A good portion of my articles on biblical prophecy and typology focus on the underappreciated and poorly understood symbolism underlying numbers in scriptural contexts.  In particular, I expound a great deal on the symbolism underlying the number eight and how the Bible develops this symbolism.  That research demonstrates quite clearly that eight is a symbol of the start of a new cycle in a series of repeating cycles.  I’ve argued that this symbolism also applies to the eighth king of Revelation 17, suggesting that the focus of this king was more on the world governments that  would arise beyond the Roman Empire and was not a Roman figure himself.  This is counter to the contention by many preterists that the eighth king was merely a reference to another, non-sequential Roman king, such as Vespasian or Titus.

As further evidence that such a pattern does exist in Scripture and this eighth king really does symbolize the beginning of a new cycle of kings from a nation other than Rome, in this post, we’ll take a look at one very tangible, historical king who was the beginning of just such a new cycle of rulers and has very real and unmistakable associations with the number eight.  Also, like the eighth king of Revelation, this king is acutely connected with the color red.

Caesar Augustus

The iteration in the repeating cycle of world governments that preceded the Roman Empire was of course the Greek Empire.   As Dr. Robert Gurney described in his book “God in Control” and I demonstrated in my post “Daniel 11:36-45: Faulty Forecast, Future Finale or Focal Flip“, the transition of power from Greece to Rome is described in the book of Daniel as Rome becomes the king of the North in the second clause of Daniel 11:40.  The last portion of Greece mentioned in Daniel 11 to be annexed to the Roman Empire was Egypt (Daniel 11:42) [1].  The military leader and emperor-to-be who accomplished this was Augustus Caesar.  Before becoming emperor though, Augustus was known by his given name of Gauis Octavius.

Discerning readers might notice at once that Octavius sounds as though it may bear some relationship to the English prefix “octo-” meaning “eight” (e.g. octagon, octopus, octave, octogenarian).  And such readers would be entirely correct in making this connection for Octavius does indeed have its roots in the number eight.  Octavius comes from the Latin word ‘octavus’ meaning ‘eight’ [2].  This is similar to the Greek word used of the eighth king in Revelation 17:11 which is ‘ogdoos’ [G3590] and derives from the Greek for eight – ‘okto’ [G3638].  Such translations of ‘eight’ and ‘eighth’ can be easily seen in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Scriptures as well:

Like his prominent role in the prophecy of Daniel 11, Gauis Octavius also has a special place in the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke.  He is recorded as the Emperor at the time of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:1).  Here, he is referred to as Augustus Caesar.  Augustus was a title bestowed on Gauis Octavius by the Roman Senate.  Caesar is both a reflection of his role as emperor and the fact that he was adopted as a son to his great uncle Julius Caesar, the first Emperor of the Roman Empire.  This passage in Luke also has Augustus mentioned along with the governor of Syria, Quirinius.  This parallels the ruler of Syria who was the focus of much of Daniel’s other prophecies as well.  This ruler was Antiochus IV Epiphanes.  Incidentally, Antiochus IV was also an eighth king in Daniel 7 [3].  Both Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“God Manifest”) and Augustus Caesar were antichrist figures strongly associated with the number eight.

As a side note, but one seriously worth mentioning, Antiochus IV literally has the written form of what could be seen as anti-Ochus.  This is readily apparent by comparing the Greek for Antiochus [Αντιόχος] to the Greek for antichrist [G500 – ἀντίχριστος] (1 John 2:18,22,4:3; 2 John 1:7).  Both words incorporate the Greek prefix anti- [G473].  The ‘ochus’ in Antiochus seems most likely to me to be a prophetic reflection of Darius II whose birth name was Ochus [Ὦχος][4].  Darius II was the Persian King who made good on the frustrated promises of Cyrus (Ezra 3-4; 5:13-17; 6:3,14 cf. 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-8). Both Cyrus and Darius II Ochus were messianic figures to Israel and I believe this fact accounts for their identities being conflated to form part of the enigmatic figure from the book of Daniel known as Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:31; 9:1; 11:1).  That an anti-Ochus should rise up as the anti-Messianic figure of Daniel in contrast to the messianic figure of Ochus is more than fitting.

