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The Number of the Beast is a concept from the Book of Revelation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Jews and Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox Slavonic Orthodox Georgian Armenian Apostolic See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים "writings" is the third and final section of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) after Torah and Nevi'im In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic The term New Covenant (; Greek:, diathēkē kainē is used in the Bible (both in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament) to refer " Deuterocanonical books " is a term used since the sixteenth century in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Christianity to describe certain books and passages Antilegomena (from Greek, meaning things contradicted or disputed literally spoken against) was an Epithet used by the Church Fathers to denote those The Bible comprises 24 books for Jews, 66 for Protestants, 73 for Catholics, and 78 for most Orthodox This article on Jewish apocrypha includes a survey of books written in the Jewish religious tradition either in the late pre-Christian era or in the early Christian era but The biblical apocrypha (from the Greek word ἀπόκρυφος meaning hidden) are books published in an edition of the Bible whose canonicity New Testament apocrypha are a number of writings of the early Christian church that give accounts of the teachings of Jesus, aspects of the life of Jesus accounts The Authors of the Bible have authored or co-authored literature that has appeared in the canons of Judaism and of Christianity Panbabylonism is a school of thought within Assyriology and Religious studies that considers the Hebrew Bible and Judaism as directly derived Rabbinic Judaism recognizes the twenty-four books of the Masoretic Text, commonly called the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. The Old Testament is the first section of the two-part Christian Biblical canon, which includes the books of the Hebrew Bible as well as several Deuterocanonical The Biblical canon is the set of books Christians regard as divinely inspired and thus constituting the Christian Bible. Mosaic authorship is the traditional ascription to Moses of the authorship of the five books of the Torah or Pentateuch - Genesis, The Pauline epistles are the thirteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to and explicitly ascribed to Paul of Tarsus. Scholars have debated the authorship of the Johannine works ( Gospel of John, the first, second, and third epistles of John, and the Book The Bible has been translated into many languages from the Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. A Biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the The Samaritan Pentateuch is the text of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, also called the Torah or Law that is used by the Samaritans The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves A targum ( Hebrew: תרגום plural targumim, lit "translation interpretation" is an Aramaic Translation of the Hebrew The name 'Peshitta' The name 'Peshitta' is derived from the Syriac mappaqtâ pšîṭtâ (ܡܦܩܬܐ ܦܫܝܛܬܐ literally meaning 'simple version' Vetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jerome 's Vulgate The Vulgate is an early Fifth Century version of the Bible in Latin, and largely the result of the labours of Jerome, who was commissioned by The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh) The Gothic Bible or Wulfila Bible is the Christian Bible as translated by Wulfila into the Gothic language spoken by the Eastern Germanic or The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534 The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2000 others have spanned more than two millennia. Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts The Bible is a compilation of various texts or " books " of different ages used in the Jewish and Christian religions This article is about the academic treatment of the bible as a historical document Historical criticism or higher criticism is a branch of literary analysis that investigates the origins of a text as applied in Biblical studies it naturally Textual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of Literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of Transcription errors in Novum Testamentum Graece is the Latin name of the Greek language version of the New Testament. New Testament manuscripts are categorized into five groups This categorization scheme was introduced in 1981 by Kurt and Barbara Aland in Der Text des Neuen Testaments The synoptic problem concerns the literary relationships between and among the first three canonical gospels (the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and The historicity of the Bible addresses in what ways the Bible is historically accurate the extent to which it can be used as a historic source and what qualifications should For the movement associated with William F Albright and known as Biblical archaeology see Biblical archaeology school. Biblical hermeneutics refers to methods of interpreting the Bible. Pesher (pl pesharim) is a Hebrew word meaning "interpretation" in the sense of "solution" Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic The Pardes typology describes four different approaches to Biblical Exegesis in rabbinic Judaism (or - simpler - interpretation of text in Allegorical interpretation is the approach which assigns a higher-than-literal interpretation to the contents of a text (eg Bible) Biblical literalism (also called Biblicism) is a primarily pejorative term referring to the adherence to an explicit and literal sense of the Bible. Bible prophecy, or " biblical prophecy " is the belief in prophecies in the Bible. Biblical inerrancy is the conservative evangelical doctrinal position that in its original form the Bible is totally without error and free from all contradiction Biblical infallibility is the theological term to describe the belief that the Bible is free from errors on issues of faith and practice while minor possible contradictions in history This article is about criticisms which are made against the Bible as a source of information or ethical guidance In Islam, the Bible is held to reflect true unfolding revelation from God but revelation which had become corrupted or distorted in its handing down (in Arabic The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, contains references to over fifty people also found in the Bible, typically in the same or similar This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. This article discusses the traditional views of the two religions and may not be applicable all adherents of each Biblical law in Christianity generally refers to a discussion as to what and how the biblical law applies in a Christian context. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Number is 666 in most manuscripts of the New Testament, and in modern translations and critical editions of the Greek text. In mathematics 666 is the natural number following 665 and preceding 667 Textual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of Literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of Transcription errors in However, there is some doubt about the original reading; modern studies have shown that the earliest known manuscript of the Book of Revelation (from the 3rd century) used 616. In mathematics 616 is a member of the Padovan sequence, coming after 265 351 465 (it is the sum of the first two of these One 11th century manuscript also shows 665. 600 ( six hundred) is the Natural number following five hundred ninety-nine and preceding six hundred one This topic is a source of contention for many church groups and theologians. ^[1] Some scholars contend that the number is a code for the Roman Emperor Nero. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called ^[2][3]

