When Numerology and the Bible collide, some are going to be confused, others dulled and a few offended.In Alex Proyas' Knowing you have a mix of secrets revealed in strings of numbers while Biblical overtones weigh heavily on the world being wracked by all manner of disasters.
Without divulging too much of the sci-fi flick, basics of numerology and Biblical prophecy play parts in moving the plot along.
With numerology- the belief that numbers have a direct impact and relation on human life- Knowing explores a sheet of paper with seemingly random numbers that reportedly reveal exact dates and death totals of major catastrophes from history.
Pythagoreas was a believer in the harmony of numbers and that the universe ran ont he interplay of numbers. Ancient Egyptians believed the flooding and lows of the Nile could be foretold through reading numbers. The Babylonians recording of astral movements led them to construct astronomical predictions based on numeric combinations.
Individual numbers have been imbued with power since the dawn of time. Numerals like three, four and seven are often looked as special or even lucky. With the number three the relation of man to heaven, earth and water has added potency. And as the number seven is often viewed as lucky, its "power" comes from its presence throughout history or daily life. From the numbers of days in a week to planets, the number seven is imbued with power. It being a product of three and the cardinal number of four, also add a layer of significance.
In Judaism, the numeral seven is also connected to rituals of the faith. And in the Bible of course, the number 666 is an unholy number associated with the Devil.
Knowing also winds in Biblical elements with references to Ezekiel.
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire, Ezekiel 1.
Ezekiel is believed to have written his prophetic text sometime during the 6th century BCE around the time of the Babylonian exile. Being a member of the priestly class Ezekiel was taken into captivity and would spend the remainder of his life in Babylon. The striking opening of the Book of Ezekiel describing God's appearance in the flame rippled sky, attended to by strange angelic creatures, has a place in Knowing. Ezekiel's writings played upon the current and future judgment of not only his fellow Jews but other nations.
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