A perfect Chalice is made by circles who’s edges lie on each others radius (center).The ratio of a perfect Chalice is an approximation to the square root of three, which makes the triquetra quite redundant with its three circles and three chalices.

Continuing the pattern of circles eventually manifests the seed of life, the flower of life and the fruit of life. The Chalice might be called the original draught of all things. From the geometry of the Chalice all other geometric shapes can be drawn.

The Penial Chalice In Rumor, Myth and Scripture.

The widely agreed upon rumor that Pythagoras discovered the wonders of the Chalice -i.e. the Chalice is a base for all mathematical symbols (geometry)- and that he named the equation ‘265:153=1.73’ the “Measure of the fish”, may or may not actually be true. Research has resulted in no evidence whatsoever that Pythagoras connected any equation with a near square root of three as its quotient to the measurements of the Chalice. Nor has any evidence surfaced to show that he ever coined the term “Measure of The Fish” at all.

It is not impossible though, as Pythagoras is known to be insufficiently documented for much knowledge of exactly what he may or may not have done or said on various topics.

Nonetheless, it was more likely the infancy Christians who wrote the new testament, fully equipped with Pythagorean geometry, that first discovered the above formula and coined the title thereof. They at least are documented to have had such perspective.

Although rumors are no less important within the context of Syncphany’s study of the fish.

In the lesser known tale Pythagoras is said to have once been attacked by 153 frogs. The other story says that he came upon a wager with a fisherman that if he could number a catch of fish, he could do as he pleased with the lot. Correctly guessing there were 153 fish, Pythagoras instructed the man to release them back into the sea. Though again it is all hearsay.

Here is a little more on “153”

The number 153 is again the number of fish as it appears in the miracle fishing story of Jesus, at the end of the book of John 21:11, along with the encryption of other relevant numbers. This has germinated many theories and debates who’s passions burnt events,
metaphors and symbolisms into history, scripture and dogma. One such etching is in the number 153 becoming representative to many Christians of the term “Fishers of Men.”

Here is an example, in a clip that describes the encoding of the geometry of the Chalice in John 21:11, from a book entitled;

“The Dimensions of Paradise
by, John Michel.”

“….He called out that they should cast their net on the right side of the boat. Having done so, they were unable to draw it out for the multitude of fishes in it. John then recognized Jesus and told Simon Peter, who put on his fisher’s coat and jumped into the sea. The other disciples followed him in the boat to the shore, which was about 200 cubits away, dragging the net with the fishes. When Simon Peter drew it to land it was found to be “full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.” The number of Σιμων ὁ Πετρος, Simon Peter, is 1925, so Peter can be represented by a circle with circumference 1925 and diameter 612½ or 612. This is appropriate because 612 is the number of ὁ ποιμην ἀγαθος, the Good Shepherd, and that is the title which Simon Peter inherits when, following the incident of the 153 fishes, he is told three times by Jesus, “Feed my sheep.” Six more circles of the same dimensions are drawn for the six other disciples, and the seven are packed together in the most economical way

and placed inside the circular boat, like the coracle of the Celtic saints, the diameter of which is 1224. The disciples are told to cast their net on the right side of the boat. This is done geometrically by placing the compass point on the circumference of the circular boat and drawing an arc of another circle with the same radius, containing a Vesica Piscis (bladder of the fish). The rhombus within it is divided up into sixteen smaller diamond shapes.
Its width being 612, each of its sixteen divisions has a width of 153. They represent sixteen small fishes making up a greater seventeenth, and here again the number 153 is brought out, for 153 is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. The measure around the four sides of the greater rhombus-fish is 2448 or 1224 + 1224 or το δικτυον, the net, plus ἰχθυες, fishes. Thus the net full of 153 fishes is illustrated in number and geometry.

(END CLIP)

The process described above is an objective one. The numbers are taken directly from references encoded together contextually, in the same chapter of the same book and used to draw circles and lines. It is easy to see that this was intentional encryption, by the original writers.

Now lets take a subjective look at Michel’s figure 68.

On the left is what, in modern times, is called a seed of life. On the right is a empty net in a Chalice. In the middle is a crescent that is partially hidden by the ‘seed’. If we turn the image 90 degrees counter clockwise, we can view the crescent as a boat and see that, as the 153 fish story goes, there is an empty net above the boat (crescent) and 16 Vesica Pisces underneath.

Recall that the geometric draught explained in the clip uses the number of the good shepherd to draw a circle inside another circle which is 7 times larger and represents the boat. A circle, not a crescent, represents the boat. It would appear that John Michel did not intend to depict the scene of net and fish positioned on either side of a boat, which is represented by a crescent. Although he certainly intended for the smaller circles to be the disciples who’s intersecting areas form fish. Yet, we can clearly see that scene being illustrated. We may never know for sure if the ancient writers of the book of John intended it, though it does seem likely.

The number 153 has now been shown to represent the width of the Vesica Pisces. Numbers are more important to theology than most people realize. Gematria, for instance, is an ancient method of relating number and meaning.
It is a Greek and Hebrew practice which gives a numerical value to letters thus words, phrases, paragraphs all the way to entire books.

A little more math…
1³ + 3³ + 5³ = 153

Only one verse in the Bible has the gematria sum of 153. It is Ezra 10:35, that’s right, minus the “0:”, it just happens to be an anagram to 153. All the verse contains are the names of three Hebrew men who are named for having married outside of the Hebrew family.

Note Ezra means ‘help’ (Strong’s 5380).

Ezra 10:35
“Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh.”
What meaning of value could
Possibly be in that?

Translated to English these names mean; Benaiah- God builds, Bedeiah- servant of God, Chelluh- to completion (the End). Put together they can mean, God builds up his servants to the End. This is synonymous with the concept of the vesica Pisces, represented by ‘153’ being the building block of all things.