Bible

666

The Number of the Beast is described in the Book of Revelation 13:18. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου The original Greek reads:

ωδέ η σοφία εστίν; ο έχων νουν ψηφισάτω τον αριθμόν του θηρίου; αριθμός γαρ ανθρώπου εστί; και ο αριθμός αυτού χξϛ΄.

The King James translates:^[4]

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. 60 ( sixty) is the Natural number following 59 and preceding 61.

In the Greek manuscripts, the Number is rendered in Greek numerical form as χξϛ',^[5] or sometimes literally as “six hundred and sixty-six”, “εξακοσιοι εξηκοντα εξ ”. A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way ʹ the numeral sign redirects here For the accent ´ see Acute accent. ^[6][7] [hexakosioi hexékonta hex, lit. six hundred sixty six]

Scholars such as Dr. Ellen Aitken, Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University, have speculated that the reference to this passage was a way of speaking in code about then contemporary figures about whom it would have been politically dangerous to criticize openly. In Academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit or over a specific area of concern or both A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had Religious studies, or Religious education, is the academic field of multi-disciplinary Secular study of religious beliefs behaviors and institutions

Many scholars believe that 666 refers to a Roman Emperor such as Nero^[8] (whose name, written in Aramaic, was valued at 666, using the Hebrew numerology of gematria, a manner of speaking against the emperor without the Roman authorities knowing). Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Gematria or gimatria ( Rabbinic Hebrew he גימטריה) is a system of assigning numerical value to an Alphabet.

616

In May 2005, it was reported that scholars at Oxford University using advanced imaging techniques^[9] had been able to read previously illegible portions of the earliest known record of the Book of Revelation, from the Oxyrhynchus site, Papyrus 115 or P¹¹⁵, dating to the mid to late third century. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Oxyrhynchus (Ὀξύρρυγχος "sharp-nosed" ancient Egyptian Pr-Medjed; Coptic Pemdje; modern Egyptian Arabic Papyrus 115 ( P 115 or P Oxy 4499 is a New Testament papyrus written in Greek The fragment gives the Number of the Beast as 616 (chi, iota, stigma), rather than the majority text 666 (chi, xi, stigma). Chi ( Uppercase Χ, Lowercase χ; Χι He is the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced as in English Iota (uppercase &Iota, lowercase ι Ιώτα Yota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. Stigma (uppercase Ϛ, lowercase ϛ) is a ligature of the Greek letters sigma and tau, sometimes used in modern times Xi (uppercase Ξ, lowercase ξ) is the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet. ^[1] The other early witness Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) has it written in full: hexakosiai deka hex (lit. Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris National Library Greek 9 Gregory-Aland no six hundred sixteen). ^[10]

