Jack T. Chakhesang
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e all know the number twelve. It is one number more than eleven and one less than thirteen. It is also called a dozen but used in a different context depending on what you wish to indicate.
SYMBOLISM
In another sense, twelve is the number of what is completed, which forms a whole, a perfect and harmonious unit. In the ancient civilizations , like Oriental and Judaic, it corresponds to the plenitude, the completion and the integrality of a thing. American environmental scientist Braden R. Allenby tells that it expresses the idea that the Universe forms a whole, associated with the idea of differentiation—10 + 2.Twelve represents the manifestation of the Trinity to the four corners of the horizon—3x4.
It symbolizes the command and the good, and governs the space and the time, that is to say the operation of the Cosmos, from where its designation of cosmic number.
It is the symbol of material and spiritual food, because of the 12 breads which Jesus Christ broke in the Last Supper, Himself being the Bread of Life.
Twelve is the number attributed to the government of the world or the cosmos.
It is the creative capacity, and in some religions, it expresses also the Divine Mother.
BIBLICAL
The twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ: Simon whom He called Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Jude son of James, and Judas Iscariot, replaced after the Ascension by Matthias (Luke 8:40; Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Acts 1:13).
A woman suffered haemorrhage for twelve years and was cured by Jesus (Luke 8:40).
The twelve gates of the celestial city (Revelations 1`:12); the twelve kinds of precious stones of the celestial city (Revelations 21:19,20); the twelve stars of the crown that wears the woman (Revelations 12:2); the trees of life which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month (Revelations 22:2).
The twelve “minor” prophets of the Old Testament, namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
The twelve sons of Ishmael (Gen 25: 13-16 and 16,20).
The twelve great priests of Chronicles.
The twelve stones of the altar of alliance (Ex 24:4).
The twelve names engraved on the pectoral (Ex 28:21).
The twelve loaves of permanent offering on the golden table (Lev 24:5).
The twelve branches to confirm the choice of Aaron (Num 17:21).
The twelve explorers sent into Canaan (Deut 1:23).
The twelve stones chosen by the twelve men in the Jordan to make a monument (Josh 4:3).
The twelve administrators of Solomon for all Israel (1 Kings 4:7).
The twelve oxen of the bronze Sea (1 Kings 7:25).
The twelve strips made with the cloak of Ahijah (1 Kings 11:30).
The twelve stones of the altar of Elijah (1 Kings 18:31).
The sacrifices of the twelve animals (Num 7:87and 29:17).
The three series of twelve silver bowls offered for the dedication of the altar (Num 7:84).
The twelve curses proclaimed by Moses to all men of Israel (Deut 27:15-26).
The twelve springs of Elim (Exod 15:27).
The twelve thousand marked with God’s seal on their foreheads numbering 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel: Judah, Gad, Asher, Mapthali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issacher, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin (Rev 7:5-8).
The twelve years required for the young Israelis to be admitted as “son of the law”—celebrated as the Bar Mitvah.
The twelve precious stones which were on the pectoral of the great priest Aaron, brother of Moses.
The twelve sons of Jacob (Gen 46:8-25).
GENERAL
The twelve articles of the Creed.
The twelve promises made by Our Lord, to Saint Marguerite Mary Alacoque, for those who would have a devotion to His Sacred Heart by practicing the first nine Fridays of the month.
God would have given to Moses not ten but twelve commandments. In addition, in the revelations of Maria Valtorta, Jesus declares that “if the Commandments of the Law are ten—Commandments given by God the Father to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod 20)—in reality they are twelve since that the Word of the Father, the eternal and infinitely perfect Wisdom, has completed and perfected the Law.
In doing so, he taught that commandments of the commandments are : “To love God of all yourself, and your neighbour as yourself, because these two firsts and main commandments are, in reality, the base of life of the Ten, since the three firsts can not be practiced if you don’t love God of all yourself, of all your forces, of all your soul, and that the seven others can not be practiced if you don’t like the neighbour as yourself, without lacking to the love, to the justice and to the honesty towards what or anyone.”
