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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, relating to the
figure of "The Beast". The number is in most manuscripts of the New Testament, and in modern translations and critical
editions of the Greek text.

666

The Number of the Beast is described in the Book of Revelation 13:17–18. The original Greek reads:

17 καὶ ἵνα µή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ µὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγµα, τὸ ὄνοµα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθµὸν
τοῦ ὀνόµατος αὐτοῦ. 18 ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθµὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθµὸς γὰρ
ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν· καὶ ὁ ἀριθµὸς αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ.

The number is the final 3 words (transliterated: hexakósioi hexēkonta héx), meaning "six hundred sixty-six".

The King James Version of the Bible translates:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name. 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.

In the Old Testament, both 1 Kings 10:14 and 2 Chronicles 9:13 state that Solomon collected "six hundred threescore and six"
talents of gold each year. John's reference to "wisdom" and "understanding" might also point toward Proverbs 1 and 2, where
understanding, discernment, wisdom and insight are explained and advised by King Solomon. In the Greek manuscripts, the
number is rendered in Greek numerical form as χξϛʹ, or sometimes literally as , hexakósioi hexēkonta héx, "six hundred and
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 whom it would have been politically
dangerous to criticize openly.

Some commentators, not only the contemporary but also some ancient ones like Andreas of Caesarea or Origen, reflect an
alternative attitude on textual matters of Revelation, in that they accept more than one reading when they know more.
For example the Greek νοείν, as in "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω", has been suggested to mean "read between the lines", "penetrate
below the surface" by Cuthbert Hamilton Turner as a means to indirectly reference Roman power.

There are several interpretations-translations for the meaning of the phrase "Let him that hath understanding count the number
of the beast" where the peculiar Greek word ψηφισάτω (psefisato) is used. Possible translations include not only "to count", "to
reckon" but also "to vote" or "to decide".

616

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Number of the Beast: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article 5/1/11 6:43 PM

Although Irenaeus (2nd century AD) affirmed the number to be 666 and reported several scribal errors of the number, there is
still doubt by some theologians about the original reading, as some recently-discovered 3rd century early manuscripts of
Revelation read . This topic is a source of contention for many church groups and theologians. 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". This testimony
666 in Prophecy of Irenaeus is very important, because he was a disciple of Polycarp who according to his followers was a disciple of a certain
Unlock the Number of John, a figure often associated with the evangelist.
666! Clearly Explained
Here. Watch Now.
www.theRCG.org In May 2005, it was reported that scholars at Oxford University using advanced imaging
techniques had been able to read previously illegible portions of the earliest known
record of the Book of Revelation (a 1,700 year old papyrus), from the Oxyrhynchus site,
Ministry Degree
Papyrus 115 or P 115, dating one century after Irenaeus. The fragment gives the Number
Online of the Beast as 616 (χ ι ϛ), rather than the majority text 666 (χ ξ ϛ). The other early
Earn a ministry witness Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) has it written in full: , hexakosiai deka hex (lit.
degree online from an "six hundred sixteen").
accredited Christian
University Significantly, P 115 aligns with Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
www.tntemple.edu (C) which are generally regarded as providing the best testimony to Revelation. Thus,
P 115 has superior testimony to that of P 47 which aligns with Codex Sinaiticus and
The True Church together form the second-best witness to the Book of Revelation. This has led some
The Church Jesus scholars to conclude that 616 is the original number of the beast.
Founded in AD 31.
Learn where it is Dr. Paul Lewes in his book, A Key to Christian Origins (1932) wrote:
Located! "The figure 616 is given in one of the two best manuscripts, C (Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, Paris), by the Latin
www.worldtocome.org
version of Tyconius (DCXVI, ed. 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),
Bible Study Jerome adopted it (De Monogramm., ed. Dom G Morin in the Rev. Benedictine, 1903). It is probably original.
Fellowship Sanger The number 666 has been substituted for 616 either by analogy with 888, the [Greek] number of Jesus
Connect Your Soul (Deissmann), or because it is a triangular number, the sum of the first 36 numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6...+36 = 666)".
with God! Visit Our
Baptist Church in
Fresno Today. Professor David C. Parker, Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham,
www.HarvestFresno.org
thinks that 616, although less memorable than 666, is the original. 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
Miracle Prayer version."
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for You. Among futurists, the book of Revelation is an apocalyptic book, meaning that it focuses on "the end of time" or "the end of an
www.ChristianPrayerCenter… age". Therefore, the number 666 encodes the letters of someone's name who is yet to be identified, but is commonly referred
to as the Beast (Rev. 13:18), or the Antichrist (1 John 2:22).

