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Isobel: You wrote: > Where can I find some information on the > significance of the numbers 7 and 12 in medieval religious literature? There are lots of connections in medieval art and architecture. The fronts of a number of cathedrals, Chartres and Notre Dame, for example, have elaborately carved illustrations connecting seven virtues to the seven arts and sciences. The cardinal virtues of fortitude, justice, prudence, and temperance together form a quadrivium (vs. arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy), which combines with the trivium of theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity (vs. grammar, rhetoric, and logic) to form a complete seven. The arts are illustrated with patron "saints," David for music, Euclid for geometry, etc., who also conformed to the corresponding virtue. Aquinas wrote at length on these in his Summa. Several of the Scholastics also commented on the seven arts. I seem to remember somewhere they are also paired with the planets and days of the week. Twelve pops up regularly in tribes of Israel, apostles, prophets, zodiac signs, months, steps, etc., but particularly in cyclic things. There are a number of collections of art that illustrate seasonal activities with certain ones assigned to each month. -- Chuck Blatchley %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%