Setting the maximum numbering for levels to zero requires setting all the other levels to zero also. Once you add the "footnotes" level processing goes badly. Recursive output suggests part is to blame since a decorative-division variable is mentioned. A command to use, since it is a pain to type in all these switches.
xsltproc -xinclude --stringparam numbering.equations.level 0 --stringparam numbering.projects.level 0 --stringparam numbering.theorems.level 0 -stringparam numbering.maximum.level 0 -stringparam chunk.level 0 -stringparam debug.datedfiles no ~/mathbook/mathbook/xsl/mathbook-html.xsl ~/mathbook/mathbook/examples/sample-book/sample-book.xml