Imagine we don't have numerals (which were an invention of Arabs).
Imagine instead each letter plays two roles, one as a letter, and one as a number.
Imagine your name, Chrysostom where C =1, H =2, R =3, Y =4, S =5, O =6, T =7, M =8
Your name equals 1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +5 +7 +6 +8 =47
Caesar...