Significantly, P¹¹⁵ aligns with Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) which are generally regarded as providing the best testimony to Revelation. Thus, P¹¹⁵ has superior testimony to that of P⁴⁷ which aligns with Codex Sinaiticus and together form the second-best witness to the Book of Revelation. Codex Sinaiticus (Shelfmarks and references London Brit Libr, Additional 43725 Gregory - Aland nº א (Aleph or 01, Soden This has led some scholars to conclude that 616 is the original number of the beast. ^[11][12]

Red arrow points to χιϛ'(616), "number of the beast" in P¹¹⁵ deciphered in May 2005.

Dr. Paul Lewes in his book, A Key to Christian Origins (1932) wrote:

"The figure 616 is given in one of the two best manuscripts, C (Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, Paris), by the Latin version of Tyconius (DCXVI, ed. Ticonius, also spelled Tyc(honius (370 – 390 AD was an African Donatist writer who introduced the postmillennial view of Eschatology which Souter in the Journal of Theology, SE, April 1913), and by an ancient Armenian version (ed. Conybaere, 1907). Irenaeus knew about it [the 616 reading], but did not adopt it (Haer. v. 30,3), Jerome adopted it (De Monogramm. Jerome (c 347 – September 30, 420) ( Latin: Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος , ed. Dom G Morin in the Rev. Benedictine, 1903). It is probably original. The number 666 has been substituted for 616 either by analogy with 888, the [Greek] number of Jesus (Deissmann), or because it is a triangular number, the sum of the first 36 numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6. . . +36 = 666)". ^[13]

Professor David Parker, Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham, thinks that 616, although less memorable than 666, is the original. Textual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of Literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of Transcription errors in Palaeography, palæography ( British) or paleography ( American) (from the Greek grc παλαιός palaiós, The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a British red brick University located in the city of Birmingham Dr. Ellen Aitken said, “Scholars have argued for a long time over this, and it now seems that 616 was the original number of the beast. It's probably about 100 years before any other version. "^[14]

The early Church father Irenaeus knew several occurrences of the 616-variant but regarded them as a scribal error and affirmed that the number 666 stood "in all the most approved and ancient copies" and is attested by "those men who saw John face to face". Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France ^[15]

The difference in numbers has also been explained by the fact that the Greek and Latin spellings of Nero’s name transliterate differently into Hebrew (the language used to create the coded numerology. The Greek spelling, “Neron Caesar,” transliterates into Hebrew as “nrwn qsr,” which equates numerically to 666 in Hebrew gematria. Gematria or gimatria ( Rabbinic Hebrew he גימטריה) is a system of assigning numerical value to an Alphabet. By contrast, the Latin title for Nero is spelled simply “Nero Caesar,” which transliterates to “nrw qsr” and has a value of 616. ^[16]

665

The 11th century minuscule manuscript Codex 2344 identifies the Number of the Beast as 665 (χξε').

Old Testament

The number 666 appears several times in the Old Testament, including in 1 Kings 10:14-22 as the number of talents of gold received by King Solomon in one year. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The talent ( Latin: talentum, from Ancient Greek: "scale balance" is an ancient unit of Mass. King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" "Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold".

Interpretations

Name

One interpretation is that 666 encodes the letters of someone’s name or title, identifying the Antichrist. For other uses see Antichrist (disambiguation In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ means a person office

Nero

Scholars who believe that the Book of Revelation refers to historical people and events argue that the number represents Nero. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called In Hebrew gematria, every letter has a corresponding number. Gematria or gimatria ( Rabbinic Hebrew he גימטריה) is a system of assigning numerical value to an Alphabet. Summing these numbers gives a numeric value to a word or name. In Hebrew, "Nero Caesar" is spelled “נרון קסר”, pronounced "Neron Qe[i]sar". Adding the corresponding values yields 666, as shown:

Removing the terminal נ (written as ן) makes the name "Nero" rather than "Neron", and makes the numeric value 616, which may explain that variation.

