http://mysteriouswritings.com/the-hidden-meaning-behind-the-number-17-and-the-path-to-beyond/
Looking into the history of the number does provide an astonishing possibility. I feel, at least as one reason for the persistent use of 17 in the various enigmas, is its associations with the number 153, the fish, and most of all, the vesica piscis. Valuable insight is realized by exploring these relationships.
In the last chapter of the Gospel John, verse 11, the miraculous catch of fish is told. The tale states specifically that 153 large fish were netted by the disciples. Many scholars have debated on why such a precise number was applied. Some feel there is nothing to it; while others believe the number must possess a veiled knowledge.
An amazing aspect of the number 153 is that the first 17 integers sum to this number (1+2+3+4…..+17=153). This direct relationship between 17 and 153 was significant to St. Augustine. He believed the number 17 was special because it was the sum of the 7 gifts of the Spirit and the 10 commandments. This combination of the old and new covenant (Law and Spirit), and the fact that 153 encompassed the ‘first 17’, led St. Augustine to propose 153 saints will rise from the dead at the world’s end. Here, one may even question if the month January, as the ‘first’ month, along with the date 17, might allude to ‘first 17’, and therefore 153.
The number 153 is also one of the numbers used to illustrate the closest approximation to the square root of 3. 265/153=1.73206….(infinity). The square root of 3 is 1.732058…(infinity) and is extremely important to the vesica piscis. The vesica piscis, meaning ‘vessel of the fish’, is a shape formed by intersecting two circles with the same radius and with centers on the perimeter of the other. The square root of 3 is recognized to be the value of the central line of the vesica piscis. You could call it the major axis of these two combining worlds or circles.
Not only does the name vesica piscis translate to include fish, but the relationship to the number of 153 fish in the Bible verse is seen; for 153 is used to convey an important value of the ‘fish’ or vesica piscis (265/153). And as mentioned, 17 is equivalent to 153 by it being the sum of the first 17 integers.
This, to me, is interesting in relation to the following. One cause, recognized by scholars, for the held importance of 17, is that verse 17 of Numbers (chapter 24) in the Bible speaks of the coming star. This star is believed to refer to Christ. Many images of Christ show him within the vesica piscis and the fish symbol is celebrated in Christian belief.
Christ said he was the Truth, the Way, and the Life, and only through him can a person come to the Father (John 14:6). It is not difficult to then feel this joining of two circles, illustrates the coming together of two worlds (God and man); since Christ is often depicted in this space of the vesica piscis. The shape in the center exposes the way, truth, and life to something beyond. Support is realized from 153 being written for the amount of fish caught in the verse of John, and for 153 being one of the whole numbers used to express the cut through space of the vesica piscis.
But there is more to consider with the number 17. In the before mentioned article about the number, I shared 17 was held significant by those involved with the Cabala because path 17 is beleived to lead the righteous to reward. Here an incredible understanding between the number 17 and the vesica piscis can be understood.
In wondering why 17 is important and why it was linked as the path of righteous, an answer was given. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Proverbs 4:18, ‘The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn.’