The Number of the Beast is a concept from the Book of Revelation of the Christian New Testament. The Number is 666 in modern texts, although 616 appears instead in one ancient source. The meaning of the number is debated. In some interpretations of Christian eschatology the Beast to which the number refers is believed to be the Antichrist or a being under its control, whereas scholars like Dr. Delbert Hillers contend that the number is a code for the Roman Emperor Nero,D.R. Hillers, “Rev. 13, 18 and a scroll from Murabba’at”, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 170 (1963) 65. a view that is also supported by the Roman Catholic Church.The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Ed. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1990. 1009

Bible

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The Number of the Beast is described in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 13:18 states:

In the Greek manuscripts, the Number is rendered in Greek numerical form as “χξς”, or sometimes literally as “six hundred and sixty-six”, “ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ”. The oldest known record of the verse, a fragment of an early manuscript of Revelation from the Oxyrhynchus site, gives a different number, 616, as “χιϛ”. Ireneaus, an early Christian writer, believed that this variation was a mistake.

Interpretations

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666 as a name

One interpretation is that 666 encodes the letters of someone’s name or title, identifying the Antichrist. However, since the reader is free to choose the code, any name or phrase can be matched to the number by finding an appropriate code. The phrase “Vicarius Filii Dei” is an example of this.

To be convincing, interpretations invoke arguments other than mathematics to prove their point. For example, scholars who believe that the Book of Revelation refers to historical people and events argue that the number represents Nero. The value of “Neron Caesar”, written as “נרון קסר”, “Nrwn Qsr”, using Hebrew letters with numerical values under the form of numerology called Gematria, is:

$666\; =\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{r\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 200\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{s\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 60\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{q\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 100\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{n\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 50\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{w\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 6\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{r\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 200\backslash end\{matrix\}\; +\; \backslash begin\{matrix\}\; \backslash mbox\{n\}\; \backslash \backslash \; 50\backslash end\{matrix\}\backslash mbox\{.\}\backslash ,\backslash !$

The hypothesis that 666 is a code for a Roman emperor seems to have some historical support. The emperors were noted for their oppression of both Jews and early Christians. Both communities were known to use numerology and codes where living under Roman rule to avoid persecution.

666 as the mark of commerce

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. Exact interpretations of this vary widely. For example:

• Keith Krell interprets 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.
• Steven D. Miller proposes that the mark of the beast may refer to a social security number or card.
• Terry Watkins supposes the mark to be a microchip or barcode in or on the human body.

Other interpretations

• Irenaeus suggested that the number indicates that the beast is the sum of all apostasy committed over the course of six thousand years.
• 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”.
• Another reading in Roman numerals supposes DCLXVI to be an anagram of DIC LVX, an abbreviation of “dicit lux”, “the light speaks”.
• In Judaism, the number 666 is considered mystical and holy and may represent the physical universe.
• The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Beast for which 666 stands is a government.

Culture and psychology

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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. The fear of the number 666 is called hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

Notes

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See also

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• Number of the Beast (numerology)

Bible | Numerology

Nombre de la bèstia | Číslo bestie | Dyrets tal | Sechshundertsechsundsechzig | Marca de la Bestia | Pedon luku | Nombre de la bête | 獣の数字 | Dyrets tall | Liczba Bestii | Número da Besta | Число зверя | 獸名數目