The hypothesis that 666 is a code for a Roman emperor seems to have historical support. The emperors were noted for their oppression of both Jews and Christians. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Both communities were known to use numerology, codes and symbols (such as the Ichthys) when living under Roman rule to avoid persecution. Ichthys or Ichthus Greek: grc ἰχθύς capitalized grc ΙΧΘΥΣ also transliterated and Latinized as ichthys,

Caligula

David Parker, professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham said that the correct number, 616, refers to the emperor Caligula^[17]. Textual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of Literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of Transcription errors in Palaeography, palæography ( British) or paleography ( American) (from the Greek grc παλαιός palaiós, The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a British red brick University located in the city of Birmingham Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor Caligula's attempt to erect his statue in the Temple in Jerusalem may have inspired the author of Revelation to speak against the Roman Emperor. Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name ^[18] In Hebrew, Gaius Caligula Caesar is גסקלגסקסר (gsqlgs qsr). Adding the values yields 616.

In Greek, "Gaios Kaisar" also yields 616.

Domitian

The German Protestant theologian Ethelbert Stauffer, arguing that gematria had been the most popular form of numerology not only among Jews but also in the Graeco-Roman world (Pergamon, Pompeii)^[19], conceived a Greek gematrical procedure to explain the number 666. Ethelbert Stauffer (May 8 1902 in Friedelsheim – August 1 1979 in Erlangen) was a German Protestant Theologian and Numismatist Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples and Caserta in the Italian region of Campania, in Gematria or gimatria ( Rabbinic Hebrew he גימטריה) is a system of assigning numerical value to an Alphabet. Judging from the precise information that the Book of Revelation gives about the person behind the number 666^[20], Stauffer concluded that the "beast" can in general only refer to a Roman emperor and argued that this Emperor must be Domitian, because he had reigned during the proposed time of origin of the Apocalypse and supposedly was called "The Beast" as a "secret derisive nickname" by Romans, Greek, Christians and Jews. Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου ^[21] Stauffer computed the Number of the Beast using the short form of Domitian's five titles and names A KAI ΔOMET ΣEB ΓE, as derived from the abbreviations on coins and inscriptions. ^[22] Domitian's official title in Latin was Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus. This was rendered as Autokrator Kaisar Dometianos Sebastos Germanikos for his Greek-speaking subjects. And in turn, for their coins, this abbreviated to A. KAI. DOMET. SEB. GE which totals 666 in Greek Gematria. Isopsephy (ˈaɪsəsɛfi iso meaning "equal" and psephos meaning "pebble" is the Greek word for the practice of adding up the

Robert Graves suggested that DCLXVI, 666 in Roman numerals, is an abbreviation for the Latin sentence “Domitianus Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Interfecit”, or “The Emperor Domitian violently killed the envoys of Christ”. Robert Graves (24 July 1895 &ndash 7 December 1985 was an English Poet, Translator and Novelist. Roman numerals are a Numeral system originating in ancient Rome, adapted from Etruscan numerals. Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) ^[23]

Papacy

Some Protestant Bible commentators have equated the "beast" of Revelation chapter 13 with the Papacy. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and ^[24] The earliest extant record of a Protestant writer on this subject is that of Professor Andreas Helwig in 1612 in his work Antichristus Romanus. The title was contained in the Donation of Constantine a forged document falsely claiming to come from the Emperor Constantine the Great, by which large privileges and rich possessions were conferred on the pope and the Roman Church. The Donation of Constantine ( Latin, Donatio Constantini) is a forged Roman imperial edict devised probably between 750 and 775, the ^[25]

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the "mark of the beast" (but not the number 666) refers to a future, universal, legally enforced Sunday-worship. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance “Those who reject God’s memorial of creatorship — the Bible Sabbath — choosing to worship and honor Sunday in the full knowledge that it is not God’s appointed day of worship, will receive the ‘mark of the beast. ’”^[26] "The Sunday Sabbath is purely a child of the Papacy. It is the mark of the beast. "^[27]