Scarlet, Crimson, and Redness

But besides the conjoined reference to the ruler of Syria and his association with the number eight and Octavius/Augustus, the second chapter of Luke also focuses our attention on the number eight by its mention of the circumcision of Christ eight days after his birth (Luke 2:41-52). This section records a prophetess named Anna from the tribe of Asher (eighth son of Israel) who was married for seven years but was widowed for 84 years (Luke 2:36-40). As usual, the seven and eight hint at something eschatologically significant. Realizing this, we might notice that 84 is 42 times 2.  We might then recall that 42 months = 3 ½ years (Revelation 11:2-3).  So the 84 here in Luke almost certainly alludes to the presentation of Jesus at the temple as fulfilling a prophetic 7 year period (cf. the last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:27).  Further, the birth of Jesus is also associated with 42 months (i.e. 1,260 days) in Revelation 12:1-6.  Further still, the last ‘seven’ of Daniel’s 70-weeks is connected with the rise of Michael (Daniel 10:13,21; Revelation 12:7), the number 62 and Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:31; 9:1,25-26).

Notice also in this section of Revelation 12, we are introduced to a great red dragon (Revelation 12:2) who attempts to destroy the young Christ.  A counterpart to this red dragon is found in the Scarlet Eighth king-beast of Revelation 17:3.  This beast from the Sea/Abyss is associated with a career that lasts 42-months/1,260 days (Revelation 11:2-3,7).  Given that it is repeated here twice in connection to two parallel entities, we might wonder what the significance of red might be.  Historically, Octavius/Augustus is also connected intimately with the color red.

The first of the Octavii ancestors of Augustus to rise to prominence was Gnaeus Octavius Rufus.  After humble beginnings, this man  became a Roman quaestor in 230 B.C.  Several others in his line also adopted the title Rufus. They are known to historians as the Octavii Rufi.  Eerily, the word ‘rufus’ is Latin for ‘red’.   As with the Latin words for eight, this can be most readily seen in the Latin Vulgate (Genesis 25:25; Leviticus 13:42; 1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42; Revelation 6:4; 12:3 VUL).  This is all the more significant when we realize that along with Augustus, several other Caesars were descendants of the Octavii including Claudius, Caligula, and most significantly, Nero.  In fact, there are ancient historical records that indicate that both Julius Caesar and Nero had red hair.  Oddly, Latin words for Caesar (Caesar, Caesaris) are also apparently rooted in the Latin words for ‘hairy‘, caesariēs, caesarieī. (See also G2541 and H8163).  Compare this to the shaggy he-goat of Daniel 8:21 which represented Greece.  Also, like Antiochus IV the ruler of Syria, a Hebrew word meaning Syrian [H726] traces its origin back to the color red [H119].

In a manner becoming of an antichrist, the association with red is a reflection of prefigurements of Christ who had deep connections with the color red themselves:

  • Adam [H120/H121] – derives from H119 which means dyed-red or ruddy.  Other Hebrew words reflect this association of Adam with the color red as well (H122, H125, H132).  This association is also evident in the Hebrew word for blood [H1818].
  • Edom/Esau – Like Adam, Edom also derives from the word for red.  He is also infamous for his hairy, red facade (Genesis 25:25) and the rash squandering of his inheritance for a bowl of red lentil soup (Genesis 25:30).
  • David – another prefigurement of Christ is described as being ruddy (1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42).  He was also the eighth son of Jesse.
  • The Masculine lover in the Song of Solomon – There is evidence that this book is largely a typological portrayal of Christ’s marriage to the Church.  The male, messianic lover in the account is described as being ruddy (Song of Solomon 5:10).
  • Mordecai – the name Mordecai is somewhat ambiguous as it can mean “Servant of Man” or “Servant of Mars”.  In either case, the name has Messianic overtones.  The Hebrew word for Mars is ma’adim [מַאֲדִים] (cf. Adam – אָדָם) and plays off of the visible redness of the planet in the night sky.  Mars was also the God of war.  Both the origin and the eventual abolishing of war are major eschatological subjects in Scripture (Genesis 4:8,15,23-24; 9:6; Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-9; 65:25; Ezekiel 39:2-6,9-16; Micah 4:3; Matthew 5:21-26; 23:35; Luke 11:51).  The Octavii themselves had their origin in a  worshiper of Mars[5]. From the perspective of the “Servant of Man”, Christ Himself said He did not come to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).
  • Obed-Edom – Akin to the name Mordecai, Obed-Edom [H5654] also means “Servant of Edom” or “He Who Serves the Edomites”.  Given the close association between Edom, Adam and Mars above, it’s not at all hard to see Obed-Edom as representing a “Servant of Man/Mars” himself.  It hardly seems coincidental that like Darius the Mede, Antiochus IV and the Messiah, Obed-Edom is associated with both the numbers 62 (see above) and 8 (2 Samuel 6:10-12; 1 Chronicles 13:13-14; 15:21; 26:4-5,8). Further, Obed-Edom and his descendants were musicians who played the harp according to the ‘sheminith [H8067] (i.e. an 8-stringed instrument or a tonal octave) (1 Chronicles 15:21).  They were also doorkeepers/porters [H8179, H7778] in charge of protecting the temple treasures.  Like Jehoash, the king of Israel who took the treasures that had been explicitly entrusted to Obed-Edom (2 Chronicles 25:24), Belshazzar, king of Babylon desecrated the very same treasures just prior to his surprise defeat by 62-year old Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:2-4,30-31).  The Hebrew words for porter also bear a striking resemblance to the Hebrew words for whirlwind [H5590, H5591, H8175] which are absolutely central to understanding the proper interpretation of Daniel 11:40.  In fact, H8175 is written exactly the same way (i.e. it’s a homograph) as the word for porter H8179 and one of its relatives H8176.  And bringing us full circle back to the color red, another Hebrew word for whirlwind is H5492 which is also used in reference to the Red Sea (Numbers 21:14). This is apparently due to its association with H5488 which also means ‘red’ and is used many times in reference to the Red Sea.  I discuss the importance of the whirlwind in my three part article “Daniel 11:36-45: Faulty Forecast, Future Finale or Focal Flip“.
  • Jacob the Worm – In the context of the famous prophecy regarding the rise of Cyrus (i.e. the Sun) coming from the North and the East (Isaiah 41:2,5) like a whirlwind (Isaiah 40:24 cf. 41:16; 40:4-5) to deliver Israel from the Babylonian captivity, Israel/Jacob is referred to as a worm [towla – H8438] (Isaiah 41:14).  But this is no ordinary worm.  This is specifically coccus ilicus.  Also known as the “Crimson Worm”, the  dead bodies of these organisms were used commercially in ancient times primarily in the production of red dye.  This worm also appears in many other messianic contexts which I hope to expound on in future posts.  It also has some uncanny self-sacrificial reproductive behavior that very well may be designed to hint at the sacrifice of Christ.
  • The Red Heifer – in the Levitical Law, a spotless red heifer was to be killed and burned outside the camp of Israel.  Among the other things to be burned with the heifer was scarlet wool.  These ashes were to be mixed with fresh water to produce the water of cleansing.  This water was used to cleanse people, tents and furnishings that had been in contact with a corpse.  It was also used to purify the Levites prior to service in the Tabernacle.  As part of the ceremony for creating the water of cleansing, the blood of the heifer was to be sprinkled seven times before the Tabernacle (Numbers 8:7; 19; Hebrews 9:13).  It’s easy to see how this heifer may have been a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ necessary for cleansing his spiritual temple.

Octavia and Pythagoras

Returning to Nero and his connections with the Octavii Rufi, he himself was married to Octavia, his step-sister, whom he later had banished and murdered.  Ironically, Nero died on the anniversary of her death suggesting their unity in destruction [6].  But not before he entered into a same-sex marriage by becoming the wife to a freedman named Pythagoras [7][8] (though Suetonius claims the husband in this wedding was Doryphorus [9]).  Compare this to the unnatural and confused relations between the Harlot of Babylon, the ten kings of the earth, and the eighth king-beast  (Revelation 17:2,12-13,17).

