Customer Reviews

Medieval Number Symbolism: Its Sources, Meaning, and Influence on Thought and Expression (Dover Occult)

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I'll begin this by saying this book is not what I thought it was. I thought it was largely a description of the theories of number symbolism of the Middle Ages, as well as their sources. Indeed, the first 3 chapters would support this idea, and since I had only read them (for a research paper) before buying this book, I had a faulty view of what the largest portions of this book were about. Regardless, the chapters on the Gnostics and Christian writers, including Augustine, are still informative and elucidating, if dry and mostly "histories". There are still important philosophical points presented (as they must be in a history of philosophy).

That said, the chapter on Dante should only be read by scholars and hardcore medievalists or lit-geeks who've read the Divine Comedy. To anyone who has not read it or is not one a scholar of this era/field (like me), it will be nothing but an endless bludgeoning of trinities and dualities that will quickly sour your opinion of Mr. Hopper's work. Therefore, I advise the casually interested student of number philosophies to skip this chapter, as it adds nothing to the information presented elsewhere, and merely applies it to the Divine Comedy.

My personal favorite chapter is w/o a doubt the third, on Pythagorean number theory. The other chapters are its equal in terms of presenting information, this is just my personal favorite field, and Hopper explains it (mostly) in very clear terms. His discussion of the Gnostics is less clear, but still understandable, and the Christian studies are pretty clear. The first two chapters are pretty hard to get confused about, though I'm sure I'm forgetting a stumbling block or two.

All in all, then, Mr. Hopper's work is a valid read for anyone interested both in the number philosophies themselves, and a bit of their histories and applications. This book, I feel, is best understood when one has a cursory understanding of other esoteric knowledge, where one can then compare the philosophies herein to others. It makes the book that much more potent. Regardless, anyone interested in this field will find much in these pages, even if the reading is slow-going at points (particularly the Dante chapter). It is also an excellent sourcebook for research. Recommended.

This is a reprint of a book that has become a classic. It's scholarly, but still available to the general reader. Its scope is very impressive, reaching back to the classical and Hebrew sources of medieval number symbolism. The book is not The DaVinci Code, nor wished to be. This is the real thing.

the information and research that went into making this text make it a very valuable resource for historians, artists, and students interested in the history of the significance of numbers in western philosophy. i myself am using it to understand the importance of numbers in sacred western architecture -- i want to do a performance art piece based on "the name of the rose" by umberto eco, and he gives a great deal of attention to the significance of numbers in the structures of the abbey in which the narrative is set (4 towers, 3 levels, etc). anyway, the info itself is great, and the explinations are clear, but the discussion isn't particularly passionate and it can be very difficult to get through some sections, because the language is often dry. i understand that history is not always like watching fireworks, but really... so as a research tool this is a valuable book. as an interesting read, it doesn't score so well.