Some fundamentalists believe that the mark of the beast refers to the Catholic practice of making the sign of the cross. The Sign of the Cross, or Signum crucis in Latin is a ritual hand motion made by members of many but not all branches of Christianity. ^[28]

Martin Luther wrote in a footnote to Rev 13:15-18: "Spirit means / that it is active / and not a dead image / but that it has its rights and offices in its womb. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer These are six hundred and sixty and six years. So long the earthly papacy remains. " During the Reformation, Martin Luther noted that "Benediktos" added up to 666 in Greek gematria, and he thought it might refer to a Pope named Benedict or to Benedictine monks.

Luther has many comments and theories against the papacy in the footnotes to his translation of the Book of Revelation.

Lateinos, Euanthas, Teitan

• Irenaeus suggested that the number indicates that the beast is the sum of all apostasy committed over the course of six thousand years. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France ^[29] Irenaeus suggested that 666 might refer to Lateinos(The ancient Greek word for "Latin man"), Euanthas or Teitan. Irenaeus wrote:

It is not through a want of names containing the number of that name that I say this, but on account of the fear of God, and zeal for the truth: for the name Evanthas (ΕΥΑΝΘΑΣ ) contains the required number, but I make no allegation regarding it. Then also Lateinos(ΛΑΤΕΙΝΟΣ) has the number six hundred and sixty-six; and it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]. For the Latins are they who at present bear rule: I will not, however, make any boast over this [coincidence]. Teitan too, (ΤΕΙΤΑΝ, the first syllable being written with the two Greek vowels ε and ι, among all the names which are found among us, is rather worthy of credit. For it has in itself the predicted number, and is composed of six letters, each syllable containing three letters; and [the word itself] is ancient, and removed from ordinary use; for among our kings we find none bearing this name Titan, nor have any of the idols which are worshipped in public among the Greeks and barbarians this appellation. Among many persons, too, this name is accounted divine, so that even the sun is termed "Titan" by those who do now possess [the rule]. This word, too, contains a certain outward appearance of vengeance, and of one inflicting merited punishment because he (Antichrist) pretends that he vindicates the oppressed. And besides this, it is an ancient name, one worthy of credit, of royal dignity, and still further, a name belonging to a tyrant. Inasmuch, then, as this name "Titan" has so much to recommend it, there is a strong degree of probability, that from among the many [names suggested], we infer, that perchance he who is to come shall be called "Titan. "^[30]

Other suggested names

Andrew of Caesarea in his Commentary on Revelation gives seven names: Lampetis (the lustrous one), Teitan, Palaibaskanos (an ancient sorcerer), Benediktos (blue bastard), Kakos Odegos (wicked guide), Alethes Blaberos (really harmful), and Amnos Adikos (unjust lamb) each of which gives a total of 666. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου Most of these names are repeated by Arethas of Caesarea, who in his Commentary adds Teitan from Irenaeus and O Niketes (the conqueror). Arethas of Caesarea was born at Patrae, Greece, about 860 was like all the eminent men of that time a disciple of Photius. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France ^[31]

Victorinus of Pettau gives the names Teitan, Antemos (opponent), Diclux (double-dealer) and Genserikos; the last he calls Gothic. Saint Victorinus of Poetovio (died 303 or 304 was a Catholic ecclesiastical Writer who flourished about 270 and who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor As it is plainly Genseric, the Vandal king, who captured Rome in 455 AD. Geiseric the Lame (c 389 &ndash January 25, 477) also spelled as Gaiseric or Genseric, was the King of the Vandals Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 , the passage as a whole can not go back to Victorinus, who belonged to the third century. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. It is not, however surprising that the commentary should be brought up to date, after Genseric became notorious through the sack of Carthage or of Rome. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Of the other names in Victorinus only Diclux needs mention. It is said to be the Latin counterpart of Teitan and by reckoning each letter at its value in Roman numerals, the total of 666 is again given. ^[31]

Venerable Bede gives three names: Teitan, Antemos (opponent), and Arnoyme (I deny). Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c

