Question about today's Gospel Reading (April 14th)

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Hi

In today’s Gospel reading (Sunday April 14th) there is a reference to 153 large fish caught by Simon Peter and friends, while Jesus waited on the shore.

Is there a significance to the number, 153? It seems an odd number to be noted? Why even note the number of fish, unless the number was significant? Or had a special meaning. In the Bible, those little details often have clues that lead us to more discovery…the use of the numbers 7 and 12 stand for many things, but 153 🤷

Does anyone have an answer?

Thanks,
Prairie Rose
 
Prairie_Rose said:
Hi

In today’s Gospel reading (Sunday April 14th) there is a reference to 153 large fish caught by Simon Peter and friends, while Jesus waited on the shore.

Is there a significance to the number, 153? It seems an odd number to be noted? Why even note the number of fish, unless the number was significant? Or had a special meaning. In the Bible, those little details often have clues that lead us to more discovery…the use of the numbers 7 and 12 stand for many things, but 153 🤷

Does anyone have an answer?

Thanks,
Prairie Rose
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One represents the worship of the One, True God.
Five represents power and Divine grace and
Three represents completeness in the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

agapebiblestudy.com/documents/The%20Significance%20of%20Numbers%20in%20Scripture.htm

Also the term, “big fish” is used among the clergy to describe a great sinner who came to confession or one that hasn’t been to confession in a long time. See this article on St. John Vianney:

godisatworkinyou.blogspot.com/2012/08/st-john-vianney-big-fish-and-you.html#!/2012/08/st-john-vianney-big-fish-and-you.html
 
To maybe save others the time to search for the verse…
[BIBLEDRB]John 21:11[/BIBLEDRB]

The Haydock Commentary has this to say:
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; a figure of the great number to be converted by the labours of the apostles. (Witham)
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And the footnote (NAB-RE) at the USCCB site says:
The exact number 153 is probably meant to have a symbolic meaning in relation to the apostles’ universal mission; Jerome claims that Greek zoologists catalogued 153 species of fish. Or 153 is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. Others invoke Ez 47:10.
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Basically, I think it means the mission of the Apostles (and the Church) to go out and bring everyone in. I think it’s interesting that the only way this happened was from listening to Jesus and doing what He says. When out on their own…nada.
 
I’ve read of the ‘153 species of known fish’ idea, though I remember reading somewhere that the Greeks recorded this fact after the gospel was written. Still, the ‘153 species’ could have been common knowledge among fishermen of the time, or maybe existed in a book that’s since been destroyed.

On a funny note, when I googled this the top hit was for the same question asked by someone else on this forum on April 13th, 2007. Apparently a lot of people ask this question!
 
Prairie_Rose said:
Hi

In today’s Gospel reading (Sunday April 14th) there is a reference to 153 large fish caught by Simon Peter and friends, while Jesus waited on the shore.

Is there a significance to the number, 153? It seems an odd number to be noted? Why even note the number of fish, unless the number was significant? Or had a special meaning. In the Bible, those little details often have clues that lead us to more discovery…the use of the numbers 7 and 12 stand for many things, but 153 🤷

Does anyone have an answer?

Thanks,
Prairie Rose
Click to expand...
Fr. Barron, in his sermon for this day, says that the ancient world thought that there were 153 species of fish. So Fr. Barron said that this great catch represented all the people of world whom the Church is drawing in with her net for conversion to Christ. You can listen ot the sermon here : wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons/Sermon-Archive-for-2013/Sermon-640-Fishers-of-Men-3rd-Sunday-of-Easter.aspx

Linus2nd
 
Peter12rb said:
I’ve read of the ‘153 species of known fish’ idea, though I remember reading somewhere that the Greeks recorded this fact after the gospel was written. Still, the ‘153 species’ could have been common knowledge among fishermen of the time, or maybe existed in a book that’s since been destroyed.

On a funny note, when I googled this the top hit was for the same question asked by someone else on this forum on April 13th, 2007. Apparently a lot of people ask this question!
Click to expand...
The 153 different kinds of fish now, it seems to me, represents all the “fish” (people) that need to be caught in the net of Christ, and the fact that at that time 153 species of fish was known, it also represents all different kinds of people from the nations all over the world.

Scripture has so many layers of meaning…awesome! 🙂
 
=Prairie Rose;10620869]Hi
Click to expand...
In today’s Gospel reading (Sunday April 14th) there is a reference to 153 large fish caught by Simon Peter and friends, while Jesus waited on the shore.
Click to expand...
Is there a significance to the number, 153? It seems an odd number to be noted? Why even note the number of fish, unless the number was significant? Or had a special meaning. In the Bible, those little details often have clues that lead us to more discovery…the use of the numbers 7 and 12 stand for many things, but 153 🤷
Click to expand...
Does anyone have an answer?
Click to expand...
Thanks,
Prairie Rose
Click to expand...
I heard this explained by Father Anthony of EWTN a week or so ago.🙂

“153” represented at that time in history the total numner of varitieis of fish known to them. thus it represents “All”"👍

God Bless,
 
Thank You Everyone for responding…I appreciate your taking time to do so. 🙂

I had a feeling that there was a significant reason that the number of fish was mentioned…

I agree that the many “layers” of meaning within the Bible are “awesome” and I love it when those “details” click into place 👍

Thanks again…

Prairie Rose
 
153 would have been a significant number at the time the Gospel account was written. According to the Greek philosophers there were 153 types of fish in the world, the fact that they caught 153 talks of one from each species. Scholars believe that in this passage the 153 is meant to say they caught every fish, like they were going to go out and capture the souls of all nations. It is a pointer at the fact that the Messiah is for everyone not just the Jews.
 
I heard in a tape once that there were 153 known cultures of men at the time it was written. Same concept though. The net represents the Church gathering all men in. It also notes the net did not tear. The Greek word for tear? Schism. She Church will not permanently divide.
 
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