It just so happens that in Ancient Egyptian the word ‘arq’ (ark) means end and is represented by a fish symbol.

And the 153rd verse in the bible is Genesis 6:15 which says,
“And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
That’s 300 X 50 X 30 = 45,000
This could also be taken subjectively and added to 380.

And look at the shape of one contender to the title of “Noah’s Ark”.

Note also that the eight human occupants of the Biblical Ark are first named in Genesis 6:18. Or 1 6 18, Phi!

Although nothing significant is yet found within it, it is worthy of mention that the Bahai Faith has an aggregate of 153 proverbs called the “Hidden Words”. Being that the entire scripture is easily obtained in the public domain, the only mystery is why it would be called hidden.
Perhaps it is the hidden words are Vesica Pisces?

There is but one place known to the author where a fishes bladder is directly refered to in scripture anywhere. That is in the Apacraphal book of Tobit named after the main character.

There are two complete versions of the book of Tobit in Greek. A long version and a short one. They call these versions Greek I (GI), the shorter of the two, and Greek II (GII) the longer. Here the text is taken from a paralell translation of both. This one is called NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint) 19 Tobit, by ALEXANDER A. DI LELLA

From its title this particular translation is subjectively relevant to an article about the fish, because of the acronym  NETS, as in fish nets. More importantly it is objectively appropriate, being that it presents both versions, because the short version often includes relevant information that the longer either contradicts or omits. In order to save the reader time I have Omitted some of the text and summarized in my own narrative. Still, to be more in tune with the important details, I have used the text from GII as a base and where such a case of variance (as described above) presents itself, I have inserted the missing or alternative phrases in parenthesis with the designation GI.

Tobit is a man who loses his sight when sparrow dung covers his eyes with a white film. His son Tobias is sent to collect an inheritance, unwittingly guided by the angel Raphael, who plans to cure Tobit’s blindness with a fishes bladder and exersise a groom killing deamon in Tobias’ future wife, with the heart and liver of the same fish. Only Raphael knows what is to transpire. Including the acquisition of a wife for Tobias.

Tobit was a pius man, always looking for a chance to help the less fortunate men of his race. He  was particularly interested in providing proper burial for deseaced believers, which in the land he had been held captive, was illegal.  He had been in hiding as he was in danger for his disregard for said law. Our text begins in verse 9 of the second chapter after Tobit has gone out in public, at risk to his life, to bury yet another.

“2:9 Then the same night I washed myself and went into my courtyard and slept by the wall of the courtyard (GI because I was defiled), and my face was uncovered because of the heat. 10And I did not know that there were sparrows in the wall above me, and their warm excrement settled into my eyes and brought about white films.”

In chapter five Tobis sends his son, guided by Raphael the angel, who they think is Azarias, son of Hananias the great, one of their relatives, to retrieve money that Tobis had left with a friend, so that Tobias could take it as his inheritance. Durring the journey Tobias and the disguised Raphael camped at the Tigris river for a night.

“6:3Then the child went down to wash his feet (GI wash himself) in the Tigris River. And a large fish, leaping up from the water, wanted to swallow the foot of the young man…) (GI swallow the young man)“…and he cried out. 4Then the angel said to the young man, “Take hold of the fish, and hang on!” So the child seized the fish and carried it up onto the land. 5Then the angel said to him, “Rip open the fish, and take out its gall and heart and liver, and put them aside with you, but the entrails throw away. For its gall and heart and liver are useful as medicine.” 6So cutting open the fish, the young man gathered together the gall and heart and liver; then he roasted and ate some of the fish and kept some of it salted.”

Closer to their destination Raphael spoke to Tobias saying,

6:11 “This night we must stay in the home of Ragouelos. Now the man is your relative, and he has a beautifula daughter whose name is Sarra. 12And he has no male son or daughter except Sarra alone, and you are closer to her than all other men, to have her as an inheritance. And it is right for you to have her father’s possessions as an inheritance. Also the girl is sensible and brave and very beautiful, and her father is noble.”

“14 Then in reply Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azarias, I heard that she already has been given to seven husbands, and they died in their bridal chamber. On the night when they went in toward her, they would die.”

Raphael:

“17Now when you go into the bridal chamber, take some of the fish’s liver and heart, and put them on the embers of the incense, and the smell will go forth. 18Then the demon will smell it and flee and will never be seen around her any more.”

Tobias follows the lead of the Angel and everything goes as planned. Tobias burns the heart and liver in the bridal chamber…

After two weeks of celebration they head home long over due. Tobias with two inheritances instead of one. They came  near to Tobias’ home,

“11:7 Then Raphael said to Tobias, before he had approached his father, “I know that his eyes will be opened. 8Sprinkle the gall of the fish on his eyes, and the medicine will make the white films contract and peel off from his eyes, and your father will look up and see the light.”

“10Then Tobis got up and stumbled on his feet and went out the door of the courtyard. And Tobias went up to him. 11:11Now the gall of the fish was in his hand, and he blew into his eyes and held him and said, “Take courage, father.” Then he lay the medicine on him, and ait workeda.
And he scaled it off with both his hands from the corners of his eyes. Then he fell on his neck, and he wept and said to him, ‘I see you, my child, the light of my eyes!’ “

Again, most of the bolded number, word and phrase significance will be described in later chapters of the ICHTHYOS series, although it is nessisary to explain some of them now.

The word sparrow in 2:10 is translated from the greek word strouthion which means a small bird, sparrow and in the origional hebrew, tsippor means bird. The point here is that it is not nessisarily sparrows that this verse refers to, but birds in general.

The number of husbands of Sara, as stated in verse 6:14, is seven which makes Tobias her 8th husband.