The old thread was getting rather banal, so here are some new ones for people to ponder. (sp2k--your input is greatly requested to make this thread as exciting as the first.)
As the W. Bros said when asked about hidden meanings in the film, "there are more than you will ever know." Here is one we now know (I think!)
Matthew 25:19 is graffiti on the wall outside the meeting hall in Reloaded as Agent Smith arrives to deliver the earpiece to Neo (8:11 into the film on DVD.)
"Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them." (RSV)
Smith is master of the other agents and this is when he come to settle accounts and start his revenge cycle. But my real question is, who is Smith and how does he unplug from the matrix.
314 seconds is another mystery (the amount of time Neo and others have to enter the "door of light" before the building explodes when the power is cut off. Any thoughts on 314?
--5 minutes and 14 seconds??
"Do you believe you're fighting for something, for more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is, do you even know? Is it freedom or truth, perhaps peace - could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson, vagaries of perception. Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose."
The '314-second' reference is still a mystery to me. It could signify 'pi' which is considered a necessary and transcendental constant in mathematics. It could also be a reference to Jeremiah 3:14 - "Return, O faithless children, says the Lord, for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion."
But ultimately, it's anybody's guess, and that's part of its appeal.
The_Rebel
"The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant" - Plato
after much consideration of the number's use in the movie, it was rejected in this corner as a verse reference, due to the fact that there are no biblical book implications surrounding the use of the number in the movie. if 314 is a reference to anything biblical, it's likely john 3:14, the most famous and most translated verse in the bible. the content of this verse makes the connection rather obvious.
the possibility of 314 as a pi reference was heavily speculated about on this board, and there are still plenty of reasons for it to be feasible. in particular at this point, since the remainder of the pi concept is infinite, words which basically describe the essence of neo. in the final analysis, however, the pi concept is never elucidated upon in the screenplays, whereas the blatant biblical references and allusions are too numerous to categorize.
what's interesting is the keymaker's choice of words in describing the time frame: "that is the length and breadth of the window. only the one can open the door, and only during that window can the door be opened." this is quite similar to some terminology used throughout the bible, especially in genesis 6:15-16...
"and this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. a window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it."
the actual length and breadth numerical correlations are more likely intended to refer to exodus 25:10...
"and they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof."
who knows.
incidentally, the keymaker also states during his exposition that 27 blocks must be taken out. 27 is the number of books in the new testament, the number of letters in the ancient hebrew alphabet, and also the number of radio telescopes at the vla in new mexico. of course, 27 is also 3 X 9, and 39 is the number of books in the old testament.
initially the matthew reference was considered an option, but since the letters in the graffiti appear to be "muz", it was never corroborated.