Sitting portrait of Guillaume Postel, French linguist, astronomer, Cabbalist, diplomat, professor, and religious universalist, engraved on a copperplate by Esme de Boulonois; from the book ‘Académie Des Sciences Et Des Arts’ by Isaac Bullart, published in Amsterdam by Elzevier in 1682.

(for translation of the legend, see part 4)

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA presents a rare gem: Guillaume Postel’s profound treatise, ‘Les Premiers Eléments d’Euclide Chrestien‘ (Paris, 1579, Martin Le Jeune). Below, we offer a fresh translation of this long-neglected work.

As a product of the early Renaissance, the 16th-century French of the original is distant from the modern tongue, often posing significant challenges regarding vocabulary and the interpretation of its dense imagery and ideas. Our endeavor is to capture its core essence and suggest a coherent reading and discourse, hoping that one day a definitive scholarly English edition will reveal the full beauty of this text to the general public.

To illuminate these complex, matrix-like structures, we provide a hermeneutical commentary drawing upon the incisive analysis of Professor Jean-Pierre Brach. His work unveils the hidden divine geometry at the heart of Postel’s incantatory vision—a testimony to the deepest intuitions at work in his fiery creative process, which remain strikingly modern today.

Yet, it is crucial to remember that Postel’s generous scholarship was met with unease and rejection in his own time, as it stood boldly outside the rigid worldviews and conventions imposed by the Roman Catholic Church and the opportunistic political systems of the era.

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THE FIRST ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN EUCLID 

To demonstrate the reason of the Divine and Eternal Truth By Guillaume Postel, called Roriperge, Dean of the King’s Readers.

So that the universe may perfectly, by reason and by faith, truly understand what it must, possessing such knowledge as is required in good conscience, it is necessary that truth be placed first through demonstration, without variation. Just as the line, in its length alone, is the base of quantity wherein all our essence extends—considering both time and place—so by this logic, there must be ONE GOD.

For as the very brief extension between two points is the straight line, which to be understood must of necessity, in its exposition, contain a double definition within itself: just as it is most brief in its primary instance, so it has no part outside the rightness (straightness) of its essence of the two points which are the port of its being, our understanding draws its strength.

For whatever exists, outside or inside this world, is as nothing before it is established in our soul. As is clearly seen with a treasure: if it is not known, it is nothing, even were it a world of gold. Thus, just as the straight line in mathematics is nothing if not proven by human practice, so in all its parts one must prove by reason whoever wishes to approve the substance of this very brief trait. Therefore, there must be within it, in its own subsistence, three definitions of one most straight essence:

One is of the first order, which is not comprehended; the other is in the reason which measures it precisely; from these two, a third must proceed to show that neither exceeds the other. This triune unity, most truly, demonstrates that one God exists, but admirably higher, greater, and stronger than any power could comprehend, however much man might think on it.

Thus, as the line in its simplicity is truly one, or in triune unity—of itself, of us, of the two, in triune evidence—so must there be a God in excellence, who, in understanding himself, joins an eternal proper being and being understood by himself, like an actual germ. Produced from these two is a most lovable Spirit who composes, in this whole, all that is true.

But as the esteem of a precious treasure is second to being, even if it were fine gold, so the second (person) is that by which knowledge is given to humans in pure understanding. For to believe that a God exists without believing him to be blessed, it would be better not to be born, thinking him unfortunate. Thus, making oneself a known knower of himself and his gifts makes God exist most perfectly; and by this, out of nothing, he creates, forms, and makes, so that man might be made perfect in himself and in the Truth.

As therefore the line exists only insofar as human knowledge shows its right content to be between the two points which hold it in grasp, it is as if it were not, in itself, in heaven or on earth. Thus the second place is what shows the first, and without the second, the first remains hidden. That is why, if the heart does not show the second to live and move first—unless the sky demonstrates it (as that which, between two, is the first moving and the last moving)—neither the animal head could know itself to glorify God who brings it into being. God the Son, by this point, wished to take flesh, human and cordial [of the heart], and to preside over the depths, just as this whole world, in its round machine, is like a true hell in which all evil abounds.

For having created nothing without cause or in vain, but all for virtue, which is the divine bread, it is necessary that virtue, where God cannot grow (in glory), be placed in triumph at the right hand of the high eternal Father by a Man-God, by his Son, most high, mounted from the separated three-mount summit, he comes from on high down here to bring peace in the second person, so powerful that before him no one utters a word. It is our second being, the known (being) of the heart: God, Angel, Man, and All, who abolishes all evil. Against his enemy Satan, achieving victory, he brings back the glory to a single reigning one. A single reigning one in himself by his infinite right is like the Line: very brief in every way, which from the center tending towards the circumference extends in holiness everywhere, having presence throughout.

But this being within itself, in its royal being, if it is not first measured loyally (understanding its power within its simplicity, equal to itself and in the interior, first before here in the inferior world), cannot be demonstrated by the second kind of action which, outside, strengthens all that is. And makes it be, since first of all, that which is newly created takes foundation in the Divine Word and wisdom equal to his eternal Father, by which he draws everything and from its nothingness into being, proof and felicity. He elevates it and leads it to the predestined goal. I say ‘draw upwards’, making it appear outside, diverse from its fall, from which all being proceeds. That is why David said: the powerful Creator called Galiah (גליה, the source, but also ‘God has redeemed‘), calls out everything He created.

Because everything came out of the waters, like a spherical well, and came into existence. David wrote in his lofty work ‘that God waters the sovereign summit of the mountains‘. As therefore the line is very straight in its straightness, interiorly containing its nature, straight in itself, in its points and breath, before being measured in our understanding by the proof of the points of which it is composed, it can be demonstrated as a thing exposed in its patent being, exposed to the senses.

So must it be that God, millions of hundreds times more perfect than ever was His creature, has the prelature of intrinsic action. By form holding himself to great felicity, inasmuch as, in understanding himself alone, he is the Truth. He who, by triune unity holds a single essence, except of age or of the materiality, was and is forever the triune foundation of the Ark and of the Cross (which is the foundation of nature and virtue in accompanying God). It is and endures forever the ancient altar of the place which is called ‘Maçom‘ (Hebrew maqom,מָקוֹם, place), because it makes all being and from its ‘nothingness’ they come to appear in this world, bounded within the six positions where the world is placed in its perfections.

This is why, all that was created within six days, is enough for us to recognize, upon a Sabbath, this unique God. For to recognize a triune God as Creator, Former, Maker, Shepherd, and Redeemer is the goal of the people called Jews, who from wrongly worshiping false deities came to recognize and honor a unique God.

