FRONTPIECE FOR ARITHMOLOGIA
The above art work by Athanasuis Kircher for his book Arithmologia (1655) demonstrates the symbolism of the tetractys, the Lo Shu, and the Pythagorean Theorem. This suggests that Kircher may have realized the connection of the Pythagorean Theorem and the Lo Shu, the Chinese cosmological model for Time and Space.
Kircher was an avid Sinologist and wrote over 40 books including China Illustrated in Monuments (1667); therefore, Kircher may have been aware of the Chinese reverence for the Lo Shu.
Kircher assigns the Lo Shu Magic Square a higher hierarchy than the Pythagorean Theorem and the Tetractys. The 3x3 Magic Square is being held by an angel in Heaven, a parallel reference to the Chinese belief that the Lo Shu was presented to humankind from Heaven. The model of the Pythagorean Theorem, in contrast, sits on the terrestrial Earth.
A clue to Kircher's research into China's ancient history through his own study of the Chinese language can be found in Kircher's book Oedipus Aegyptiacus (Vol. 1., p. 70):
I confess, for a long time I had regarded all this (dynastes and the Atlantis) as pure fables to the day when, better instructed in Oriental languages, I judged that all those legends must be, after all, only the development of a great truth.....
Kircher must have used his better understanding of the Chinese language to read and comprehend ancient Chinese books that were in the possession of the Vatican. The burning of libraries and books took place in China, c. 213 BC and many times since. The priceless Chinese texts were the oldest books in the world, some found safety via the Silk Road and fell into the hands of the Church. This would explain how Kircher was aware of the Luo Shu as a gift from Heaven and its relationship to the Pythagorean Theorem. Perhaps there even is a connection of the Luo Shu with Atlantis!
Kircher also uses the Enneagram at the top of the frontpiece, possibly suggesting that the Enneagram and the Luo Shu are Heavenly gifts to Humankind and are connected to the language of numbers.