Ivan Panin
Encyclopedia
Ivan Nikolayevitsh Panin (12 December 1855 – 30 October 1942) was a Russia
n emigrant to the United States
who achieved fame for claiming to have discovered numeric patterns in the text of the Hebrew
and Greek
Bible
and for his published work based on his subsequent research.
and then to the United States
. Professing to be "self taught", in 1878 he entered Harvard University
. After 4 years, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During the first year of his university studies he took a few mathematics courses but didn't excel. After graduation in 1882 he became known for his lectures on Russian literature
.
He also converted from Agnosticism
and Nihilism
to Christianity
. His work embraces the concept of the omnipresence of God.
In 1890, Panin claimed to have discovered numerical patterns in the Hebrew
text of the Psalms
, and soon afterwards in the Greek text of the New Testament
. In 1899 Panin sent a letter to the New York Sun
challenging his audience to disprove his thesis that the numerical structure of scripture showed its divine origin.
Thereafter, until his death in 1942, he devoted over 50 years of his life to painstakingly exploring the numerical structure of the Scriptures, generating over 43,000 hand-penned pages of analysis. A sampling of his discoveries was published, and is still being published today.
Critics of his work doubt the value of some of his findings and dismiss more evident numerical patterns as random chance. Panin's claims, that the existence of such statistical anomalies is proof of divine inspiration, are still sharply debated by skeptics of his work today. Panin used the edition of Westcott
and Hort
of the New Testament
, as the basis for his work, but made selective use of alternative readings that those authors suggested. He even published his own version of the Greek text, claiming to have reconstructed the lost original version by his techniques; critics see this as circular reasoning
, and state that it only shows that he was capable of producing patterns himself. Another criticism is that the same kind of numeric patterns can be found in any text.
Proponents of his work include well known authors such as Chuck Missler
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n emigrant to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who achieved fame for claiming to have discovered numeric patterns in the text of the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and for his published work based on his subsequent research.
Biography
Ivan Nikolayevitsh Panin was born in Russia on 12 December 1855. Having participated in plots against the Czar at an early age, he was exiled and emigrated first to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and then to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Professing to be "self taught", in 1878 he entered Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. After 4 years, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During the first year of his university studies he took a few mathematics courses but didn't excel. After graduation in 1882 he became known for his lectures on Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
.
He also converted from Agnosticism
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
and Nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. His work embraces the concept of the omnipresence of God.
In 1890, Panin claimed to have discovered numerical patterns in the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
text of the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, and soon afterwards in the Greek text of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. In 1899 Panin sent a letter to the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
challenging his audience to disprove his thesis that the numerical structure of scripture showed its divine origin.
Thereafter, until his death in 1942, he devoted over 50 years of his life to painstakingly exploring the numerical structure of the Scriptures, generating over 43,000 hand-penned pages of analysis. A sampling of his discoveries was published, and is still being published today.
Critics of his work doubt the value of some of his findings and dismiss more evident numerical patterns as random chance. Panin's claims, that the existence of such statistical anomalies is proof of divine inspiration, are still sharply debated by skeptics of his work today. Panin used the edition of Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
and Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort was an Irish theologian and editor, with Brooke Westcott of a critical edition of The New Testament in the Original Greek.-Life:...
of the New Testament
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, as the basis for his work, but made selective use of alternative readings that those authors suggested. He even published his own version of the Greek text, claiming to have reconstructed the lost original version by his techniques; critics see this as circular reasoning
Circular reasoning
Circular reasoning, or in other words, paradoxical thinking, is a type of formal logical fallacy in which the proposition to be proved is assumed implicitly or explicitly in one of the premises. For example:"Only an untrustworthy person would run for office...
, and state that it only shows that he was capable of producing patterns himself. Another criticism is that the same kind of numeric patterns can be found in any text.
Proponents of his work include well known authors such as Chuck Missler
Chuck Missler
Charles "Chuck" Missler is an author, evangelical Christian, Bible teacher, former businessman and US Navy officer. He is the founder of the Koinonia House ministry based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.-Biography:...
.
Quotes
For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.
– Ivan Panin
Published works
- 1903: Aphorisms
- 1914: The New Testament from the Greek Text as Established by Bible Numerics. New Haven: Bible Numerics Co.
- 1918: The Writings of Ivan Panin
- 1923: Bible Chronology
- 1934: The Shorter Works of Ivan Panin
- New Testament in the Original Greek. The Text Established By Means of Bible Numerics (1934)
- Bible Numerics
- The Last Twelve Verses Of Mark
- A Holy Challenge For Today – On Revision of the New Testament Text
- Verbal Inspiration Of The Bible Scientifically Demonstrated
- The Inspiration Of The Scriptures Scientifically Demonstrated
- The Inspiration Of The Hebrew Scriptures Scientifically Demonstrated
- The Gospel And The Kingdom – What About Dispensationalism?
- Once In Grace, Always In Grace? – A Review of First Principles
Published letters
- 1899: Inspiration of the Scriptures Scientifically Demonstrated by Ivan Panin – Letter to the New York Sun