Chapter XLV.—Why Jesus is Called Alpha.

Now Jesus possesses this ineffable generation. For from the mother of the universe, I mean the first tetrad, proceeded forth, in the manner of a daughter, the second tetrad. And it became an ogdoad, from which proceeded forth the decade; and thus was produced ten, and next eighteen. The decade, therefore, coming in along with the ogdoad, and rendering it tenfold, produced the number eighty; and again making eighty tenfold, generated the number eight hundred.754    Part of this sentence is supplied from Irenæus. And so it is that the entire number of letters that proceeded forth from ogdoad into decade is eight hundred and eighty-eight, which is Jesus; for the name Jesus, according to the number in letters, is eight hundred and eighty-eight. Now likewise the Greek alphabet has eight monads and eight decades, and eight hecatontads; and these exhibit the calculated sum of eight hundred and eighty-eight, that is, Jesus, who consists of all numbers. And that on this account He is called Alpha (and Omega), indicating His generation (to be) from all.755    Hippolytus here omits the following sentence found in Irenæus: “And again thus—of the first quarternion, when added into itself, in accordance with a progression of number, appeared the number ten, and so forth.”

[50] Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ταύτην [μὲν] ἔχει, [φησί,] τὴν ἄρρητον γένεσιν: ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς μητρὸς τῶν ὅλων, τῆς πρώτης τετράδος, ἐν θυγατρὸς τόπῳ προῆλθεν ἡ δευτέρα τετράς, καὶ ἐγένετο ὀγδοάς, ἐξ ἧς προῆλθεν ἡ δεκάς: οὕτως ἐγένετο [ἰῶτα εἶτα] δεκαοκτώ. ἡ οὖν δεκάς, ἐπισυνελθοῦσα τῇ ὀγδοάδι καὶ δεκαπλασίονα αὐτὴν ποιήσασα, τὸν τῶν ὀγδοήκοντα [προεβίβασεν ἀριθμόν: καὶ τὰ ὀγδοήκοντα] πάλιν δεκαπλασιάσασα τὸν τῶν ὀκτακοσίων ἀριθμὸν ἐγέννησεν: ὥστε εἶναι τὸν ἅπαντα τῶν γραμμάτων ἀριθμόν, ἀπὸ ὀγδοάδος εἰς δεκά[δα] προελθόντα, [εἶναι] [η] καὶ [π] καὶ [ω], ὅ ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς. τὸ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ὄνομα κατὰ τὸν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἀριθμόν ἐστιν ὀκτακόσια ὀγδοηκονταοκτώ. [διὸ] καὶ τὸ[ν] ἀλφάβητον δὲ τὸ[ν] Ἑλληνικὸν ἔχει[ν] μονάδας ὀκτὼ [καὶ δεκάδας ὀκτὼ] καὶ ἑκατοντάδας ὀκτώ, τὴν τῶν ὀκτακοσίων ὀγδοηκονταοκτὼ ψῆφον ἐπιδεικνύοντα, τουτέστι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐκ πάντων συνεστῶτα τῶν ἀριθμῶν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἄλφα [καὶ [ω]] ὀνομάζεσθαι αὐτόν, τὴν ἐκ πάντων [αὐτοῦ] γένεσιν σημαίνοντα.