Historical Unfolding

The Apostle John described the city foursquare in the book of Revelation in a metaphor that is rich in numeric references. He presents factors of 3, 4, 12, and 144. According to available evidence Mary Baker Eddy utilized these dimensions in applying all her major work to John's matrix structure to facilitate the scientific development in human consciousness to higher levels of understanding, of Christian Science.

The first person to recognize that there exists a direct interrelationship between the Apostle John's city foursquare and Mary Baker Eddy's work was a Christian Science teacher, named John Doorly. This happened in the 1930/1940 timeframe, in London, England. John Doorly discovered that the Christian Science textbook by Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, is divided into exactly 16 chapters (not counting the Preface, the Glossary, and a section of testimonials at the end, called Fruitage), and he reasoned that since the city foursquare has likewise 16 elements, these structures must therefore fit together. However, John Doorly discovered only a minute part of Mary Baker Eddy's pedagogical structure, and this incompletely. The result was that the development work stopped and the interrelationship between Mary Baker Eddy's work and the Apostle John's city foursquare drifted back into obscurity. It would take another thirty years before this relationship was rediscovered.

The obscurity was shattered by the work of a Christian Scientist in North Vancouver, Canada, named Howard Meredith. This occurred in the early 1980s. Howard Meredith discovered independently that the textbook is so related, but is not the only work of Mary Baker Eddy that is divided into 16 parts, or multiples of sixteen parts. For instance, he recognized that the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy is likewise partitioned into 16 parts. He also recognized that within the textbook a number of major aspects are so partitioned into 16 parts or multiples thereof, which include the textbook chapter Recapitulation (24 parts), the Glossary definition for the term, Mortal Mind (16 parts), and the Platform of Christian Science (32 parts or 2x16). Evidently, they are therefore all directly related to the Apostle John's city foursquare.

Howard Meredith was also the first individual in history to discover in Mary Baker Eddy's work that there exists a fundamental relationship between the Glossary of the textbook and the matrix foursquare. He recognized that if one takes into account the existence of dual definitions in the Glossary, one arrives at a grand total of 146 definitions. The rule that he applied for this determination is based on his recognition that Mary Baker Eddy routinely separates dual concepts for a certain term into two separate sentences. If one follows this path, the Glossary comes to light as a structure of 146 elements. Wow! That's close to the 144 that the Revelator presents in Revelation 21.

The end result, however, dos not completely correspond the Apostle John's description of the city foursquare as a structure of 144 parts. See, Revelation 21:17.

17 And he measured the wall thereof,
an hundred and forty and four cubits,
according to the measure of a man,
that is, of the angel.

We have a paradox unfolding here.

The physical counting of the so recognized definitions yields a total of 146 definitions. Nothing changes that. On the other hand, the so recognized number of definitions does not agree with the metaphoric references that Mary Baker Eddy has imbedded in the last two paintings in Christ and Christmas, especially in the design of the crown, nor does it agree with John's metaphor. Nothing changes that either. So, what are we going to do to solve the paradox? One option is that we open our eyes a little wider.

Mary Baker Eddy gives us some hints of the type of metaphor one might be looking for, to help us resolve this puzzle. These are found in the paintings that illustrate her poem, Christ and Christmas. In the painting Seeking and Finding we see a clock in the background with the hands at 12:05. The verse of Revelation 12:05 introduces the man child of the woman closed with the sun, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, but who was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

A similar type of metaphor can be found in another painting (I thank thee of Father...) where we find another clock in the background, where in this case, the clock points to 05:05. 

In that case, Revelation 5:5 tells us: "Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, has revealed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof."

In both cases, the verse pointed to in metaphor, relates directly to the scene of the painting to which it belongs. This means that we are looking for that kind of metaphor. Or are we looking for something more directly related in the metaphor, like the number 5 in relationship to a fundamental characteristic of the Glossary structure? Such a relationship exists. If one looks closer it becomes apparent that Mary Baker Eddy has presented five different types of dual definitions, which alter the rules by which dual definitions are counted. By recognizing these five different types of dual definitions a 144-element Glossary structure results naturally and scientifically, whereby the 144/146 paradox can be resolved.

Allow me to give you also a brief look at what is involved in the technical process of resolving the paradox by an in-depth examination of the five types of dual definitions that one finds in the Glossary. As I stated, one can recognize five unique types of dual definitions in the Glossary, each having a different characteristic. There are many profound details involved.

Link to: Explore the Dual Definitions  

The problem with biblical metaphor is that it is open to all sorts of interpretations. The metaphoric image of the man child who was caught up unto God, is an example. It could be a reference to Mary Baker Eddy's structure for scientific and spiritual development, which has its roots in the spiritual and scientific development of humanity. It is indeed a 'man' child, and so, while Mary Baker Eddy worked with it extensively, and had outlined it extensively, she gave it back to God. She left it undefined.

Such interpretations are highly subjective. But there are other types of metaphor in Christ and Christmas that are far more direct and totally specific to the structure for scientific and spiritual development that Mary Baker Eddy was working with. In the last painting, called The Way, we see a cross and a crown united by a beam of light.

The cross is surrounded by nine birds. Here we have a metaphor that includes one of the vital aspects of relating the Glossary of the textbook to the matrix foursquare, since 9x16=144. This dimension also accords with the Apostle John's description of the city foursquare in Revelation 21. 

The metaphoric reference to the 9x16 dimension is verified once more in the crown itself.

The crown presents to us nine jewels in its frontal view. There are altogether three single jewels located to the right, left, and center, and two clusters of three jewels each, in between them, for a total of nine. If one looks at the same crown from the top down, one beholds 16 jewels. There are two single jewels at the front and rear center, and two more at the right and the left, for a total of four, and four clusters of three jewels each, in between. In other words, the crown represents unmistakably the 9x16 dimension (144 elements), which matches the measure of the city provided by the Apostle John in Revelation 21:17. However, there is another element involved, which is the factor 5. The crown shows five points, five areas for jewels. Correspondingly I recognize the existence of 5 types of dual definitions existing in the Glossary.

Link to: Explore the Dual Definitions  

Does this resolve the 146/144 paradox?

Link to the steps of how I resolved the paradox for myself.

The exploration of the dual definitions raises some important questions that one needs to answer oneself as a scientist. 

As a scientist I must raise those questions, but it is not my prerogative to determine for anyone what the answers must be, or even to suggest that those questions should be considered. As a scientist, I may point out in the form of a dialog, that certain technical aspects exist that enable one to recognize the Glossary as a structure of 144 definitions. As a scientist I also need to point out that the questions that are involved, are questions with profound implications. Not only do the specific answers to these questions radically effect the shape of the resulting structure for the city foursquare, but more importantly, they effect one perception of reality and one's relationship to it. But isn't this what Christian Science, and scientific development is all about?

I, personally, cannot presume to answer those questions for anyone, or even suggest such answers, which I would, by providing you with my own determination. I can only present possible options as a platform for exploring the principles involved.

The simplest, but also the most profound form, is the 9x16 matrix configuration that is indicated in metaphor. So, let's begin and explore what such a structure would logically look like, in terms of the fundamental design of the substructures.

The exploration will ultimately be useful regardless of which structure one's scientific perception will lead one towards, since the basic features will apply in some form universally.

Link to: Exploring the 9x16 matrix (a 144 element structure)

If one chooses not to regard the five types of dual definitions, and therefore is compelled to deal with the Glossary as a structure of 146 unique definitions, as Howard Meredith does (in which Euphrates and Burial are recognized as double definitions, and Son as a triple definition, and Adam a single), quite an interesting arrangement can also be created.