The senary (six-ness), of which the most perfect is the one who reduces six positions to a Sabbath, shows that there is One God, who is the center of all things. He has placed in His being this ideal world in nature’s womb, before it was created (A Via-Hygeia note: The garden of Eden, the archetypal creation, before the descent into material creation), so to be esteemed (despite all enemies); this Father and Creator, who wants for payment only praise, from Man and Angel.

JESUS, MAN, ANGEL, AND GOD, by this great design: from the esteemed line of command, has created the House, the Container. Christ is the second person, who through suffering might show his second action. For occupying the second place, he is the other Person of the Trinity to be made known, so that Man could gain knowledge of God through Him: by His virtuous act in this wretched world, more than man can think, He shows himself King of the Heavens. It is the art of virtue to show omnipotence in poverty, outrage & unbearable suffering. God, being omnipotent, could not by himself suffer; so the true Son of God, in his willingness to suffer, offered himself to pay this mighty ransom to his eternal Father- being God, Angel, and Man.

Therefore, just as the brain is furnished with no sensatory apparatus, the heart beneath it is provided with such an apparatus—this brain could not suffer a thousand openings without death-but the heart contains the cure to life and spirit—so also the Son of God, who truly is the eternal priest, perpetually sacrificing to the Father, from whom being and graces he holds, in all things working by an admirable care: creating, forming, making, conducting, and naming all that was, is, and will be, existing. It is He who by death has demonstrated life, demonstrating love as a constant line.

For the infinite Father, showing himself all-powerful, could not have known better than by Christ who is born from Him and is co-equal, just as a straight line equal to another is most narrow in length. For the Paternal Being could not be shown except by such a son, Himself being without origin. (A Via-Hygeia note: Christ as the First Born). For to have done otherwise, without the course of nature, engendered as we are; that is pure impotence. God therefore, to show himself to be most excellent, shows himself pre-eminent in his co-equal son.

Through his son he measures and encompasses everything, showing that by Christ’s death one attains the grace of living. And he thus wishes to Measure everything through his son, just as we see him procure everything from nothing. Christ is therefore, in truth, the measured line of his eternal Father-from whom comes the duration of the eternal moment-who, in knowing Himself, engenders a single known one, passive (receptive to the Father’s will) & mighty at the same time, with whom the very pure primeval matter in its highest degree extends towards the destitute matter. This primeval matter in its Essence is the very  link with the created material world, and is the very pure substance of the celestial body, which, by the mere presence of the Son of God is continuously perfected, and is considered the first foundation of the universe.

For be it space or place, God, the immobile resting mover, fills the whole everywhere. He is capable of moving and creating from nothing all that is and provides the Word or First born with active matter, the substance of Heaven, which, in Christ’s passive essence, contains the infinite’s might which is represented by the great Noah, who is Peace & Rest, or allotted Sabbath within eternity.  The first born was created upon the cause of ends. For the sensitive being-of itself, in itself-is nothing if it is not established in God, in his sovereign good.

Therefore Noah or Rest is the power of infinite movement, entering the world without changing itself by design, so that Jesus-Christ, for all created beings and forever, works as a bridge, to perfect the universe. It is in him, and through him, that the eternal Father knows, moves, and makes all finite and temporal, so that of the two, in the third person acting, a composite may be given.  It is this very world, in its finite place on all sides, we must by virtue prevail over human nature, which wants reward for its pain. So that from rest, comes the artful work, Man may battle here for the final goal.

In Jesus-Christ, seeking his likeness, growing forever, we may acquire enjoyment. It is Jesus alone who IS, and the provider of all good, yesterday, today, tomorrow,  and forever the foundation of the world. Therefore, We ought to love him above all so strongly that forever it remains charged with Him, our nature is thus refined. That is why Poverty, Outrage & Sorrow are the most vivid colors of redemption. That is why Jesus-Christ, King of the Jews, God, Angel and Man, as a stumbling block, has shown us how to bear well the burden of the Cross, which contains these three high standards, drawing his soldiers towards the virtue of love. Therefore this straight line is the true Mediatrix and by its rightful measure, exposes vice—which is the obliquity straying us away—and denounces injustice. For were it not for Jesus-Christ, the second Person, who first named all that is-before the second creation, in the privation of all that can be, or ever was, or will be- such vindication and redemption can not happen.

But much more clearly we shall be able, by Right Angle, to demonstrate vividly what man must believe, in Jesus-Christ, savior, testimony of his Father, and also believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from both. For as a Right Angle (by which all measure we clearly see, entered between two binds) is the means between two contrary acquaintances, one Acute, the other Obtuse, and by measuring arranges the most obtuse to the most acute, leading extremes to the virtuous middle, just so the Triune, by Quaternary power, leads all the Five-fold in its obedience. One must become one World, one Nature with God, who reaches every place. For without this union with oneness, our nature remains imperfect, and without God’s help nothing is possible.

By true fact of demonstration we have delineated that God is a trinity, that by triune diffusion of the straight and linear essence, God is necessary a triune presence, in His simple unity, within this great hollow world, showing us that beyond Him, there are two causes: The immobile mover, the most admirable God, and the second mover, mobile and demonstrable, who is called by all names, by equivalent being, subject, from which all being is its equipollent. This second subject is the poetic nature, in which has been moulded every creature. It is the true foundation of all passion, which holds its high degree in contemplation.

The All Seeing Father looks to his creation through his Son, who refers back to him; quintessence, purification, is the goal of the world, to which the Dodecahedron was given by Jesus-Christ, through the Holy Spirit, who measures all things. Because the Right Angle, which is always equal, measures that which is CORPOREAL in this valley, so that man cannot acquire knowledge except by the said Angle and what it demonstrates. As the Second Person of the Trinity, Christ teaches us the truth of God: who takes less from the more is rightly saved; less ought to content us. Before the eternal all seeing  and acute Father, who places himself first in order, is the last to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and on the other side he who places himself last enters the glorious gate; so the straying oblique cannot surpass the straight  line.

Therefore the straight line (יושר, Yosher, integrity, but also happy or blessed), Christ, is the most true Measurer between two co-equals; so by him alone, as equitable judge, he is the Altar, the weaving foundation of the universe. He is the commandment of his Father, embodying the first truth to all humans: He is the doctor, brother and father, measuring that which is, which was, and which will be. He is an everlasting Understanding showing the Right Angle, Truth, which upon itself holds the measure of the world; He embodies Power, Knowledge and Goodness, each uniquely containing their Truth, without confusion or separation demonstrating perfect wisdom.