Pythagoras is the same name as the Greek man famous even in antiquity for his alleged contributions to music (the Pythagorean tuning scheme for the sequences of seven natural notes, separated by octaves) [10] and the Pythagorean Theorem of geometry concerning right triangles.  Nero’s close historical association with a Pythagoras and significant numbers like seven, eight and 666 cannot be merely a coincidence.  Consider the following observations.

Though the actual authentic history surrounding the more famous Pythagoras is uncertain, he was no doubt famous in the ancient world for the accomplishments mentioned above.  Ancient writers such as Diogenes, Porphyry, Iamblichus, Plato, Socrates and Aristotle all wrote in detail about him.  He is also credited with the founding of the Pythagorean cult which was still flourishing, even around the time Revelation was written.  Pythagoras and his followers were keenly interested in numbers and attached mystical meanings to them.  Of the several numbers they considered special, 10 was the number they honored most.  10 was considered the perfect number.  They actually worshiped it and swore oaths by it.  They even had a special symbol for it called the Tetractys.  This was a triangle formed of 10 points, organized into four rows, each containing one more point than the previous row.  10 was therefore special because it is a triangular number formed from a base of 4 (i.e. half of eight).

Scripturally, eight and ten are also connected via the 10 kings associated with the eighth king (Revelation 17:3,7,12,16).  Like these 10 kings, the followers of Pythagoras honored the number 10 by never arranging themselves at gatherings in groups larger than 10 [11][12].  It is probably no coincidence either that the Hebrew words for 10 [H6235, H6236, H6237, H6240, H6241, H4643, H6218, H6224] are homophones for Asher [H836], the eighth son of Jacob.  There is also a parallel between the Tetractys of Pythagoras and the number 666.  Just as 10 is the triangular of 4 and was a divine symbol bestowed as a gift to the followers of Pythagoras, 666 is the triangular of 36 or 6 squared and was used to mark the followers of the beast [13].  In light of all these observations, it’s not surprising that 666 would also apply to Nero on account of the gemetrial value of his name.

The eighth king and 666 are also linked in that they both require a mind with wisdom to interpret (Revelation 13:18; 17:9-11).  Ancient tradition actually credits Pythagoras with being the first to coin the term philosopher from the Greek words philo (“love”) and sophia (“wisdom”) and apply it to himself [14].  Pythagoras considered education to be the prime trait distinguishing man from beasts.  So much so that he recalled an Olympiad where there were only seven men in an entire city who excelled in racing and only seven in the whole habitable world that excelled in wisdom [15].  Compare this to the seven heads supported by the eighth king of Revelation 17.

Also, like Octavius/Augustus (see below), Pythagoras was supposedly divine, being the son of the god Apollo [cf. G622, G625] born in Sidon of Phonecia (though he also claimed that he was the son of the god Hermes in a former life [16][17][18][19]).  Among other messianic associations, Apollo was literally the god of the Sun.  This is also evident in the Greek word Apollonia [G624] which derives from the Sun.  This is parallel to biblical messianic and anti-messianic figures like Cyrus (i.e. the Sun), the “Morning Star” king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:12), Samson (i.e. the Sun), Solomon (educated under the Sun), and the Messiah Himself (Revelation 2:28; 22:16).  A thinly veiled allusion to Apollo is made in Revelation 9:11 via Apollyon [G623], the angel of the Abyss from where the eighth king beast emerged (Revelation 11:7; 17:8).

Pythagoras was destined to be a messianic figure who could even calm storms on seas and rivers [20][21].  Compare to the actions of Christ on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25).  He even used an interesting analogy between justice and his famous formula regarding right triangles for restraining men from injustice against one another so as not to be judged in Hades for crimes like murder [22].  He was trained in the mysteries of the prophets of the cities of Tyre and Byblos and soon after learning these mysteries, he left for Egypt to seek out their true origins from under Mount Carmel [23].  Compare this to Jezebel, the queen from Sidon (sister city to Tyre) and Elijah who defeated her prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18).  Compare also the oracles regarding the kings of Tyre and Babylon and their association with Satan (see my article “Finding Satan in the Kings of Tyre and Bablyon“).

