What is 'Number' anyway?

When we were kids, we learnt mathematics in school. The teacher taught us that 1, is "one" and 2, is "two". However, after we've grown up, have we ever pause for a single moment and asked what is number anyway? Perhaps, people will answer: number is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. However, those are not the definition of numbers, but the articulation of numbers. Those are "numerals" but not "numbers", onto-logically speaking.  There are different between number as foundation and numeral as its articulation and this truth has been noted in Hindu tradition, in one of Vaisiseka Sutras of Vaisheshika school that "number is the basis of the usages such as one." Simple but actually complexly deep, Renaissance scholar S. K. Heninger described Augustine's feeling of enjoying music in relation to number as said that Augustine believes, "there are numbers in the soul, archetypal patterns and the soul is pleased...when sounds reiterate these numbers". What does it mean? Does he mean that there are concrete numbers like 1, 2, 3, and 4 literally are embedded in our soul? Of course not, therefore, the meaning of number is actually more profound that we've ever thought of. The definition of number is move beyond numeral. Number is  the essence of thing. Pythagoras (570-495 BCE) in the past describes that all things are number, and number is the abstract substance of the material existence. Number is the essence that give harmony, order and beauty. Number is therefore an abstract concept, not only a concrete concept as we normally thought. 

        Although number is the essence of thing, but number cannot be the cause of anything because philosophically speaking, essence and thing are't stand in causal relation but in unity. Number as thing or essence cannot cause itself into being. Every essence or thing only cease to exits through the cause of other prior existence, and this is the indisputable law of the universe (Theory of Causality). The only being that has no cause is by traditional linguist definition is God, so consequently, every essence of thing is brought into existence by God, the one whom Paul Tillich describes as' the ground of being' (being -itself). Yet, for the case of number is quite special. Apparently, number is not brought into existence by God. Number is part of God's nature (necessary truth) and hence, God does not in a certain time says, "let there be a number 1, number 2, number 3" [so on]. Abstract object such as number, exists necessarily, as truth of God since beginning of time, but they are not exits independently of God. Number is eternal but yet dependent. If there is no God, there will be no number but never the other way round. In conclusion, even though number is the essence of every thing which is the foundation or being articulated concretely through 'numeral', number is not everything. Number is always depend on the axioms concerning existence of God as Descrates aptly mentioned in his book Meditations, "the mathematical truth which you call eternal have been laid down by God and depend on Him entirely no less than the rest of His creatures."