Nevertheless, knowledge or true wisdom responds more to the Son alone than does power, nor goodness either, although equally of the three Persons, good is commonly in one deity communicated to three, except for the distinction among them, truly. But much more clearly, with great facility, the triune goal of Divine honor, in truth, can be demonstrated, and in clear evidence, to all humans using sound conscience, in considering the reason of the five regular bodies.

Which from Three, Four, Five are made most singularly. For as three are made from the triune virtue, from the Quadrune one alone, one alone from the Quinune, so three goals in one of Adoration must be known and received in Zion. For the end of humans lies in the contemplative virtue, called Zion, near the Active life. As therefore from the triangle is the hexahedron, so the octahedron and the tetrahedron are made: from the square the hexahedron proceeds, so from the Quinquangle (pentagon) is he who does not exceed twelve. Which is the Dodecahedron, whose top contains the highest heavens is contained by twelve, in most spacious states, what antiquity named the twelve signs, because from there are bodies and times most worthy.

But the soul is from above, higher than the sky, as image of God, sweeter than bitter is gall. As therefore these three cycles of triune nature, in Three, in Four, in Five, are most pure unity, and the goal of the virtuous middle is what squares the all: so the Son, the middle, measures each end. For the Holy Sixth says, ‘Quarter (the number four) does not measure me‘, and the three first bodies drawn from triangularity, and also the Pentacle, which from five is narrow, would never recognize itself in calm measure.

Thus such usage is true: God, Angel, Man, or the knowledge of the Divinity shows itself in excellence, and who has created all, redeemed, revealed, by being God, Angel, Man, ON THE CROSS REVERED. THE TRINITY, THE CROSS, THE TRUE BREAD OF LIFE. (The Foundation of all work).

It is the goal OF ADORATION, from which touching ensues, great desire one must have, to seek immortal life.

(A Via-Hygeia note: Postel use of the sentence ‘touching ensues‘ (duquel toucher ensuie) reminds us of Cattiaux and ‘the Charcoal Burner’s Faith’ (La Foi du charbonnier): ‘It is good that you are not afraid like so many others, for this is the stance of Christians: a stance of fear in the face of the effective search for God. This fear is, in fact, nothing but the excuse of an innate laziness of spirit and heart. You will notice this thing in all Christians who have fallen asleep in the darkness of the ‘charcoal burner’s faith‘ (blind faith). They commend themselves with the words: ‘Blessed are those who have believed without seeing.’ For our part, we must aspire to become Thomas (the Doubter), for if others may still doubt, he certainly can no longer do so! And I do not see that his share should be lesser than that of the others; quite the contrary. As for him who sees, who touches, and who eats—what could I say of him that you cannot understand for yourselves alone?’ Source: From page 409 of ‘To Believe the Unbelievable‘, Beya Editons, 2006).

And to maintain it, one must endure all evil. For whoever is not measured by the mean virtue between the two extremes, must partake of vice. The virtue therefore of four, between five and three, in suffering for his God, makes of mere men Kings. (A King is he who, in suffering, commands himself according to the form). This is the True good that God asks of us.

As therefore it is well responded to the square, Jesus-Christ alone being incarnate (not the Father or the Spirit), truly mediator in the format of nature, so also is he the King who has the care of all. Incarnate here below, altogether sensibly, so that of virtue there might be the accomplishment. That is why his reign will last forever, loving God by virtue, honoring him in his saints, for the Reward of virtue will last forever, as long as man and God in God can last.

For forever will be the two extremities of the five regular bodies, limited by one of them, the principal Cube, most salutary base, like Cross, Ark, Altar, containing by mystery, is the Goal to which all tends with its eight corners, not gray but united in twenty and four tones, by twelve strong sides which are in double octave, containing the most perfect and most sound accord. Also the most Divine and concordant accord of the Cube and of the perfect which soften all wrong. The Cube first is eight, holding its senary, which contains the seminary of the whole universe.

For although it has only six faces, by the primary Cube which is its foundation, but its octahedron comes from the beautiful ternary, as means of the two which one sees made from the same thing. In the Cube we see the six positions make the dispositions of that which is, by enclosing the Cross in the middle of its belly.

Because the cross must be, of all effect, the center. It is the ancient Tlaloc, the great source of waters, from which earth and heavens are all new children. (A Via-Hygeia note: Tlaloc was important to the Aztecs because he was the god of vital rains needed for agriculture. Tlaloc ruled the Tlaloque – a motley group of rain, weather, and mountain gods – and he ruled the other-worldly paradise of Tlalocán).

That is why Moses, a very perfect philosopher, placed the ark of the testament (crafted according to the Art, with sumptuous fabrics, of Cedar wood and gold) in God, I mean in God’s PLACE (A Via Hygeia note: Here we have the reminder of the word ‘Maçom‘, Hebrew maqom,מָקוֹם, place), who disposed all things, to be adored there within the holy Tabernacle, which is reduced to a cross for the final miracle.

For as the Head is the high Deity of the Father, and by the Son of the heart is truth, like a center from which departs the Sabbath of the cross, there where of virtue is the resolving voice. I say resolving voice, the very deep silence or the ‘Kol Demamah Dakah’ (‘still small voice’) of God’s essence, who creates, forms, and makes all by a powerful speech, so that by the cross virtue might rise towards his God, ever growing in human nature. For which God has care of all that is, even to the flight of the smallest bird, of a leaf or a hair, of all old or new. Before him are always the twenty and four tones, of as many signs singing all their songs. Before him twelve loaves, always changing, which are twelve houses which make of man an Angel. These are the twelve loaves of proposition, of signs and months, from which grace’s action must be rendered here below, to climb to Galilee—that is, the spiritual Gaul, the most high in Zion, where is the goal of life.

(A Via-Hygeia note: ‘Kol Demamah Dakah’-‘still small voice‘. ‘According to the Torah (Exodus 19), the Jewish people perceive the Divine Voice amidst a loud cacophony of thunder, lighting, and quaking ground. But I Kings (chapter 19) offers a different model of receiving revelation: the prophet Elijah experiences the Voice not in the tumult of wind, fire, or earthquake, but rather in a ‘kol demamah dakah’, the ‘still, small voice’ – a practice each of us can emulate as we move towards the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the revelation of the Ten Commandments at Sinai‘. Source: ‘Listening for Torah in the ‘Still, Small Voice Within, Here and Now‘-Jun 11, 2024-Rabbi Sam Feinsmith, Senior Core Faculty, Institute for Jewish Spirituality).

