Regarding the Later Addition of Chapter and Verse to Biblical Texts
(The Roman Piso Homepage, 10/19/98)

The answer to this is obvious to anyone who knows about certain key
elements. Because of the "closed environment" and what we know
about the fact of the number system/s being in use then (See Plutarch's
Moralia, Volume VIII, Table Talk, V. 673., Loeb Classical Library
Edition), as well as the fact that what are known as "The Key"
documents existing at the time that this all began, we can safely
conclude that the numbers were indeed used by the writers in the
original documents (i.e. chapter and verses).

However, because of the fact that the writer's realized that the common
people did not need to see or have these numbers, and the fact that
leaving them off of the public copies could later be of some use to
them, this is just exactly what they did (this will be explained further
on in the article).

Therefore, these (chapter and verse) DID exist at the time, but only in
the "key" copies that were held by the writers themselves. When the
Chapters and Verses were finally given to the public at a much later
date, it was because of the fact that no one had ever seen them in public
copies, the public thought that they had not previously existed and it
was SAFE to now give them. Now, about the "Key" documents, we are
talking about a set of records that were kept only by the original Inner-
Circle, the writers themselves. That is, they wrote a version for the
public, while also keeping separate "key" (annotated) version for
themselves and for their progeny to work from later on. (See the
discussion regarding "The Key" in our past Newsletters)

The only reason the public ever SAW the chapter and verse numbers
was simply because (1) so much time had passed without the public ever
seeing them. So that it would naturally be assumed that they had NOT
previously existed and in that way, it was not only SAFE to give these to
the public. But (2) it also would serve a major purpose in deflecting any
potential critical examination of the Pythagorean Number System by
providing the exact argument that has been put forth (that their are no
numbers for chapter and verse in the early copies). With the weight of
the rest of our evidence for the existence of "The Key", this should be
looked at as another 'proof' that "The Key" actually existed. How else
could they have known these numbers? How else could so many other
things have been known that we find given at later dates? They were
working from these documents.

The fear that the Church and rulers had that motivated them to give the
chapter and verse to the public was the fact that moveable type had been
invented and they had to take whatever steps possible to preserve the
public belief (faith) in the texts, which they had feared would soon be
attacked in public by Inner-Circle Jews who knew about the number
system. By giving the chapter and verse now, this would seriously
discredit those who would try to speak out about the number system
and the use of these in the NT (because of the argument that as far as
the public had known, these chapter and verse numbers had not existed
previously). To know that they indeed had existed originally would take
a huge amount of time and research to establish as a fact and no one
person would live long enough to do it, and at the time, information
was not readily available to average persons like it is today.

The existence of the "closed environment" is what facilitated all of this.
The "closed environment" meant that all that was written, known and
produced for the public's consumption came only from a select few who
had motives and agendas behind what they wrote. There was no "free
speech" - it was much like Hitler's Germany, where the public was only
given propaganda to read.

That these number systems (of letters having number values) were
known of and used during the times when the New Testament was being
written is a known fact, and NOT something that was just "made up."
Though we have not at this time gathered for ourselves all ancient
references and evidence regarding this particular area, we feel that if a
person looks for themselves in a very good college or other large library,
cross-referencing material, they may find overwhelming evidence. Check
under "number theory, history of," "alpha-numeric," "ancient numbers,"
"archaeology," "ancient numbers," "number history," and "ancient
number codes." For some references to start with see "Piso Numbers"
on our web site (The Roman Piso Homepage). An interesting tidbit about
ancient numbers relating to person names comes to us from The Dead Sea
Scrolls as reported by John Allegro ("The Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealed"); "Several place names are mentioned, and the heading gives
a date of the seventh year of (the rule of) Hadrian, i.e. AD 124 (i.e. 124
CE, "Current Era". In other words, the text being referred to dated just
after the revolt of 116-117, and just before the revolt of 132-135 CE!).
These, and other Greek documents are all on papyrus, but some are on
skin and give administrative registers, civil and military. Jewish names
like Josephus, Jesus, Saulus (Paul), and Simon appear, followed by
NUMBERS and SIGNS." Doubly interesting, considering this being
written in the midst of a very critical point in this major war.

Why the NEED for "code" in the first place? Well, just like those who
were in WWII or any war knows - you have to convey info to other
leaders without giving away your strategy to the enemy (or in the case,
the public!). There was a WAR going on, not just between the Romans
and the Jewish Leaders, but from the Roman side, against the "public"
as well.

NOTE: The term "Inner-Circle" refers to those who were privy to what
was actually going on and what had transpired in the ancient past. Up
until modern history this term applies to those who were royals and
their close relatives exclusively. And the "closed environment" refers
to the "controlled environment" of the world in ancient times under the
strict rule of kings.

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