Beatus, a Spanish monk, gives eight names among which are Damnatus(Damned), Antichristus(Antichrist), and Acxyme(for aichime or achine=666). Saint Beatus of Liébana (c 730 - c 800 was a Monk, Theologian and Geographer from the Kingdom of Asturias, in northern Spain who worked The numerical interpretation of Antichristus is based on the order of letters in the Latin alphabet, a=1 to x =300, but the accusative must be taken and spelled Antechristum. ^[31]

Mark of commerce

He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

– Rev. 13:16-17 (NIV)

Futurist Christian eschatology typically holds that the Mark of the Beast is one way in which the Antichrist will exercise power over the Earth during the period of Tribulation, because of the prophetic statement in Revelation 13:16-17 that "the Beast" (θηριον) will require all people to receive the mark (χάραγμα "branded mark or character") in their right hands or foreheads in order to buy or sell, making survival for those on the run much more difficult. The New International Version is an English Translation of the Christian Bible. Summary of Christian eschatological differencesIn Christian theology, Christian eschatology is the study of its religious Beliefs concerning all Future and For other uses see Antichrist (disambiguation In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ means a person office The Tribulation (or " Great Tribulation " is an event referred to in the New Testament of the Bible at ("For then shall be great tribulation A character (from the Greek grc [[wiktχαρακτήρ χαρακτήρ]] "engraved or stamped mark (on coins or seals branding mark symbol" may refer to any sign A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from Custody, whether it be from private Slavery, a government Arrest, government or non-government questioning A possible translation of the meaning of the number 666 may be: the number 666 will be the number that all currency will be based upon. Exact interpretations of this vary widely. For example:

• Some Christians interpret the mark as a requirement for all commerce to mean that the mark might actually be an object with the function of a credit card (eg. RFID). Radio-frequency identification ( RFID) is an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or ^[32]
• Steven D. Miller proposes that the mark of the beast may refer to a social security number or card. ^[33]
• Terry Watkins supposes the mark to be a microchip and or barcode on the human body. This article deals with human microchip implants For use in animals see Microchip implant (animal. A bar code (also barcode) is an optical Machine-readable representation of data ^[34]

Some support this barcode theory through reference to the guard bars found in some common barcode systems such as the UPC. The Universal Product Code ( UPC) is a barcode symbology (ie a specific type of Barcode) that is widely used in the United States and The rationale relies on interpreting each of the groups of guard bars as a '6', even though they are not encoded as a '6' using the barcode system. ^[35]

Other interpretations

• The Roman numeral writing of 666, "DCLXVI" is also composed with the first six Roman numerals (I, V, X, L, C, D), written in descending order. Roman numerals are a Numeral system originating in ancient Rome, adapted from Etruscan numerals.
• In Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), the number 666 may be considered mystical and holy and may represent the physical universe. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ ^[36]
• Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Beast for which 666 stands symbolizes many governments, harmonizing with the symbolic depiction of past governments (denoted as "kings") in the Book of Daniel as wild beasts. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination The Book of Daniel (דניאל, originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, is a Book in both the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Christian The Beast is said to have "a human number" in that the governments that the beast symbolizes are all of a human origin, they aren't made up of spirit or demon entities. The number 666 is also believed to be symbolic, standing for imperfection. The number seven is interpreted as being a "perfect" or "complete" number based on the fact that it is used frequently in the Bible to signify completeness, for example Psalm 12:6 and the Genesis creation week. Creation according to Genesis refers to the Hebrew narrative of the creation of the heavens and the earth as told in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis Just as six is one short of seven, imperfection is short of perfection, and hence six is interpreted as symbolizing imperfection. Six is repeated three times for emphasis, producing the number 666. ^[37] (This is similar to Vines Expository Dictionary under "Sixty, Sixtyfold," which states: "The number is suggestive of the acme of the pride of fallen man, the fullest development of man under direct satanic control, and standing in contrast to 'seven' as the number of completeness and perfection. Vine's Expository Dictionary is a reference guide to Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek words for English readers ")
• Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) claimed that he was the Beast prophesised in the Book of Revelation and took the name “Το μεγα θηριον” ("To Mega Therion"), Greek for “The Great Beast”, which adds up to 666 by isopsephy, the Greek form of gematria. Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (ˈkroʊli (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947 was a British Occultist Writer, mountaineer The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου Isopsephy (ˈaɪsəsɛfi iso meaning "equal" and psephos meaning "pebble" is the Greek word for the practice of adding up the Gematria or gimatria ( Rabbinic Hebrew he גימטריה) is a system of assigning numerical value to an Alphabet. ^[38][39]
• In the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, `Abdu'l-Bahá states that the numerical value given to the beast referred to the year 666 A. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ( ar عبد البهاء &lrm (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921 born `Abbás Effendí, was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the D. , when the Umayyad ruler Muawiyah I, who opposed the Imamate, arose. Mu'awiyah I (a=معاوية بن أبي سفيان|t=Mu‘āwīyah ibn Abī Sufyān 602-680 was a Sahaba (companion of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad ^[40]

