearest multiple of ten). Dividing the circumference (30 cubits) by the diameter (10 cubits), we infer that pi is approximately equal to three. But, of course, pi is approximately equal to three, so the passage is quite correct."

Sure.

But why hide the more accurate number?

To what end?

If you treat any large text as though it might contain hidden cyphers of small quantities of information, you will discover that it does.

The Bible is not different from the works of Shakespeare, or Dickens, or Enid Blyton, in this regard.

Blyton wrote 21 full length "Famous Five" novels, plus a collection of eight short stories - that's 22 Famous Five books, which if we divide it by the Secret Seven, gives us a hidden value that is exactly as close to the Biblical encryption of Pi!!

Clearly Enid Blyton was also inspired by God to conceal accurate values of fundamental constants in her writings!!!

I mean, if we don't accept that, we would have to accept the ludicrous proposition that the folks at AiG are fuckwits with no grasp of statistics, who are far too easily impressed by their favourite book, and who don't even think to check their work to see whether or not their conclusions are as impressive as they want them to be. Which would clearly be absurd.

 

[Jarhyn]

Obviously the claim is being used as an attempt to give the impression of divine inspiration, something that the human authors could not have worked out for themselves.

For example;

First Verse in Torah - 22/7​

Let us begin with a simple hint of Pi and afterwards move on to something far more impressive.
The first verse of the torah is:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
("in the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth")
If we take the first letter (Roshei Teivot) of each of the seven hebrew words. The gematria (numerical value) is:
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱ-לֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
= Beit+Beit+Aleph+Aleph+Heh+Vuv+Heh=2+2+1+1+5+6+5=22
Dividing this by the number of words gives:
22/7=3.14285
This number is 99.96 percent the value of Pi.''

There will always be such a point at which two series with different growth rates will appear to create a fraction relatively close to Pi (or their inverse will).

Further, by making a selection of which of the many series exist to be selected of these numbers, you get many attempts.

Finally, there's no reason to think that some rather autistic people couldn't use a longish string, a stick, and a pin of some kind to actually figure out this ratio and forget that they had even done it in the first place: all of history is rife with people not writing stuff that everyone knew down, right up until nobody knew it because nobody wrote it down.

Most ancient writing and oral history was assembled according to some sort of pattern/rules, and that culture had always had a boner for number games. Jewish mysticism is all about numbers and numerology, and most mysticism across all of humanity across all pf time seems focused either on diversions for or interests of autistic people.

It's quite likely it was accidental, but also possible that it was a known fact by the original authors that was later forgotten, especially in the light of who tends to think of ideas radically different from what happened before their existence; to understand ancient numerologists, look at modern numerologists (they tend to like math!)

 

[ideologyhunter]

1. So, God gets us to 99.96 of pi. Is Satan lurking in the .04? Even so, it's sorta impressive, in that human/chimp shared DNA is 98.8% and the purity of Ivory soap is 99.44%. But Procter & Gamble is catching up with you, God.
2. There's got to be Islamists who are doing the same studies with their scripture. I'm too bored to look up the amazing findings they've made. I do know that Book of Mormon devotees have claimed to find ancient Hebrew verse patterns in the parts that Joseph Smith didn't crib from the Bible.
3. Apparently 'INRI' was written on the holy cross (in one version anyway.) INRI....IN...RI...and what is in Rhode Island? Providence! And what is Providence? God's guidance! And who brought us Providence? Jesus Christ!
4. What was written by the disembodied hand in Daniel 5? Mene mene tekel upharsin. How many letters is that? 4, 4, 5, 8. What is 4 x 4 x 5? 80. What is 80 divided by 8? 10. How many Commandments are there? 10, unless you use both lists, and then it's 20. Still, there were TEN plagues of Egypt and TEN lepers in Luke 17. Jesus Christ!
5. I'm scared; are you?

 

[DBT]

AiG defends Kings by basically calling it metaphor, an approximation used to illustrate a different point, hence not applicable to the hidden codes that are meant for the discerning eye.

"Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.” This verse describes a cylindrical vessel built at the order of Solomon.

First of all, notice that this passage does not say “exactly ten cubits” or “exactly thirty cubits.” The numbers have been rounded to the nearest integer (or possibly the nearest multiple of ten). Dividing the circumference (30 cubits) by the diameter (10 cubits), we infer that pi is approximately equal to three. But, of course, pi is approximately equal to three, so the passage is quite correct."

Sure.

But why hide the more accurate number?

To what end?

Who knows? To confound the non believer? God works in mysterious ways? A sign from God given to the faithful while 'the scoffer who hates God' - destined for hellfire - stays damned?

If you treat any large text as though it might contain hidden cyphers of small quantities of information, you will discover that it does.

The Bible is not different from the works of Shakespeare, or Dickens, or Enid Blyton, in this regard.

Blyton wrote 21 full length "Famous Five" novels, plus a collection of eight short stories - that's 22 Famous Five books, which if we divide it by the Secret Seven, gives us a hidden value that is exactly as close to the Biblical encryption of Pi!!

Clearly Enid Blyton was also inspired by God to conceal accurate values of fundamental constants in her writings!!!

I mean, if we don't accept that, we would have to accept the ludicrous proposition that the folks at AiG are fuckwits with no grasp of statistics, who are far too easily impressed by their favourite book, and who don't even think to check their work to see whether or not their conclusions are as impressive as they want them to be. Which would clearly be absurd.

Well, they are fuckwits, yet kind of amusing in a sad sort of way.

 

[ideologyhunter]

The source quote in the OP comes from a Daf Yomi website -- that is, a website for students of the Talmud. I assumed at first it was from some inerrantist Christian group, because I'm used to hearing about Bible codes from these folks. Wow -- what a lot of mental effort is expended on these numerical pursuits. It all seems like a terminal case of confirmation bias to me. (BTW, Michael Drosnin, who had the best-selling book The Bible Code and its followups, was Jewish and atheist, if you read his statements from press interviews.)
When the Christians push this stuff, it presents a strange picture of their beliefs. God is hidden, even though that means allowing crimes and tragedies to occur without any help from him, and even though that means people will go to hell because they won't follow the true faith if they get diverted by alternate faiths, critical thinking, apathy, etc. But he sure as hell will conceal hidden messages in the scriptures! Drosnin claimed to find predictions of future events, including nuclear war, in the Torah. (He still claimed he didn't believe there was a god; he just said he had found the codes and couldn't explain why they were there.) And now pi shows up in the opening of Genesis. What a bunch of monkeyshines.