Also, interestingly, Pythagoras [Πῡθαγόρᾱς] is very visibly a combination of the words for Python [G4436 – Πυθώ] combined with agora [G58 – ἀγορά].  In Greek mythology, Python was a dragon or serpent who guarded the center of the planet where he gave oracles in his mother Gaia’s name [γέα, γαῖα cf. G1093 – “land”].  Python was eventually slain by Apollo who, we can recall from above, was supposedly the father of Pythagoras.  The Greek agora means ‘assembly’ or ‘marketplace’.

So, in the name Pythagoras, we have an obvious allusion to an “assembly of the serpent”.  Suspiciously, the book of Revelation opens with two such references to a Synagogue [G4864 – assembly] of Satan (Revelation 2:9; 3:9).    In fact, the Romans actually built a pavement at Delphi where the Temple of Apollo Pythios was located, at the very place the Greeks believed to be the center of the planet.  It was also the exact spot Apollo was thought to have slain Python.  Ironically, the Romans named this pavement the Agora.  In connection to agora in the sense of a ‘marketplace’, compare to the merchants mentioned after the fall of Babylon (Revelation 18:3,11,15,23).

In an alternate version of the story of Apollo and Python, Hera, the goddess of women, actually sent Python to pursue Leto, the mother of Apollo and his twin Artemis.  When Apollo was grown, he sought vengeance against Python for his mother  [24]. Compare to the actions of the dragon and the earth in Revelation 12:3-4,13-17.  Also, see the parallels with the twin sons of Isaac – Esau/Edom and Jacob/Israel (Genesis 25:22-26).

Just as Python’s residence was in Delphi at the center of the earth, Jerusalem was also scripturally viewed as being at the center of the earth (Ezekiel 5:5; 38:12 NIV).  Further, the Medes, the conquerors of Babylon (Jeremiah 51:11,28; Daniel 5:30-31; Acts 2:8-9; Revelation 14:8; 18:1-2) were by their very name also representative of a central land [H4074].  Interestingly, in the middle seven sons of Japheth (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5), one of the eight people left to repopulate the planet after the flood, these Medes are lumped with Javan (father of the Greeks) and Tubal (cf. Tubal-Cain in the eighth generation of Adam through Cain) and they are all preceded by Magog (Ezekiel 38:2; 39:6; Revelation 20:8).  The heart [G2588] of the earth was also the destination of Jesus after His crucifixion (Matthew 12:40).

In connection with the number eight, Pythagoras conceptually divided man’s typical eighty year lifespan into 20 year quarters corresponding to the four seasons [25].  Pythagoras himself died when he was eighty [26].  Compare this to the token seventy year lifespan of a king from Isaiah 23:15 in association with Tyre, a prostitute and the multi-headed serpent Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 74:14). Compare also to the seventy or eighty year range attributed to the endurance of human strength in the context of the metaphorical equivalence of a day to 1,000 years in God’s sight (Psalm 90:4,10).  Pythagoras also ordered that sacrifices to Hercules be made on the eighth day of the month and his birth should be celebrated in the seventh month [27].  Hercules and Apollo have a dynamic history with one another.

Judging by the above observations, these numbers surrounding the eighth king and the events of the historical Nero must carry a tremendous symbolic significance.  This strengthens the case that God intended for ancient readers of Revelation to detect Nero’s relationship to the red dragon, numbers and particularly, his lineage from the Octavii.

A Savior of Rome

A brief glimpse into the history of Octavius/Augustus makes it obvious why his mention in conjunction with the birth of the Son of God is far from accidental.  Gauis Octavius was very much viewed as a savior and ushered in an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity for Rome.  In many ways, Octavius was a self-glorified, false messiah and rival to the true God and His Christ.

After being adopted by Julius Caesar, his great-uncle, Gaius Octavius changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar.  Later, he personally added the title “Divi Filius” (i.e. “Son of the Divine”) to his name after the deceased Julius had been elevated to the status of a god.  After his defeat of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium, Octavius became emperor.  He was declared princeps or “first citizen” (cf. Christ in Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Revelation 1:5).  In 27 BC., the same year Egypt was annexed to Rome becoming his own personal property against custom (Daniel 11:42), Octavius was also granted the additional title Augustus [G828] by the Senate. The Pax Augusta [28] aka the Pax Romana (i.e. “Roman Peace”)  is attributed to Augustus.  Augustus himself signified this unprecedented period of peace by closing the gates of Janus on three different occasions [29].  Augustus is also credited with having established the Augustan Settlement which was a massive acquisition of territory for Rome.