(A Via-Hygeia note on the ‘Twenty-Four Tones’: Postel synthesizes Pythagorean cosmology, Biblical prophecy, and Kabbalah in this phrase. The ‘twenty-four tones‘ allude simultaneously to the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse (Rev. 4:4) who sing before the throne, the 24 hours of the celestial cycle, and the harmonic intervals of the Music of the Spheres. For Postel, these are not merely musical pitches but distinct divine voices or modes (toni) that sustain creation. By calling them ‘tones‘, he suggests that the universe is held in existence by a perpetual cosmic choir, where the mathematical ratios of music, the movement of the stars, and the prayers of the saints are one and the same resonant act of praise).

(A Via-Hygeia note on ‘Galilee’ (Gaul vs. Galilee): While the term ‘Galic‘ historically refers to Galilee (the site of Christ’s ministry), Postel employs a deliberate prophetic pun here to signify Gaul (France). In his eschatological vision, the spiritual center of the world undergoes a translatio (transfer): moving from Jerusalem (the origin) to Venice (the Ark), and finally ascending to Gaul (Paris), which he identifies as the ‘High Zion‘ or the New Jerusalem where the final Restitutio (Restoration) of all things will occur. By urging the soul to ‘climb to Galic’, Postel is not pointing backward to the historical Holy Land, but forward to the Gallican destiny where the union of Divine Wisdom and earthly power is destined to be fulfilled under the ‘Most Christian King.’).

For just as the center is the foundation of all things—(found) in the Cross, and the six points are the highest cement where life is resurrected on high forever—so too is the Octave doubled, which stirs up the eight corners. (This happens) for the sake of the one single Altar, which makes us four into a circle—not precisely by geometry, but by hauling us upward. These eight cantons (corners/regions) are stronger than nets or Swiss guards, capable of banishing violence and all vice from here below.

(A Via-Hygeia note on the ‘Eight Corners‘ and ‘Swiss Guards’: Postel constructs a complex image of spiritual fortification. The ‘one single Altar‘ transforms the Quaternary (the number 4, representing the earthly elements or the four corners of the world) into a Circle (perfection/eternity) by ‘hauling them upward‘ (halant amont) toward God. This process creates an Octave (8 = 4 + 4, or the double quaternary), symbolizing the Resurrection (Christ rose on the ‘eighth day‘). Postel claims these spiritual ‘eight corners‘ are more powerful than Retz (nets/snares of the enemy) or the Suisses (Swiss Guards), who were renowned in the 16th century as the invincible protectors of Popes and Kings. For Postel, the geometric harmony of the Altar provides a defense stronger than any physical army).

For our Ark and altar of the most holy sacrament, of consecrated bread and wine, is the true foundation, provided that the square is upon its Galilee and upon Zion also, for eternal life. That is why in figure, in two deaths finished, by Elijah, and his spiritual son, carried into high Gallia, to the top of the house of the universe, will be that living reason. In Galilee will take authority endowed with Divine right, drawing an eternal life. That is why JESUS Christ on Mount Zion, in the house of Saint Mark, at his passion, at the highest place which in popular language is surnamed Galilee, ordained the Mystery of resurrection, which is his body and blood. Which from death, (by faith) returns the living to the rank. It is the goal of the altar which is the sacred ark, contained in eight corners to be consecrated, the octave and the hexahedron by Divine judgment, being life and death placed in alignment. For virtue dwells in the cross (where death is).

And the bread of the altar is the rod of life, the rod of living bread, which when we take, we must die in ourselves so that we may live in him. That is why the house of Saint Mark (Venice) is a temple, is above all dear to God, for the world’s example, for without any of the living having thought it, the church at John Mark’s engendered its living ones.

That is why the Swiss and the Jews, for their ease, in Venice founded the state of Prudence to govern the world, by the virtue of Saint Mark. So that one sees there, the enclosure of force, the Fort, the Rock, the utterly insuperable support, which overwhelms the too-great power of its neighbors. This force and power, without having thought of it, come from good Saint Mark, well rewarded more than any Christian in the lowly memory of the states down here, in this transitory world.

For in putting his soul in sovereign danger of being excommunicated, he wished to lodge Christ, before by his death JESUS had made his showing, striving against death by a very strong encounter. There is the pedestal of our Lord of the Sixth, in its eight corners where lies its truth. For in the ark and altar, the double quaternary, making eight, is the whole, Lamb, known. The King of all (Ἀγαπῶν, Agapōn, ‘The One Who Loves is Manifest‘) accords and the measurer of all, putting the six in the eight as true demonstrator Of the four quarters of the sky, each contained in ninety (degrees), Which in number and greatness constrains that nothing can be added. (A Via-Hygeia note: The divine geometry is so complete and perfect that it leaves no remainder, no outside, no room for addition. It is the final, all-encompassing measure of existence).

(A Via-Hygeia note on Ἀγαπῶν  & ‘Notoire‘: Postel combines the Greek participle Agapōn (‘The One Loving‘ or ‘Love‘) with the French adjective Notoire (‘Well-Known‘ or ‘Manifest‘). He asserts that the geometric structure of the Altar (the ‘double quaternary‘ or number 8) serves as public proof that Divine Love is the fundamental reality of the universe. It is not a secret doctrine, but a truth made ‘notorious‘ (visible & undeniable) through the harmony of creation).

Four above, four below, and within and without, of the circle of the great sphere, measures the movements. Saint Mark therefore, second host and Evangelist, after the virgin mother, is perfect in its list, except Zebedee’s son, Saint John surpassing all, in contemplation, exalting Galilee. It is the ‘Universal Key‘, which opens to the whole world, comprehending what in Heaven has its foundation upon Earth. Three therefore and Four and Five all make one foundation, but the Four in the sixth is the cement of the two.

JERUSALEM, Venice and Paris the great city, coming from the other two, as the most able to compose the two, the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, will always concord, yielding all to the middle, where the second is, where quadrature’s force is, which, when Rome fell, clothed itself with its bark (kept only the outside of things but lost its essence).

For whoever wishes to judge well, and truly, how Jerusalem lost its foundation to pass into Rome, when Rome was defeated, then Venice in its place was built and remade. Making a Pope-Duke, who by his senators nobilitated them, rendered them imitators of Rome. Our four and our Ark with its square, under Saint Mark, then notably demonstrated its adornment, lasting in truth more than in power, able to cast another’s power to the wind. For how much the people used strength and excess, to build from Rome an Empire and managing it command there, giving preference to the Pope. Neither German nor French has succeeded there, to be able to deprive the Papacy of its seat. There, therefore, lies the stability of the universe: squared and secured in immobility by Jesus in Jesus, the life and bread of the world. Here, Chartres and Solyma (Jerusalem) re-establish their Manor.

