Thenumber of the beast (Koine Greek:Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου,Arithmós toû thēríou) is associated with theBeast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of theBook of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and inEnglish translations of the Bible, the number of the beast issix hundred sixty-six orχξϛ (inGreek numerals,χ represents 600,ξ represents 60 andϛ represents 6).[1]Papyrus 115 (which is the oldest preserved manuscript of theRevelation as of 2017[update]), as well as other ancient sources likeCodex Ephraemi Rescriptus, give the number of the beast as χιϛ or χιϲ, transliterable in Arabic numerals as616 (χιϛ), not 666;[2][3]critical editions of the Greek text, such as theNovum Testamentum Graece, note χιϛ/616 as a variant.[4] There is a broad consensus in contemporary scholarship that the number of the beast refers to the Roman EmperorNero.[5][6][7][8]
The number of the beast is described inRevelation 13:15–18. Several translations have been interpreted for the meaning of the phrase "Here is Wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast..." where the peculiar Greek wordψηφισάτω (psephisato) is used. Possible translations include "to count", "to reckon" and also "to vote" or "to decide".[9]
In theTextus Receptus, derived fromByzantine text-type manuscripts, the number six hundred sixty-six is represented by theGreek numeralsχξϛ,[10][11] with theGreek ligaturestigma (ϛ) representing the number 6:
17καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.18Ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων τὸν νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου· ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστί· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦχξϛʹ.[12]
ENGLISH
"17And 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.18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is666."
In several editions of theGreek Bible, this number is instead represented by three words spelled out,ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ,hexakósioi hexēkonta héx, meaning "six hundred [and] sixty-six":[13][14][15]
_Plate_3_verso_crop_Number_of_the_Beast_%25CF%2587%25CE%25B9%25CF%259B_616.jpg)
AlthoughIrenaeus (2nd century AD) affirmed the number to be 666 and reported several scribal errors of the number, theologians have doubts about the traditional reading[17] because of the appearance of the figure 616 in theCodex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C; Paris—one of the fourgreat uncial codices), as well as in the Latin version ofTyconius (DCXVI, ed. Souter in the Journal of Theology, SE, April 1913), and in an ancient Armenian version (ed.Conybeare, 1907). Irenaeus knew about the 616 reading, but did not adopt it (Haer. V, 30) noting instead that those who spoke withthe Apostle John (traditionally considered the author of the Book of Revelation) "face to face" said that the number was 666.[18] In the 380s, correcting the existing Latin-language version of the New Testament (commonly referred to as theVetus Latina),Jerome retained "666".[19][20]
Around 2005, a fragment fromPapyrus 115, taken from theOxyrhynchus site, was discovered at theUniversity of Oxford'sAshmolean Museum. It gave the beast's number as616 (χις). This fragment is the oldest manuscript (about 1,700 years old) of Revelation 13 found as of 2017[update].[2][3]Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, known before thePapyrus 115 finding but dating to after it, has 616 written in full:ἑξακόσιοι δέκα ἕξ,hexakosioi deka hex (lit. "six hundred and sixteen").[21]
Papyrus 115 andEphraemi Rescriptus have led some scholars to regard616 as the original number of the beast.[22] According to Paul Louis Couchoud, "The number 666 has been substituted for 616 either by analogy with 888, the [Greek] number of Jesus (Gustav Adolf Deissmann), or because it is atriangular number, the sum of the first 36 numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6+...+36 = 666)".[23]
The beast's identity and the beast's number are usually interpreted by applying one of three methods:[24]: 718
InGreekisopsephy andHebrewgematria, every letter has a corresponding numeric value. Summing these numbers gives a numeric value to a word or name. The use of isopsephy to calculate "the number of the beast" is used in many of the below interpretations.
There is a broad consensus in contemporary scholarship that the number of the beast refers to the Roman EmperorNero.[5][6][7][8]
Since the 1830s, theologians likeChristian Friedrich Fritzsche,Franz Ferdinand Benary,Ferdinand Hitzig andEduard Reuss pointed the number 666 toNero, who was the first emperor to have persecuted Christians.[25]Preterist theologians typically support the interpretation that 666 is the numerical equivalent of the name and titleNeroCaesar (Roman Emperor 54–68 AD).[26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Written in Aramaic, this can be valued at 666 using the Hebrew numerology of gematria, and was used to secretly speak against the emperor.[citation needed] Additionally, "Nero Caesar" in theHebrew alphabet isנרון קסרNRON QSR, which in standard gematria (mispar hechrechi) is given the numbers 50 200 6 50 100 60 200, which add up to 666.