6,666 Martyrs of the Theban Legion

The long-standing tradition of Christian hagiography regarding the Theban Legion - an entire Roman legion whose members had supposedly converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together, in 286 - gives their number as precisely "six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men", which was not the normal number of soldiers in a Roman Legion. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian Hagiography as an entire Roman legion &mdash of "six thousand For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom For the processor see Intel 80286. Events By Place Roman Empire March 1 — Diocletian This number is similar to the "Number of the Beast" though with an additional digit, but has a precisely opposite connotation as the number of highly honoured and revered martyrs for the Christian cause.

Culture and psychology

The number 666 retains a peculiar significance in the culture and psychology of Western societies, where some perceive it as “the Devil’s number”, even in contexts usually remote from superstition. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief The fear of the number 666 is called hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (literally "fear of the number six-hundred-sixty-six" is the fear that originates in the Biblical verse Revelation 1318 which indicates

The Number of the Beast is also a popular song by heavy metal band Iron Maiden who incorporate superstitious lyrics based on 666 into their song. " The Number of the Beast " is Iron Maiden 's seventh single and the second single from Iron Maiden's 1982 album of the same name. For other uses see Iron maiden. The number is also featured in the 1976 film The Omen, which had a remake released on June sixth, 2006; the "6/6/06" date featured heavily in the film's marketing. The Omen is a 1976 suspense / horror Film directed by Richard Donner.

Mathematics

• An apocalypse number is defined as any number having exactly 666 digits. ^[41]
• An apocalyptic number is any number that follows the formula 2ⁿ and contains three sixes consecutively, such as 2¹⁵⁷, which is the first one of this kind. ^[42]
• Apocalypse primes are given by the formula 10⁶⁶⁵+n for n=123, 1837, 6409, 7329, 8569, 8967, 9663, . In Mathematics, a prime number (or a prime) is a Natural number which has exactly two distinct natural number Divisors 1 . . The smallest apocalypse prime containing the digits 666 is 10^(665)+166657 (Rupinski). ^[41]
• The number 666 is also a triangular number. A triangular number is the sum of the n Natural numbers from 1 to n. If all the numbers from 1 to 36 (6*6) are added together, the sum is 666. ^[43]
• The Golden Ratio has a certain trigonometric identity that was recently discovered on 1994. In Mathematics and the Arts two quantities are in the Golden ratio if the Ratio between the sum of those quantities and the larger one is the
  • If we multiply the golden ratio with the answer is coincidently equal to the which in terms of cosines is also equal to and so:
  • 
  • 

See also

• The Beast (Bible)
• Hebrew Numerology
• Gematria
• 666 (number)
• 616 (number)
• U.S. Highway 666
• Highway 666 (Ontario)
• A666 road
• 666 (disambiguation)
• 13 (number)
• Babylonian mathematics
• Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
• Leviathan number
• Pennsylvania State Route 666

External links

• BBC News - American town changes '666' phone prefix because of satanic connotations

Notes