(A Via-Hygeia note on Chartres and Solyma: Postel juxtaposes two great spiritual centers to define the new ‘Manor‘ (dwelling place) of God. Chartres symbolizes the northern seat of Wisdom and the New Covenant in France (the ‘Gallican Zion‘), while Solyma is the poetic name for Jerusalem, the ancient seat of the Old Covenant. By stating that they ‘re-establish their Manor‘ together in this new context, Postel prophesies a unification of the holy sites: the spiritual essence of Jerusalem is transferred to and united with the French kingdom, creating a single, stable foundation (‘squared in immobility“) for the final restoration of the world).

For the Gallic Marshes, by this Chartres founds its Needle in a place where land and wave have its opportunities to attack and defend, better than in any other place to claim duration there. Our Cube therefore, its great stability the Gallican has placed, so that truth for all time might be very well restored there, by the Host of God, Saint Mark, well constituted. For having given himself entirely to his master of the Hostel, to Jesus, to institute in his home the Altar of the most holy sacrament, of the priest and of the church, JESUS, his Host, makes, and stays there all in his manner.

And if love and faith had not made the foundation, at Mark’s, despising excommunication, JESUS-Christ would not have had lodging within the city of Solyma, founding there a civil society, which is the sacrament of Drinking and Eating, both of Spirit and of Body, to arrange two in one, so that forever the one does not leave the other, nor separate by death, but live through the Mass. Established at Mark’s in perpetuity, like our Altar, based in Eternity, in the roundness of the heavens, placed down here. As well as up there, invoked by all. For the goal down here, is to live eternally, eating, drinking, most delicately.

Jesus is life and Bread, who invites all the senses to drink and eat, to draw life from him. He who is the roundness of Wisdom and of Action, as also the straightness which keeps from dying, communicates to the dying the wealth of his essence, to resurrect them in pure conscience, without ever having fear of evil nor of death. For to be born in dying, is the sure port for the good.

The ethereal body is actual matter, which, being in us, by Jesus enlightens us to live forever in perfect unity, when we are one in him, who is the truth. That is why the third point of holy Latria [divine adoration] is to adore, here on earth, the earthly substance of the Bread of Life. For in this earth is the substance of the heavens, in the body of JESUS and the precious blood, the altar turned surrounded by the twenty & four Angles, which three eights make records, of our three triangles, by the solidity carrying three in its horn, is the rule & the bound of all measuring.

(A Via-Hygeia note on Latria: In Catholic theology, ‘Latria‘ is the supreme worship reserved exclusively for the Divine Trinity. By applying ‘Latria‘ to the ‘earth of the bread of life‘, Postel elevates the Eucharist (and by extension, the material world it sanctifies) to the highest possible status. He argues that because God became flesh and bread, matter itself has become a worthy object of divine adoration. This is the core of his ‘Christian Euclid’: geometry and matter are not separate from God; they are the very locus of His presence. This aligns perfectly with his earlier argument that the ‘Line‘ and the ‘Cube’ are divine. For Postel, to adore the Bread is to adore the Geometry of God made flesh).

But the twelve Loaves are all placed upon its back, upon the ‘holy Capporet‘ (כַּפֹּרֶת, Kapporet, Mercy Seat), which serves as the durable enclosure. For of its six faces, one alone supports the most divine offering: the twelve sacred Loaves. In the Mosaic shadow, these counted the hours and the course of the twelve months, to render all things content to God.

(A Via-Hygeia note on ‘Kapporet‘: Postel uses the Hebrew term Kapporet (כַּפֹּרֶת) rather than the Latin Propitiatorium to emphasize the Jewish roots of the Christian mystery. In the Temple, this was the gold lid of the Ark where God’s presence dwelt and where atonement was made. For Postel, Christ is the true Kapporet: the ‘covering‘ that reconciles Heaven and Earth, and the ‘seat‘ upon which the spiritual bread of the twelve tribes (the faithful) rests. This addition grounds Postel’s ‘Christian Euclid‘ firmly in the Hebraic tradition he so revered, showing that his geometry is built on the foundation of the Torah).

Yet, as much as the sky surpasses this earth—which, in comparison, hardly rises a single point—so much does Jesus, being greater than the universe, surpass in the excellence of His holy sacrament those holy Loaves of the Presence, which never possessed, nor could possess, such grace in all their greatness.

Good Saint Peter, speaking without full knowledge, said that we should make three tabernacles. He was well-guided, yet on Mount Tabor, he addressed Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, while he, James, and John merely looked on in awe. But now, the mystery is accomplished; and by the Holy Spirit, what he meant to say is written within us. I say within us: in the heart, in the conscience. Through this inner writing, we all possess a profound knowledge of that which is, which was, and which ever shall be, brought now into judgment, as each man shall receive.

The Tabernacle therefore first is of JESUS, who in Divinity is forever up there, as chief and high Mount, under whom is Moses, the third is for Elijah, who is chief of the faithful. For as for chastisement and reformation, Elijah in holy spirit has jurisdiction to punish all miscreants, cohabitors of beasts, to make their heads fly on high scaffolds. That is why he once did, in nine fifties, of Prophets, justice and without money, had the execution done by the common people in a moment, wishing to please God.

(A Via-Hygeia note on Elijah and the ‘Common People‘ (1 Kings 18:40): Postel references the biblical account where the prophet Elijah orders the execution of the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:40). While the biblical text focuses on Elijah’s command, Postel highlights a specific detail: that the execution was carried out by the ‘gent populaire‘ (the common people). For Postel, this is not merely a historical record but a prophetic archetype. He identifies Elijah as the ‘Third‘ figure (representing the Holy Spirit and the age of Judgment) who empowers the populace to act as agents of divine justice. By emphasizing that the people performed the execution ‘without money’ (purely for zeal, not profit), Postel transforms the narrative into a model for social and political renewal: when rulers fail to uphold justice, the people themselves, moved by the Spirit, have the mandate to overthrow ‘tyrants’ and false idols’. This reinterpretation aligns with his broader message to the King: true authority rests on divine justice, and failure to enact it invites judgment from below).

The brightness of JESUS, however holy Moses was is the one which alone is, for he alone is, who lives, the first like the heart, Moses after, and Elijah. Nevertheless they are three, all three in one life, whereof Elijah is the third, by whom most willingly all Tyrants down here will leave crooked paths. And forever shall the Poor be in assurance, provided they place their confidence in the Triune. For the Holy Spirit is the Duke of the Composite, who wills that all things be justly disposed (ordered aright).

