Properties of the number 33

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Symbolism

• According to R. Allendy, "this number shows the free activity of the being in the organization of the world. (...) It shows the free creature related to the plans of the Creator by links of justice and love or by the providential intermediaries". This number is seen thus connected to the Karma - 3 + 3 = 6.

• This number is a multiple of 11 of which the two antagonistic units have increased to the harmony by developing each one in a ternary, thus moving away the danger of the temptation, according to Lacuria. R. Allendy adds that the activity of the individual is added harmoniously to the cosmic realization of the Archetype: this is why 33 would never have unfavorable meaning.

• In Japan, 33 is a sign carrying misfortune because it says SAR-ZAN, which means also "misfortune without way out".

Bible

• The Christ in the Gospels accomplishes 33 miracles of which 24 were cures.

• Number of days following the circumcision of the foreskin of the child where the mother had to purify her blood, according to the law of Moses. She did not have to touch nothing of sacred and not to go to the sanctuary until 33 days have been passed. (Lv 12,4-8)

• David reigned 33 years to Jerusalem. (1 Ch 3,4)

• Jacob had from his first woman Leah 33 children, by counting his daughter, his son and his grandsons. (Gn 46,15)

General

• There are 33 doctors of the Church, or theologians, to which the Roman Catholic Church recognizes a particular authority of witnesses of the doctrine. The list of the 32 last is given in "Theo, New catholic encyclopedia", Droquet and Ardant, Fayard, 1989, p. 23. There are thirty men and three women (Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Catherine of Siena and Therese of Avila, that waited 1970 to be recognized doctor of the Church), a lay doctor (Catherine of Siena), and another who wrote in French (Francis of Sales). We should not confuse the doctors of the Church, whose list is official and decided, with those of the Faith, theologians to which the tradition has given nicknames of doctors, but who were not recognized by the canon of the Church.

• The thirty-third year of a person, it is the perfect age, that of the full development, according to Mary Agreda. It is at this age that Jesus-Christ was crucified and that Krishna, the god with the 16000 wives and the 180000 sons, died to repurchase the Karma of the humanity. Saint Joseph was also 33 years old when he took for wife the Virgin Mary, according to visions of Mary Agreda. And according to some authors, it is the age that will have the Antichrist at the time of his advent.

• It is the number of promises tell by the Lord for those which will make the first nine Saturdays of the month, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Herself would have added a supplementary promise to incite peoples to this pious practices.

• According to revelations' received by Mary Jane Even, the Virgin Mary would have never changed physical appearance since her 33th year on earth, her beauty being both internal and external.

• The Rosary of the Precious Blood of Christ has 39 grains. This practice of piety is accomplished by the recitation of 33 Our-Father in memory of 33 years of the terrestrial life of Jesus. During this recitation, we reflect on the seven principal circumstances where by love for us and for our salvation, the Man God has given all his blood: the circumcision, the agony, the flagellation, the crowning of thorns, the climbing to the Calvary, the crucifixion, the blow of lance. By counting the seven Glory to the Father, a total of 40 prayers are recited.

• Doctor of the Church and baptized by saint Ambroise to the age of 33 years, saint Augustin was before a follower of the Manicheism.

• The 33 litany of angels.

• The Basilica of saint Peter in Rome counts 33 chapels: 29 in the Basilica itself and 4 of more in the crypt.

• A woman, named Mirna and residing in Damas, would live says one mystical phenomena. Sometimes her hands ooze the oil and she suffers some time the wounds of the Christ. The Virgin would be appeared to her 33 times. And the last time that she appeared she would have told to her that she would not return any more until the dates of Easter will be unified.

• The Hebraic tradition distinguishes 32 ways of the Wisdom to which it adds "Ain Soph" or the unknowable one.

• The 33 divinities, divided into three classes, invoked in the songs of the Rig-Veda.

• The Zen books represent us the genius solar surrounded by 33 atmospheric gods.

• After a fast of 40 days, Buddha left the desert to go to exert his apostolate and he was followed by 33 princes of spirits to which he gave the sacred instruments that are used by the musicians in the pagodas. A legend wants also that 33 "Arhats" spread Buddhism.

• In his Divine Comedy, Dante attributed 33 songs to the Purgatory and 33 songs to the Sky.

• The 33 ranks (or degrees of initiation) of the Masonic hierarchy, divisible in 3 series of 11. And 33 members compose the Council of the Order of the Great Orient of France.

• Number of days of the "intellectual" cycle in the biorhythm.

• The United Nation logo represents a terrestrial globe divided in 33 fragments. And we count 13 ears to the left and to the right of the globe, and 13 letters in the two words "Das UNO-Emblem".

• Total number of vertebrae of the spinal column of the human body, in which pass 33 pairs of nervous groups.

• Among the abbreviations used in telegraphy and in telephony, and which are employed universally, we find the number 33 which has for meaning "fondest regards". For example, the women radio hams use it sometimes to finish their conversation.

Occurrence

• The number 33 is used 6 times in the Bible.

• In the Bible, 33 numbers are multiple of 11 and 33 others are multiple of 18. Five books of the Bible use the number 33. In the NT, seven chapters have 33 verses and 33 numbers written in their form cardinal are multiple of 12. The sum of the occurrences of all numbers of the Bible multiple of 19 gives 33.

• The word parable is found 48 times in the four Gospels. By deducting these texts the parallel passages, the total number of different employment is reduced to 33. The words cross and devil are used 33 times in the NT and the word sickness, 33 times in the OT. The words language, fast, tribulations, miracle and the verb to blaspheme are used 33 times in the Bible.

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Last modification: December 19, 1998

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