isopsephy

Isopsephy is the practice of assigning numerical values to the letters of the Greek alphabet and then summing these values to obtain a numeric value for a word or phrase. The term derives from Greek isos meaning equal and psephos meaning pebble, reflecting an ancient habit of counting with small stones.

In the standard system, each letter corresponds to a number, with units, tens, and hundreds represented by different letters. Units run from 1 to 9, tens from 10 to 90, and hundreds from 100 to 900. Some variants use archaic letters or distinct numeral signs for certain values, such as digamma, koppa, and sampi, in earlier alphabets. The numerical value of a word is the sum of its letters, and phrases with identical sums are sometimes interpreted as sharing a hidden connection.

Historically, isopsephy appears in ancient Greek literature and inscriptions and continued into late antique and medieval contexts. It has been used for literary analysis, cryptography, and numerological interpretation. In Christian contexts, isopsephy is notably employed to relate names and terms; for example, the Greek name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (Jesus) sums to 888, a figure that has featured in various theological and numerological discussions.

In modern scholarship, isopsephy is studied as part of the broader field of gematria and alphabetic numerology, with emphasis on historical usage and cultural significance rather than as a predictive tool. Related concepts include Hebrew gematria and other systems of numerology based on letters.