As for the acute angle, though equally capable of good action, we must here remain silent regarding the three regular (solids) it generates. Likewise for the obtuse. For it is by the Square and the Straight alone that all things are measured, as Truth demands.

Indeed, between the two subjects of the Divinity, without the Mean, none can speak the truth. For Jesus alone reveals the truth of this great Triune God, who hides Himself in His own grandeur. The Son of God, incarnate and sanctifying the Cross through the virtue of suffering, is the Divine Voice. By coming within us to teach righteousness, He opens to us all Divine knowledge.

Yet, above all that was or ever shall be done for us here below, nothing compares to the gift made in Galilee: the offering of His Body and Blood, not to deny us life, but to beget us anew (renatus). Just as He created us from the beginning, so now He changes us into Himself through the holy sacrament. There lies our entire good: in this divine equivalence, by which man truly acquires all knowledge; and with it, sufficiency to last forever: knowing, rich, and joyful, without aspiring further. The Measure, therefore, is our beatitude; for to comprehend God is the end of all our study.

The Prism, composed of all bodies first, makes all accords square through Jesus. O sacred, holy PRISM! O rejected stone (reproved earth), destined to become the capstone of the high gable, praised in the highest! By you alone does man see, in perfect unity, how Three, Four, and Five are led in dignity. God, Nature, and the Sky—Three, Four, Five in sum—are, by their truth, made subject to man.

Nothing is so truly measured as by a true measurer, who is alone sufficient to be a true witness. The True God will be God forever throughout the world when, by the sole True Name, the sounding line (plumb line) proves it has touched the bottom, revealing Him Who Is. For without a true Judge, no one knows his own good.

That is why the Square measures the whole universe, establishing it well and according to nature. Just as in the Prism one sees the most true judgment in its four colors which double the truth, so our eye, judging well that which is true, sees in vision what is durable by itself. This is the Truth of the Four: the clear Beryl, by which truth saves us from all peril.

For just as Jesus, the Son of God, measures by the Altar and the Cross all that is procured here, so that it may exist at His commandment…

Just so, in the Beryl, He acts in the second degree. For as in the regular solids He is seen as the ‘second being,’ so in the composite bodies He is the Master of the first place. Thus, the Second Person in God, through His passive being (His humanity), becomes in every composite the first active principle, composing and creating all new things that shall be forever immortal within man.

For man, living forever by Jesus Christ, shall contain all things within himself—just as Jesus does—held within the Ether of most worthy memory, thereby rendering to God an immortal glory.

Indeed, just as in the beautiful Beryl the four elements are hidden, perfectly united yet unseen, so too is the entire world comprehended within our spirit. It remains unseen here below in the ‘round machine‘ (the cosmos), except when God wills to raise it up in man—both here below and up above—and to manifest outwardly the glory of His deeds. Then all things shall revive, so that the Beryl (the vision of truth) may endure forever.

For our nothingness becomes All when, in humility and for Divine Love, we seek Truth. Truth in itself is All in the beginning, through Jesus, who is All, perfect in Himself.

Thus, in very truth, the Stone rejected by false Jews and miscreants is by Reason proved to be at the summit of the high wall, forming the Gable. This shows that He is the Son and Darling of the great God, and that He shall forever guard the edifice of the Church of God, chasing away all vice.

That is why Eve, in her original creation, was an edifice in herself, designed for the generation of virtuous children to fill the world. Their beautiful bearing is now founded here by the Cross—that fortress of the Straight, the Across, and the Deep, by which we are forever exempt from death.

Thus, what was once the excellence of Ionian knowledge (the wisdom of Columbanus), brought by Saint Denis into France to celebrate the King—in whom alone resides the True Law of the world—has now found its home. Just as Euclid’s Ionian doctrine and the Pythagorean wisdom of Megara and Athens were transferred to Gaul to reside in Paris, so too have the streams of falsehood been dried up (taris), and to bring low the impiety of those who falsify the Law of Israel and the faith of Ishmael—a bastardized worship that denies its own essence—however long it may tarry.

(A Via-Hygeia note on the ‘Falsification‘ of Faith: Postel’s critique here is not directed at the Jewish or Muslim peoples as such, but at the political distortion of their sacred traditions. A renowned philo-Semite who advocated for the ultimate Restitution (Restitutio) of the Jewish people and held deep respect for Islam’s monotheism, Postel believed that both faiths contained essential truths for the world’s restoration. By labeling certain expressions of these faiths as ‘bastardized‘, he targets those who instrumentalize religion for political power or ethnic exclusivity, thereby denying the universal spiritual essence of their own revelations. In this sense, the passage reads as a quasi-prophecy: it warns that any religious tradition which abandons its divine core to serve temporal agendas will inevitably be ‘brought low’ by the judgment of history and the Spirit. For Postel, true fidelity to Israel or Ishmael means embracing their role in the universal harmony of the ‘Mens Messiae‘, not weaponizing them for division).

That is why Jesus Christ sent forth His Spirit from the Cross upon Paris at the moment of His death. He, who remains forever alive, would not have desired to suffer death for all unless He had the desire (l’envie) of this final restoration.

On the Sabbath: Rest.

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TO THE KING, IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

SINCE the seventh year of the Very Great Star (the Sun/Christ), by its Christian course, renews this world, so that, waking from a catarrhal sleep (a lethargic, phlegmatic stupor), man may, in resurrecting, tremble before the great God. Fearing His judgments yet seeking to enter His grace: O King, whose authority none surpasses, behold what God below ordains or PERMITS to be done in this time.

Behold where man’s study, driven by prudence and effort, seeks only to surprise his neighbor—just as Cush the Black [Nimrod] once did, who sought to seize the authority of King over the entire universe, reducing the world to the law of the perverse. By his sin, great ruin came upon the world, a vice that undermines all.

On this occasion, O King of the Gallic People, consider how the first people were preservers of the Laws of conscience and rights, keeping above all truth and justice. But then came the cruel Giants, violators of the laws, insolent against the people, oppressing persons and seizing goods. They caused the second judgment—once by water in Noah’s time, now soon to be by fire—to reach its critical point. The Holy Spirit is now drawing near.

He comes not merely to argue with us, as in the time of Noah, but to re-argue (convict and refute) with all the violent ones in the world. He comes to abate them by Justice, yet not to confound them immediately. For as He predicted, after Him the Savior Jesus Christ would surround Him, so He must now perform three diverse offices:

To ARGUE concerning Sin (a personal act);

To ARGUE concerning Judgment (a solemn act);

To ARGUE concerning Justice (too badly executed by those who have the force but pursue it feebly).

