Math

Overview

Iamblichos on mathematics: one of the reasons I have felt an intellectual kinship with him -

The primary study of every mathematician, including the private individual,
in each matter, whatsoever it be, is the theological,
by harmonizing it in rank and activities with the being and the power of the gods by some fitting analogy.
This, indeed, is thought to deserve the greatest concern from men,
as for example, in the case of numbers,
which sorts of numbers are akin to which sorts of gods and of like nature with them,
and in the cases of other branches of mathematics
they are accustomed to have the same conception.

Encircling the world

A nice article on aspects of the great Syrian sage Iamblichos’ philosophy. The numbers of Iamblichos: 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 24, 25, 49, 51, 75, 76, 99, 125, 249, 251… Do you see their logic?(=??)
Their pattern is a centerpiece in his philosophy here.

There is also lot of material for comparative philosophy with H tradition.
Comparisons could be made with the core of mImAMsA;
the idea of the altar of syllables.
The saiddhAntika shaiva theory of Atman-s etc.
Encircling the sphere has a somewhat distinct yet comparable expression in early H thought
in a mantra of maitrAvaruNi agastya:

pra yad itthA mahinA nR^ibhyo asty
araM rodasI kakShye nAsmai |
saM vivya indro vR^ijanaM na bhUmA
bharti svadhAvAM opasham iva dyAm ||

Indra encircling the worlds in the primary metaphor here

Quadratic

The parabola of the form y=x^2-2x is central to the numerology of Iamblichos: at x=1 it reaches its minimum because x+x>x^2; at x=2 x+x=x^2; beyond that x^2>2x. He took 1 to be unitary world consciousness. The 2 to be the border-zone which the gods occupy between the former and the multiplicity of the world that lies beyond it. The multiplicity being expressed by the fact the self-multiplication exceeds the self summation.