Gematria and Isopsephy

Hellenistic Antiquity & Medieval Jewish Mysticism

First attested

1st centuryMishnah (Pirkei Avot 3:18) and Hellenistic Pompeian isopsephic graffiti.

The ancient practice of assigning numerical values to Hebrew and Greek letters to uncover hidden correspondences.

Gematria (in Hebrew) and Isopsephy (in Greek) are ancient exegetical and mystical techniques wherein every letter of the alphabet possesses an invariant numerical value. Words sharing identical numerical sums are interpreted as possessing profound esoteric affinity or subterranean theological correspondence. While attested in Greek graffiti at Pompeii and Hellenistic magical papyri, gematria became central to medieval Kabbalistic exegesis—notably in the Sefer Yetzirah and Abraham Abulafia's ecstatic meditative permutations—where the letters of the Hebrew Torah are viewed as the creative instruments of God.