These three acts, remitted to the Holy Spirit by the King who sees all—Jesus Christ, who can and does all things—must be noted against three types of men:

Those who believe in themselves more than in JESUS, whose Law is notorious;

Those who, in judging, decide unjustly that Satan is the True King, however much he always lies;

Those who, without carrying out execution, judge for their own profit to undo their neighbor.

The Holy Spirit, coming to argue the world and undo them, will convict their hearts. By this, O you Knights, named of the Holy Spirit, if you despise Jesus Christ while admiring nothing else—as Brothers of Kings in the great confraternity—take care that your faith does not vary. For Jesus is up there stronger than you think; He is able to damn you all, and without wronging you. David warns you in his second canticle, crying and prophesying in truthful speech:

‘O you Kings, now hear! You who, in commanding, devour the world, correct your abuses and tyrannical harshness, so that, chastised, you do not lose your life‘.

Machiavelli and the fools, false supports of power, led by human will into insolence, doubting if God has any care or concern for this low world, have, in losing their pleasures, poisoned this world with a sweet drink, as if curing the malady that abounds there. But here you must see, in this holy alphabet, that one single JESUS must be the Physician, not weak. By Living Reason and most demonstrative proof, He shows us a Triune goal for this active life.

It is what must be well understood and adored: a single triune object, honoring Him as Triune, Quadrune, and Quinune in one essence of Holy Trinity, for our recompense. For this world was made properly for these ends: both to acquire joy and to flee torment. God, Nature, and the Sky—Three, Four, Five in one—are the Essence of Humanity, called by the Cross TO BE THE LIKENESS OF GOD.

So that forever and in Eternity, it may be shown that to suffer in loving is severity. The very stinking Embryo, horrible in its being, is the beginning of the fruit that must be born from it. Flee such fault and odor! For Edom the False Red (Esau), serpentine and hairy, has first nothing of sweet from bitter. Being that which Jacob has not, and produced on earth, it shows that Virtue overcomes all that is interred, suffering here below all the effort of Satan, to demonstrate in us a power more powerful than death.

For if corruption and contrariety are not seen here in clear truth to be confounded by the One True God (just as death is confounded), man would say that God is not, or is a confused thing, or less than nothing, who has no care for this world. But Jesus, by His Cross, repairs every need.

Therefore, O most happy King upon the round Machine of this world, mired in the Marshes of this age: Make, by the Holy Spirit, that the holy judgment be made of this Embryo which pleases too long, so that it may bear no fruit in the present life. Do this so as not to make the holy Angels envy us our life down here.

For it is, in truth, the goal of the whole universe: that God and Man be there, as an Angel IMITATED.

I have said. Yours most humble, this year 1579 of Salvation,

the 15th of February in the corrected calendar

(which is, in the corrupted calendar, the 25th of January).

Guilaume Postel, called Roriperge,

Dean of your Court

Readers.

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A Little Commentary upon Guillaume Postel’s

‘Les Premiers Eléments d’Euclide Chrestien’
Integrating the Numerological Ontology of Guillaume Postel

Guillaume Postel’s ‘Les Premiers Eléments d’Euclide Chrestien‘ is neither a conventional theological tract nor a modern essay. Instead, the work follows a spiral logic, constantly weaving together geometry, theology, cosmology, and prophecy. Its architecture can be visualized as three concentric circles expanding outward from a central geometric axiom.

However, as the scholar Jean-Pierre Brach has elucidated in his studies of Postel’s unpublished manuscripts (specifically ‘De admirandis platonicorum numerorum secretis’ and ‘De usu finali quinque corporum regularium’), this structure is not merely metaphorical. For Postel, numbers are ontological realities; they are the ‘luminous matter‘ of the Messianic Mind (Mens Messiae) and the structural code of creation itself. To study geometry is to read the very letters of God’s mind.

I. Structure of the Work: The Spiral of Number and Word

The treatise follows a deductive progression that mimics Euclid’s method but applies it to metaphysics, moving from the simplest dimension to the most complex synthesis.

1. The Geometric Foundation (The ‘Euclid‘ of the Title) The text begins with the most basic geometric entity: the line defined by two points. Postel uses this as the primary “demonstration” of reality. But as Brach notes, this is only the first step in a dimensional ascent. Postel moves from the 1D Line to the 2D Angle (Right, Acute, Obtuse), and finally to the 3D Solids (the five regular bodies). Each dimension reveals a deeper layer of the Divine mystery, proving that geometry is the visible syntax of God’s thought.

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2. The Theological Analogy (The ‘Chrestien‘ of the Title) The properties of these geometric forms are immediately mapped onto the Christian Trinity. This is the core structural move: geometry serves as a visible proof of divine truth.

The Line: Represents the Son as the ‘measured extension‘ between the Father (origin point) and the Spirit (end point).

The Cube: Represents the stability of the Son’s incarnation.

The Numbers: As Brach highlights, Postel equates cosmological numbers (1, 8, 27) directly with the 27 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. For Postel, the alphabet is not just a writing system; it is the essence of the Divine Law, pre-existing creation and identical to the Mens Messiae (Mind of the Messiah).

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3. The Cosmic and Prophetic Application: Once the geometric-theological ‘demonstration‘ is established, Postel expands his scope to apply this triune logic to the entirety of existence: Christology, Sacramental Theology, and Cosmology. In the second part of the text, these abstract principles crystallize into concrete history. The geometry becomes a code for understanding the destiny of nations. Postel identifies Paris, Venice, and Jerusalem as key coordinates in a divine geometric plan, culminating in a direct address to the King of France, urging him to recognize Paris as the new spiritual center where the ‘cubical‘ stability of truth will be restored.

II. The Numerological Ontology

The following concepts anchor Postel’s complex system, illuminated by Brach’s analysis of Postel’s numerological sources.

1. The Triple Cube (1, 8, 27) and the Three Worlds Postel’s cosmology is built on the first three cubes, which correspond to the three tiers of reality:

1: The Divine World. The unity of the Father, the unmanifest source.

8: The Celestial World. The realm of the Son and the Angels, the first manifestation.

27: The Terrestrial World. The realm of the Holy Spirit and Humanity, the full manifestation.
The number 27 is the synthesis of a ‘triple novenary‘ (3 × 9), representing the cross-influences flowing from high to low and returning. This explains Postel’s obsession with the number 27: it is the numerical key that unlocks the 27 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (22 standard + 5 final forms). For Postel, these letters are the ‘powers‘ of creation. When he speaks of ‘twenty-four tones‘ or other numerical sequences, he is referencing this underlying structure of 27, which bridges the gap between the Divine Mind and human language. The universe is literally ‘spoken‘ into existence through these numerical-linguistic units.