In the visions of Maria Valtorta, Jesus explains that he was represented in his twelve Apostles. In the French book, “Parole d’Amour” (Word of Love), Jesus specifies by giving more precision” “Among myriads of men, twelve represents for Me all of humanity. And each man has one of these twelve spirits to follow. My Church has twelve faces and there is only one that unites them all: Mine. Me only am for you the Perfection. And from Me, this unique spirit is divided into twelve virtues for the man. Even if in you, you have them all, only one prevails and for you: it is love.
“Here is the charisma by which the Holy Spirit leads you to Me. In other brothers, other virtues prevail, all you assume yourselves in Me. This is why I tell you it: do not seek to act with another charisma that, while being in you, does not prevail on which my Father has given you. Otherwise you will not succeed in your mission. That is to be quite clear! John could not be Peter, neither Peter Philip, nor Philip James, neither James Andrew, nor Andrew Jude, neither Jude Thomas!”
And similarly that Judas, one of the twelve, betrays Him. Jesus affirms—in private revelations of Maria Valtorta—in proportion of one on twelve, one of us also betrays Him.
The twelve shepherds who see the child Jesus in the crib during His birth, Elijah, Levi, Samuel, Jonah, Isaac, Tobit, Jonathan, Daniel, Simeon, John, Joseph and Benjamin, according to visions of Maria Valtorta.
At three years old, the Virgin Mary entered the Temple and she remained there for twelve years.
According to the visions of Anne-Catherine Emmerich, after his temptation in the desert, Jesus is served by 12 superior angels and 72 (or 12x6) angels of lower level.
The twelve plagues which will knock the earth before the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom, according to the Apocalypse of Baruch in the writings in the Library of Qumran.
In the appearance of the virgin Mary to sister Danielle, named “Bush of Thorns: Mary speaks about the twelve Apostles of the last times who will called upon to lead a combat for the truth: “They are these twelve that will restore the new Church which will resuscitate from the ancient. I will reign with them, because they will be the princes of the new Church.”
The twelve winds and their porticoes seen in the vision by Enoch, according to book of calendar of writings in the library of Qumran.
The Testaments of twelve reports that Joseph of Arimathea, who brought to Brittany the cup of the Holy Grail, had with him twelve knights.
Then twelve degrees of humility according to the holy monastic rule of Saint Benoit.
The Buddhists recognize twelve causes of existence or Nidanas.
According to the revelations, Isabelle Davie, in her French book, “2000 ans sur le chemin de la lumiere” (2000 years on the path of Light), twelve brothers and sisters would be in permanent meditation on each continent. Some among them would be luminous beings.
Favre of Olivet recognises in the man twelve abilities, divided into six dualities: attention and perception, reflection. Comparison and judgement, retention and memory, perception and comprehension, imagination and creation.
The twelve signs, or constellations of the zodiac.
Receptacle of the good and evil, the Egg of Osiris contained twelve pyramids, symbol of the good, and twelve black pyramids, emblems of the evil, introduced by Typhoon.
The twelve eras that the earth crosses in 26,000 years. At each of the twelve cycles of humanity would incarnate a rescuer—or so many believe.
But dear reader, I like this part because whatever my qualifications I am also honours in Shakespeare’s English and philosophy. But I also came to realise that rich or poor, even mosquitoes must eat something—so sometimes the high flown English can also become redundant. Whatever the case take it good spirit.
The twelve works of Hercules:
1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
2. Kill the Hydra.
3. Capture the Cerynean Stag,
4. Cage the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean Stables.
6. Kill the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Claim the Mares of Diomed4es
8. Pen the Crertan Bull.
9. Take the girdle of Hippolyte, the Amazon.
10. Capture Geryon’s catle.
11. Fetch the Golden Apples of Hesperides, and
12. Capture Cerberus from the Gates of Tartaros.
The twelve animals of the Chinese horoscope : the Rat, the ox, the Tiger, the Cat, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Cock, the Dog and the Pig.