Gematria

In Greek and Hebrew gematria, every letter has a corresponding number. Summing these numbers gives a numeric value to a
word or name.
The use of gematria to determine "the number of his name" often places the person in question in contemporary with the 1st-
century writer of the book of Revelation, which is examined below. Other uses of gematria have been projected onto modern
leaders, and even non-human entities, such as the abbreviation for "world wide web", "www", which in the Hebrew alphabet is
‫ ווו‬, and in Hebrew the letter ‫( ו‬waw) used as a number means 6.

Roman emperors

Most scholars contend that the number 666 is a code for the Roman Emperor Nero. Charagma is well attested to have been an
imperial seal of the Roman Empire used on official documents during the 1st and 2nd centuries. Those who worshipped the
emperor received a certificate or mark of approval – χάραγµα (charagma), the same word used in Revelation 13:16.
Furthermore, in the reign of Emperor Decius (249–251 AD), those who did not possess the certificate of sacrifice (libellus) to
Caesar could not pursue trades, a prohibition that conceivably goes back to Nero, reminding one of Revelation 13:17.

The emperor in general

The German Protestant theologian Gustav Adolf Deissmann dismissed any Hebrew gematria and stated that in "solving the
apocalyptic numbers 616 and 666, occurring in a Greek book, it is not only not unfeasible to start from the Greek alphabet, it is
in fact the most obvious thing to do." Deissmann posited that 616 is the older secret number with which the Jews branded the
imperial cult, and that 666 may be a "Christian adaptation of the Jewish number to bring it into (subordinate) harmony with 888
(= Ἰησοῦς, Jesus)". Deissmann theorized that the original number 616 stood for "Caesar God" (Καῖσαρ θεὁς, Kaisar theós),
with Caesar denoting the Roman emperor in general.

In Greek, Kaisar theós yields 616:

Κ α ι σς α ρ θ ε ο σς TOTAL
20 1 10 200 1 100 9 5 70 200 616

Nero

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Number of the Beast: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article 5/1/11 6:43 PM

Most scholars believe that 666 refers to the Roman Emperor Nero. According to a passage in the Annals by Tacitus, Nero was
responsible for some especially vicious attacks on Christians in Rome. The Book of Revelation was written after Nero
committed suicide, but many people thought that he had not died and had come out of hiding in the East to lead this new wave
of persecution against Christians in the late 1st century. The Greek spelling, "Nerōn Kaisar", transliterates into Hebrew as " ‫נרון‬
‫ "קסר‬or nrwn qsr. This Hebrew spelling is attested in a scroll from Murabba'at dated to "the second year of emperor Nero."
Adding the corresponding values yields 666, as shown:
Resh (‫ )ר‬Samech (‫ )ס‬Qof (‫ )ק‬Noon (‫ )נ‬Vav (‫ )ו‬Resh (‫ )ר‬Noon (‫ )נ‬TOTAL
200 60 100 50 6 200 50 666

By contrast, the Latin title for Nero is spelled simply Nerō Caesar, which transliterates to "‫ "נרו קסר‬or nrv qsr and has a value of
616, which may explain that variation.
Resh (‫ )ר‬Samech (‫ )ס‬Qof (‫ )ק‬Vav (‫ )ו‬Resh (‫ )ר‬Noon (‫ )נ‬TOTAL
200 60 100 6 200 50 616

Robert Graves suggested that DCLXVI, 666 in Roman numerals, is an abbreviation for the titulus to the Antichrist which reads:
Domitius Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Interfecit, or "The Emperor Domitius (i.e. Nero) violently killed the envoys of Christ".