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2. The Geometric Trinity & The ‘Missing Quinary’: Postel moves from the line to the angles and solids to reveal the dynamic nature of the Trinity.

The Triangle (3): Corresponds to the Father, Natural Law, and the first dispensation.

The Square (4): Corresponds to the Son (specifically in his ‘Angelic‘ and human aspect), Scriptural Law, and the second dispensation. The Square represents stability and the created world.

The Pentagon (5): Corresponds to the Holy Spirit, the Gospel, and the ‘unitive virtue‘.
Here lies Postel’s profound insight, highlighted by Brach: the Pentagon (5) is the ‘missing quinary‘. It is not merely added to the system; it is generated by the interaction of the Triangle (3) and the Square (4). The Holy Spirit is the love that proceeds from the union of the Father and the Son. In Euclide Chrestien, when Postel discusses the five regular solids, he demonstrates how the Spirit completes creation. The Dodecahedron (composed of 12 pentagons) is the ‘goal of the world‘ because it is the only solid made entirely of this ‘unitive virtue‘, representing the cosmos fully harmonized by the Spirit.

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3. The Duodenary (12) and the Two Natures of Christ: The interaction of the Ternary (3) and the Quaternary (4) generates the Duodenary (12) (3\times 4 = 12).

The ‘All‘ (Tout, τo πᾶν, To Pan): For Postel, 12 is the number of synthesis, the ‘All‘ of the universe. It appears everywhere: the 12 months, the 12 signs of the zodiac, and the 12 loaves of proposition.

Christological Significance: The generation of 12 from 3 and 4 mirrors the Hypostatic Union: the Divine Nature (3) and the Human/Created Nature (4) are united in the single person of Christ (the Cornerstone).

The ‘twelve houses which make of man an Angel‘ are the stages by which humanity, through the Eucharist, is integrated into this divine numerical harmony.

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4. The Cross and the Cube: The Center of the World Postel moves from the 2D line to the 3D solid to locate the center of the world.

The Cube: With its six square faces, the Cube corresponds to the six days of creation. It is the vessel of the world, associated with the Son (the number 4).

The Cross: Postel places the Cross at the ‘center of the cube’s belly‘. It is the hidden, interior principle of all created reality. Geometrically, the Cross represents the intersection of the dimensions (height, width, depth) within the cube.

The Synthesis: The Cube encloses the Cross just as the Son encloses the mystery of redemption. The ‘ancient Tlaloc‘ (the source of waters) is this central point where life springs forth. The 24 tones (or elders) and the 8 corners of the cube (octave) create a musical harmony (3\times 8 = 24), showing that the universe is a symphony structured around the Cross.

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5. The Eucharist as the ‘Measured Line’ of Life: The abstract geometry becomes intensely physical and sacramental.

The Altar as Cube: The altar is the ‘Ark‘, the ‘Cube‘. It is the point where heaven and earth meet.

The ‘Measured Line‘: To participate in the Eucharist is to be ‘measured‘ by Christ. As Postel argues, the Son is the ‘Line‘ that measures the Father’s love to us. In the sacrament, we are drawn into this measurement.

We ‘die to ourselves‘ (the reduction of our chaotic nature) to be ‘measured‘ by the straight line of Christ’s perfection.

The Goal: The earthly goal of humanity is described as ‘eating and drinking eternally‘. This is not mere gluttony but a corporeal, sensual participation in the divine life. Through the Eucharist, the believer ingests the ‘numerical truth‘ of God, becoming one with the ‘Mens Messiae‘.

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6. The Prophetic Geography (Paris, Venice, Jerusalem) In the final section, the geometric principles become a key to understanding history and the role of nations. Postel applies his numerology to geopolitics:

Jerusalem (3): The spiritual origin, the Triangle, the Father’s dispensation.

Venice (4): The stable, maritime, ‘cubical‘ power. Postel associates Venice with the Square (4) and the Son. It is the ‘new Rome’, the stable ark in the waters, protected by Saint Mark.

Paris (5/12): The ‘Gallican‘ center, the place of final synthesis. Paris is cast as the ‘middle‘ term, the ‘cement‘ that reconciles the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew traditions. It is where the ‘missing quinary‘ (the Spirit) will fully manifest, uniting the 3 (Jerusalem) and the 4 (Venice) into a new 12 (the harmonious Kingdom).

The Destiny: Postel presents a mystical history where the seat of power moves from Jerusalem to Rome to Venice, and finally finds its stable, ‘cubical‘ foundation in Paris. Here, under the patronage of Saint Mark and the French King, truth will be ‘restored‘. The ‘Needle‘ (Obelisk) in Paris will mark the center of this new spiritual empire, where the ‘holy judgment‘ will occur and the ‘Mens Messiae’ will be fully realized on earth.

Conclusion:

The Luminous Matter of Truth

In ‘Les Premiers Eléments d’Euclide Chrestien‘, Guillaume Postel achieves a breathtaking synthesis. He demonstrates that faith and reason are not opposed, but are two languages describing the same reality. The ‘Line‘, the ‘Cube‘, and the ‘Number‘ are not cold abstractions; they are the luminous matter of God’s thought. By decoding these geometric forms, Postel reveals the very architecture of the ‘Mens Messiae‘—the Mind of the Messiah—which holds the universe together.

For Postel, to study geometry is to pray; to calculate is to contemplate; and to understand the numbers 3, 4, and 5 is to know the heart of the Trinity. His work is a call to the King and to all humanity to align themselves with this divine geometry, to be ‘measured‘ by the straight line of Christ, and to take their place in the harmonious cube of the New Jerusalem, whose foundation is being laid in the heart of Paris.

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Further Reading

Brach, Jean-Pierre. “Conférence de M. Jean-Pierre Brach.” École pratique des hautes études, Section des sciences religieuses. Annuaire, Tome 103, 1994-1995, pp. 371-375. Available via Persée.

Postel, Guillaume. ‘Les Premiers Eléments d’Euclide Chrestien‘. Paris: Martin Le Jeune, 1579.

Secret, François. ‘Les Kabbalistes Chrétiens de la Renaissance‘. Paris: Dunod, 1964.

Also, because it offers many strickingsimilarities, we invite you to read our little musing about von Welling’s figure 10 from his ‘Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum Et Theosophicum’.

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Source

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Coming soon

A Little Guillaume Postel Sampler- Part 8:

 ‘The book of the Divine Ordinance‘, Padova, 1555,

A new translation & commentary.

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