This is only a taste of the anti-messianic character of Augustus Caesar.  Readers are encouraged to consult the history of Augustus for more detailed information.

Conclusion

What we’ve just witnessed is that, once again, the number eight is demonstrated to have deep meaning in Scripture as it relates to fulfilled scriptural prophecy.  The eighth king of Revelation 17 is no exception to this rule.  In line with the evidence I’ve presented elsewhere, the eighth king is the symbol of a new cycle of earthly rulers.  They are not Roman entities.  For there to be a new cycle, an old cycle must have come before it.  And we see that this old cycle was demarcated in a similar fashion as in Revelation 17.  The old cycle (the Roman-cycle) was a transition from the Greco-Syrian cycle.   The Roman-cycle began with Augustus Caesar, whose ancestry was littered with unmistakable allusions to the number eight and the color red.  His annexing of Egypt to the Roman empire was the signal that the Greek empire had finally been destroyed as viewed from Scripture.  The power and dominion had shifted from Greece to Rome.  That power shift was to a king with innate associations with both the number eight and the color red.  He was also linked to being hairy in accordance with the shaggy-he goat of Daniel 8 which had represented Greece.  All of this symbolism aligns well with other messianic and anti-messianic figures like Adam, Esau/Edom, David, Jacob, Mordecai, Obed-Edom, Antiochus Epiphanes, Nero Caesar, Pythagoras, Python and Satan.  We see these motifs reflected elsewhere in Revelation as well.  Thus, the eighth king of Revelation 17 also represents at least one new cycle of non-Roman kings who would rise and continue to rule beyond 70 A.D.

Yet, the text of Revelation tells us that even these kings are destined for destruction.  In a future post, we’ll investigate just what it means for the these kings to be destroyed.

References

  1. Gurney, Robert J.M. (1980). “God in Control” Chapter 7, pp. 9-10,12,16 [Adobe PDF version].  Retrieved from biblicalstudies.org.uk
  2. Chase, George Davis (1897). “The Origin of Roman Praenomina”, in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII, pp. 131,151
  3. Frost, Samuel (2018). “Daniel Unplugged” [Kindle version]. Retrieved from amazon.com
  4. Photius, Excerpt of Ctesias’ “Persica”: 72.47
  5. Suetonius, “Lives of the Twelve Caesars”: 2.1
  6. Phillipson, J. (2013). C.P. Cavafy “Historical Poems: A Verse Translation with Commentaries” p. 489
  7. Tacitus, “Annals”: 15.37
  8. Dio Cassius, “Roman History”: 62.28; 63.22
  9. Suetonius, “Lives of the Twelve Caesars”: 6.29
  10. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 26.116-121
  11. Joost-Gaugier, Christiane L. (2006), “Measuring Heaven: Pythagoras and his Influence on Thought and Art in Antiquity and the Middle Ages”, p. 161
  12. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 21.98
  13. Chilton, David (1987) “The Days of Vengeance”, pp. 346-352
  14. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 8.44
  15. Ibid. 8.44
  16. Cicero, “Tusculan Disputations”: 5.3.8–9
  17. Diogenes Laërtius, “Lives of Eminent Philosophers: Pythagoras”: 1.12, 8.1.41, 8.8
  18. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 2.5-8
  19. Diogenes Laërtius, “Lives of Eminent Philosophers: Pythagoras”: 8.1.4-5
  20. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 1.1; 2.5-9
  21. Porphyry, “The Life of Pythagoras”: 2,27-29
  22. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 30.179
  23. Ibid. 3.14
  24. Hyginus, “Fabulae”: 140
  25. Diogenes Laërtius, “Lives of Eminent Philosophers: Pythagoras”: 8.1.10
  26. Ibid. 8.1.44
  27. Iamblichus, “Life of Pythagoras”: 28.152
  28. “Res Gestae Divi Augusti”: 12
  29. Ibid. 13