An example

Like a big jigsaw puzzle, individual building blocks can be put together to form an overall picture. This takes a little time, because each stone has to be checked for its accuracy of fit with the next.

Below we put some puzzle pieces next to each other:

• We observe that 5 whole steps and 2 semitones lead to the octave (8) and notice a mathematical inconsistency, because 5 whole steps and 2 half steps result in 6.
• We observe that not only the octave but also the prime embody musical consonance and that the Greeks did not use the two interval designations, but the early Christians did.
• We observe the meaning of the numbers 1 and 8 in the theological context: the 1 stands at the beginning of all things, the 8 for the 8 beatitudes and the resurrection on the 8th day. The biblical days of the week begin and end with the dies dominicus, the 1 and the 8 coincide. Behind this is the statement: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22.13).
• The theological content is reflected in numerous works of art, e.g. in the surviving capitals of the Cluny Abbey or the Swallow's Nest organ under an octagonal window in the Basilique de Valère in Sion. (Compare Video VII: "How the octave got its name")
• But where does the 8 come from? Not from the Bible. We encounter it earlier in the 8 heavenly spheres because it was assumed that the 7 wandering stars (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) each move in their own sphere, above which the unchangeable sea of stars forms the 8th sphere. Where immobility could be observed, eternity was assumed, that is, the kingdom of God - or the Gods.
• In connection with the French Revolution, there was a turning away from any symbolism, the introduction of a new time calculation (revolutionary calendar), the introduction of the 10-day week and the 10-hour day. The prim, which is not an interval at all because the distance is zero, was called unison.

That may suffice. It is crucial to note that the various pieces of the puzzle come from different disciplines - music, theology, history, mathematics, art and astronomy. The quadrivium, the four so-called liberal arts: arithmetic, geometry, music and cosmology, were considered the key to discovering the true nature of reality from antiquity to the Renaissance. Therefore, there is no lack of written sources that support the connection. In this way, the medieval or Catholic worldview can be put together and everyone is able to check the information provided and supplement it by consulting other sources.

In the following blog posts, such stones are assembled into picture elements and there are some repetitions in them. Why? Because each piece of the puzzle has connecting arms in different directions and can only fulfill its function as evidence in the context in which it fits and in which it is indispensable. Polydisciplinary work means understanding this type of multidimensional contextualization. The example shows that if you were restricted to just one specialist discipline, you would never see the overall picture.

© 2023 Aurelius Belz