ABSTRACT
The Figurae of Joachim of Fiore, also sought to relate the images to the marginal diagrams found in the manuscripts of Joachim's writings and some collections of pictures, such as the Premissiones, related to Joachim's figurae. The mediation of whole and part in a symbolic image, based on the co-presence of the entire image along with the individual parts, helps one to understand how Joachim's figurae functioned. The development in Joachim research can be seen as part of a wider movement in the study of medieval theology. Joachim's figurae are numerical in the sense that they employ the symbolic numbers found in the Bible and make use of the numerological theories of Antiquity and the Middle Ages to interpret them. Joachim explains the significance of numbers and number combinations throughout his written works, and these discussions are helpful for understanding the numerical aspect of the figures.
