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A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as Numerals , stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing," derives from the Greek words ''chronos'' ("time") and ''gramma'' ("letter"). Longer chronograms are referred to as ''chronosticha'', if they are a Hexameter , and ''chronodisticha'' if they are a Distich . ROMAN NUMERALS The practice originated in the late Roman Empire and was particularly popular during the Renaissance , when chronograms were often used on Tombstones and foundation stones to mark the date of the event being commemorated. For instance: ). In honoreM InsIgnIsatheLea DIVI fLorIanI IneXstrVg 1629 ]] ( Czech Republic ). TVrpIsaMorVeHct ChrIstIDILeCtIo 1765 - "H" in the first row do not count or count as X? '''sanat aDCrVCeMpLan genseXVo Vrpe nefas''' 1775]]
Many lengthy examples of chronograms can be found in as the year of building. One double chronogram, in Latin and English, on the year 1642, reads, "'TV DeVs IaM propItIVs sIs regI regnoqVe hVIC CnIVerso." — "O goD noVV sheVV faVoVr to the kIng anD thIs VVhoLe LanD." The English sentence demonstrates that the origin of the letter w as a double '''v''' or '''u''' was recognised historically. HEBREW NUMERALS The great popularity of chronograms among the Jews , and the extent to which they have been cultivated, may be explained by the fact that they are a variety of Gematria , which latter was highly regarded by the Jews and much practised by them. The earliest chronogram in Jewish Literature is one found in a Hebrew poem of the year 1205 by Al-Harizi (ed. Kaminka, p. 412; compare Rapoport, in "Kerem Hemed," vii. 252), while the earliest Latin chronogram is dated five years later (compare Hilton, "Chronograms," iii. 4). According to Abraham Firkovich , Hebrew chronograms date back to 582 (compare the epitaphs in his work "Abne Zikkaron," p. 10); but the inscriptions cited by him are probably forgeries. In the thirteenth century chronograms are found in the epitaphs of German Jews (Lewysohn, "Nafshot Zaddikim," No. 14, of the year 1261; No. 16, of the year 1275). In Epitaphs It is evident, therefore, that for a period of five hundred years chronograms occurred in the epitaphs of (=5449 Jewish era), is indicated by the words 'באש יצא מאת '''ד''' (ib. No. 59). In Books While the epitaphs, in addition to the chronograms, in many cases directly mention the dates, many manuscripts, and an even greater number of printed books, are dated simply by means of chronograms; authors, copyists, and typographers rivaling one another in hiding the dates in intricate chronograms, most difficult to decipher. Hence, many data of Jewish , for instance, has for its date the earliest printed chronogram, גמרא ("Gemara") = 244 ( 1484 C.E.). Words like רננו ("rejoice ye!"), שמחה ("joy"), ברנה ("with rejoicing") were especially used for this purpose, as they express happiness. Later on, entire verses of the Bible , or sentences from other books, having some reference to the contents or title of the book, or to the name of the author, publisher, printer, etc., were used. In longer sentences, in which some of the letters were not utilized in the chronogram, those that counted were marked by dots, lines, or different type, or were distinguished in other ways. Innumerable errors have been made by bibliographers because the distinguishing marks were missing or blotted, or had been omitted. To this source of confusion must be added the varying methods of indicating the "thousand" of the Jewish Era . The Italian , Oriental , and earlier Amsterdam editions frequently designate the thousand as לפרט גדול=) לפ"ג, "the major era"). The German and Polish editions omit the thousand, considering only לפרט קטן=) לפ"ק, "the minor era"); but as neither the former nor the latter is employed throughout the respective editions, many errors arise. The following chronogram, which Samuel Schotten adds to his work "Kos ha-Yeshu'ot" ( Frankfort-on-the-Main , 1711 ), shows how artificial and verbose chronograms may be: "Let him who wishes to know the year of the Creation pour the contents out of the cup count the word "kos," כוס with defective spelling = 80 and seek aid = 391; together 471 in the sixth millennium." The days of the month and week are indicated in the same way. Many important years in Jewish History are indicated by their respective chronograms; e.g., the year 1492 by מזרה ("scatterer" = 252, after Jer. xxi. 10, which says that God scattered Israel). This was the year when the Jews were expelled from Spain ( Abravanel 's Introduction to his Commentary on Kings ). In Poetry Neo-Hebraic Poetry , which laid especial stress on the formal side of verse, also cultivated chronograms. A number of Hebrew poems were produced in the first half of the Nineteenth Century , in which the letters of each verse have the same numerical value, being generally the year in which it was written. A New-year's poem in this style, written in the year 579 (= 1819 ), is found in Shalom Cohen's "Ketab Yosher" (ed. Warsaw , p. 146). Two years later Jacob Eichenbaum wrote a poem in honor of a friend, each line of which had the numerical value of 581 ("Kol Zimrah," ed. Leipsic , pp. 50-53). While this poem is really a work of art, in spite of the artifice employed, Eichenbaum's imitators have in their translations merely produced rimes with certain numerical values. Gottlober (in "Ha-Kokabim," i. 31) wrote an excellent satire on these rimesters, each line of his poem having the numerical value of 618 (= 1858 ). The first two verses of the poem are as follows: עם הלפקים כה אריבה ולאלה כגמול ידם להם אשיבה But even poets like I. L. Gordon and A. B. Lewensohn have a great weakness for the לפקים ("minor eras"), though employing them only in the super-scriptions to their poems. The modern school of Hebrew poets has given up these artifices, the "minor eras" being now chiefly employed for New-Year congratulations, especially by the poor of Palestine , who frequently distribute printed New-Year cards, the wish consisting of a verse whose numerical value is equal to the year. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES
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