The twelve lunar years in the Chinese lunar calendar forming the complete cycle which lasts sixty years.
There are twelve principal divinities in Greek mythology.
The twelve names of the Sun in Sanskrit, which are pronounced as mantras.
In the Japanese mythology, the Creator is sat on twelve sacred cushions.
According to some other sources, there would be twelve Universe and the Earth would belong to the twelfth. And in this twelfth Universe, there would be twelve solar systems.
Some more, dear reader? Okay. Here goes:-
The twelve petals of the Anahata Chakra located in the area of the heart and the twelve petals of the corolla of the Sahasrara Chakra located at the top of the head.
The number twelve is also the number of proposals, or verses, summarizing all the teachings of the Hermetic traditions. It is a document originating from Egypt, attributed to Hermes Trismegist.
According to some testimonies, there would be on the planet twelve families which would be at the base of a “secret government” whose only goal would be to direct and enslave the whole world by the power of money. This government would have a seizure on United Nations, the military, the agencies of information, the World Bank and of any tool making it possible to make and to act as they want.
According to other sources, this secret government would see even in this secret government an analogy of the Beast of the Revelation.
Our solar system would be composed of twelve planets. There remains only one planet to be discovered. That orbiting beyond Pluto was discovered in 1993. The planet yet to be discovered is believed to orbit between Mars and Jupiter. It would have the approximately the same size of Mars.
Twelve is the number of the disciples accompanying the great Master of history: the twelve Apostles of the Christ. Twelve also means the twelve disciples of Mohammed chosen by him to spread his doctrine; plus the twelve minor famines beside the Pontiff Maximus; the twelve first companions of Saint Francis of Assisi; the 12 disciple of Confucius; the 12 disciples of Mithra; the twelve descendants of Ali; the twelve companions of Odin, with also the 12 goddesses for women; the twelve Marshals of Napoleon.
In the Islamic religion, there are twelve Imams. The Imam is the preferential intermediary between the men and God. For the Shiites, he should be a descent of Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed (Mahomet). The twelfth Imam having disappeared at age of four years old, in 260 of the Hegira 873, with the death of his father, he had no successor and he was considered alive.
Then too, we have the twelve gods of Egypt whose Hercules was then chief.
The twelve provinces that Ra (Egyptian deity) visits each day by passing one hour in each of them.
The twelve tables of the shield of Achilles which represent the social and agricultural life during each month, starting with January.
The twelve “fevers” of the Russian popular tradition.
The twelve imposing rooms of the Scandinavian paradise.
The twelve virtues and twelve vices of our Lady of Paris.
The twelve solo circuits which made taking part in the quadrigae in the races of ancient Greece.
The twelve rooms of the Hell corresponding to the twelve nocturnal hours of the eschatological doctrines of Valentine.
The twelve lions decorating the steps of the throne of Solomon in the Arab legends.
The twelve seats surrounding the throne of Odin (Norse deity).
Measured by the passage of the twelve moons (29 days and half each time), the lunar counts only 354 days.
Twelve is the first number known as “abundant” since the sum of its dividers (aliquot parts) gives a result higher than 12 :1+2+3+4+6=16.
The twelve gates of the human body of the man—2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, the mouth, 2 breasts, the navel, the anus and the penis.
The human cell has twelve biochemical salts.
The twelve ganglions in the human body.
The pure light would be made up, not of seven, but of twelve colours.
The twelve semitones derived from the seven tones of the scale.
OCCURRENCE
The number twelve is used 189 times in the Bible.
The Gospel of Thomas uses on the whole 12 different numbers, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 24, 60, 99, 100. 120, 1,000, and 10,000. The sum of each of their occurrence is given as total 36.
The number twelve is used 7 times in the Koran (Koran II, 57; II, 130 III, 78; VII, 159; IX, 36; LXXXV, 1).
The word Gehenna is used 12 times in the Bible, the twelve times in the NT (New Testament). In the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ is 12 times designated as the Son of Man.
And December, the twelfth month ends in a few days. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