Caligula

David C. 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. 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. In Hebrew, Gaius Caligula Caesar is ‫( גסקלגסקסר‬gsqlgs
qsr). Adding the values yields 616.
Resh Samech Qof Samech Gimmel Lamed Qof Samech Gimmel TOTAL
200 60 100 60 3 30 100 60 3 616

In Greek, "Gaios Kaisar" also yields 616

Γ α ι ο σς Κ α ι σς α ρ TOTAL
3 1 10 70 200 20 1 10 200 1 100 616

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), conceived a Greek gematrical procedure to
explain the number 666. Judging from the precise information that the Book of Revelation gives about the person behind the
number 666, 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.
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. 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.
Α Κ Α Ι Δ Ο M Ε Τ Σ Ε Β Γ E TOTAL
1 20 1 10 4 70 40 5 300 200 5 2 3 5 666

Papacy

Some Protestant Bible commentators have equated the "beast" of Revelation chapter 13 with the Papacy. To this end, the
letters of an alleged title of the Pope, Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of The Son of God), are summed to total 666 in Roman numerals.
The earliest extant record of a Protestant writer on this subject is Andreas Helwig in 1612 in his work Antichristus Romanus.
The title was contained in the Donation of Constantine, a forged document purportedly issued by Emperor Constantine the
Great, by which large privileges and rich possessions were conferred on the pope and the Roman Church. This title was never
an official title of the Pope, but the forged document containing the title was cited by Pope Leo IX in 1054 in claiming
supremacy over the Patriarch of Constantinople. This interpretation requires disregarding letters that had no numerical value
for the Romans (such as the A, R and S in VICARIVS).
V I C A R I V S F I L I I D E I TOTAL
5 1 100 0 0 1 5 0 0 1 50 1 1 500 0 1 666

Some Seventh-day Adventists believe that the "mark of the beast" (but not the number 666) refers to a future, universal, legally
enforced Sunday-worship. "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. "The
Sunday Sabbath is purely a child of the Papacy. It is the mark of the beast."

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.
Β Ε Ν Ε Δ Ι Κ Τ Ο Σ TOTAL
2 5 50 5 4 10 20 300 70 200 666

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

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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. 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 worshiped 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."

L A T E I N O S TOTAL
30 1 300 5 10 50 70 200 666
T E I T A N TOTAL
300 5 10 300 1 50 666
E U A N TH A S TOTAL
5 400 1 50 9 1 200 666

Muhammad

Some researchers have reportedly found the number of the Beast in the Greek word Maometis. Christians in the Middle Ages
believed that Muhammad was the Antichrist and that 666 fitted his name (Maometis). In Quia Maior, the encyclical calling for
the Fifth Crusade, Pope Innocent III identifies Muhammad with the beast of Revelation. A leading exponent of the Maometis
interpretation was Charles Walmesley, the Roman Catholic bishop of Rama. He observed that the name Muhammad was spelt
Maometis or Moametis by Euthymius Zygabenus and the Greek historians Zonaras and Cedrenus. Other proponents include
Charles Montagu, Gilbert Genebrard, Francois Feuardent, and Rene Massuet. Maometis in Greek gematria totals 666:
M A O M E T I S TOTAL
40 1 70 40 5 300 10 200 666

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 (bad guide), Alethes Blaberos
(really harmful), and Amnos Adikos (unjust lamb) each of which gives a total of 666. Most of these names are
repeated by Arethas of Caesarea, who in his Commentary adds Teitan from Irenaeus and O Niketes (the winner).
Victorinus of Pettau gives the names Teitan, Antemos (opponent), Diclux (double-dealer) and Genserikos; the last
he calls Gothic. As it is plainly Genseric, the Vandal king, who captured Rome in 455 AD, the passage as a whole can
not go back to Victorinus, who belonged to the 3rd century. 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. 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.
Venerable Bede gives three names: Teitan, Antemos (opponent), and Arnoyme (I deny).
Beatus, a Spanish monk, gives eight names among which are Damnatus (Damned), Antichristus (Antichrist), and
Acxyme (for aichime or achine=666). 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.

Mark of commerce

Futurist Christian eschatology typically holds that the rise of a supranational currency could be a hallmark of the End Times.
Under this view, the prophetic statements in Revelation 13:16–17 are taken to imply that the one way in which the Antichrist will
acquire and exercise power over the Earth during the period of the Tribulation is via hegemonic control of said supranational
currency. This power would be acquired by "The Beast" performing miracles and subsequently requiring all people to receive
the Mark of the Beast in their right hands or foreheads (i.e. a place on the body where its absence would be conspicuous) in
order to buy or sell, making survival for those on the run (i.e. opposers of the religio-economic hegemony) much more difficult.

Religious difficulties with a supranational currency currently exist (see World currency – Political difficulties). According to the
Futurist view, to overcome the extant difficulties the Antichrist will use forced religious syncretism (i.e. in the name of
counterterrorism and world economic stability) to enable the creation of the supranational currency.

The Number of the Beast – 666

A meaning of the number 666, according to Futurist Christian eschatology may be that the number 666 would be a significant
number that all currency would be based upon. Exact interpretations of this vary widely, and many refer to nascent

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technologies. 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 (e.g. implanted RFID tags).
Terry Watkins supposes the mark to be a microchip and/or a tattooed barcode on the human body.
David Webber and Noah Hutchings suggested similar theories in their book Computers and the Beast of Revelation
(1986) and Hutchings and co-author Larry Spargamino arroused more fears about such technology with their 1998
book Y2K=666?.

The Number of the Man – 666

A meaning of the number 666, according to the Bible may be that the number 666 would represent the unsaved. With the world
broken into 3 parts. (1) those who are not concerned with the word of God. (2) those who claim to love God, but God says I
know you not. (3) those who God elected and loved before the earth was created

Other views
Alternative views to the Christian Futurist one exist. Some who take a historical view of the Book of Revelation identify the
Mark of the Beast with the stamped image of the emperor's head on every coin of the Roman Empire: the stamp on the hand or
in the mind of all, without which no one could buy or sell.

New Testament scholar Craig C. Hill, a Methodist, says, "It is far more probable that the mark symbolizes the all-embracing
economic power of Rome, who's very coinage bore the emperor's image and conveyed his claims to divinity (e.g., by including
the sun's rays in the ruler's portrait). It had become increasingly difficult for Christians to function in a world in which public life,
including the economic life of the trade guilds, required participation in idolatry." A similar view is offered by Lutheran scholar
Craig R. Koester. "As sales were made, people used coins that bore the images of Rome's gods and emperors. Thus each
transaction that used such coins was a reminder that people were advancing themselves economically by relying on political
powers that did not recognize the true God."

The verse is also seen as making a pointed ironical contrast with the Jewish institution of tefillin – bible texts worn bound to the
arm and the forehead during daily prayer. Instead of binding their allegiance to God to their arm and head, the place is instead
taken with people's allegiance to The Beast.

Kabbalah

In Kabbalistic Judaism the number 666 represents the creation and perfection of the world. The world was created in 6 days,
and there are 6 cardinal directions (North, South, East, West, Up, Down). 6 is also the numerical value of one of the letters of
God's name.

Other interpretations

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that The Beast for which 666 stands symbolizes many unified governments, harmonizing with the
symbolic depiction of past governments (denoted as "kings") in the Book of Daniel as wild beasts. 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. Furthermore, the number 666 "itself all point to one unmistakable conclusion—gross shortcoming and failure in
the eyes of Jehovah," thus imperfection (7 is used by God in many ways to indicate perfection such as days in the week, hence
6 is the number of imperfection, falling short of 7).

Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) claimed that he was The Beast prophesied 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.

In the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, `Abdu'l-Bahá states that the numerical value given to the beast referred to the year when the
Umayyad ruler Muawiyah I, who opposed the Imamate, took office as Caliph in 661 AD – see also the scholarly accepted year
of birth of Jesus about 666 years before as well as the concept of Mawali who were non-Arab Muslims but not treated as other
Muslims – who continued to pay the tax required of nonbelievers and were excluded from government and the military, and
thus bore a social "mark".

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