The Greek termχάραγμα (charagma, "mark" in Revelation 13:16) was most commonly used for imprints on documents or coins. Charagma is well attested to have been an imperial seal of the Roman Empire used on official documents during the 1st and 2nd centuries.[33] In the reign of EmperorDecius (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.[34]
Preterists argue that Revelation was written before thedestruction of the Temple, with Nero exiling John to Patmos.[35] Most scholars, however, argue it was written after Nero committed suicide in AD 68.Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia has noted that Revelation was "written during the latter part of the reign of the Roman EmperorDomitian, probably in A.D. 95 or 96".[36] Additional Protestant scholars are in agreement.[a]
Because some people believe Revelation 13 speaks of a futureprophetic event, "All who dwell on the earthwill worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8 NKJV), some have argued that the interpretation of Nero meeting the fulfillment is an impossibility if Revelation was written around 30 yearsafter the death of Nero.[b][39][40] However, rumors circulated that Nero had not really died and would return to power.[41]
It has also been suggested that the numerical reference to Nero was a code to imply but not directly identify emperor Domitian,[42][43] whose style of rulership resembled that of Nero, who heavily taxed the people ofAsia (Lydia), to whom the Book of Revelation was primarily addressed.[44] The popularNero Redivivus legend stating that Nero would return to life can also be noted; "After Nero's suicide in AD 68, there was a widespread belief, especially in the eastern provinces, that he was not dead and somehow would return.[45]Suetonius (XL) relates how court astrologers had predicted Nero's fall but that he would have power in the east. And, indeed, at least three false claimants did present themselves as Neroredivivus (resurrected).[46]
AnAramaic scroll fromWadi Murabba'at, dated to "the second year of Emperor Nero", refers to him by his name and title.[47] In Hebrew it isNron Qsr (pronounced "Nerōn Kaisar"). In Latin it isNro Qsr (pronounced "Nerō Kaisar").
The Greek version of the name and titletransliterates intoHebrew asנרון קסר, and yields a numerical value of 666,[47] as shown:
The Latin version of the name drops the secondNun (נ), so that it appears asNro and transliterates intoHebrew asנרו קסר, yielding 616:[26]
| Resh (ר) | Samekh (ס) | Qoph (ק) | Vav (ו) | Resh (ר) | Nun (נ) | Sum |
| 200 | 60 | 100 | 6 | 200 | 50 | 616 |
Gematria has also been used with the wordMaometis (Ancient Greek:Μαομέτις); which scholars have described as a dubiously obscure Latinisation of a Greek transliteration of the Arabic nameمحمد (Muhammad).A leading proponent of the Maometis interpretation wasWalmesley, the Roman Catholic bishop of Rama.[48] Other proponents include 16–17th-century Catholic theologiansGilbert Genebrard,François Feuardent, andRené Massuet.[49] Maometis inGreek numerals totals 666:
Thom (1923)[50] rejects "Maometis" as a valid translation, observing that
None of the spellings actually used add up to 666 under Greek gematria.[50]
Setton (1992) is critical of the idea: Muhammad was frequently defamed and made a subject oflegends, taught by preachers asfact.[51]: 1–5 For example, in order to show that Muhammad was the anti-Christ, it was asserted that Muhammad died not in the year 632 but in the year 666. In another variation on the theme the number "666" was also used to represent the period of time Muslims would hold sway of the land.[51]: 4–15 InQuia maior, theencyclical calling for theFifth Crusade,Euthymius Zygabenus andZonaras wrote the name as "Maometh" andCedrenus wrote the name "Mouchoumet" none of which is the "Maometis" in question.
Fr. Sloet of Holland proposed the title of Antichrist as king of Israel.[52] He wrote that, "The Jews have ever looked forward to the Messiah as a great leader to restore the kingdom of Israel. They rejected Jesus because He did not fulfill this expectation... He will be king of a restored Israel, not only king, but the king par excellence. In Hebrew this idea could be expressed by the words (hammelek l'Yisrael), which have the requisite numerical value of 666; but in order to obtain this number kaph medial (כ) must be used in melek (king) instead of kaph final (ך)."[53]
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), the Englishceremonial magician who founded the religionThelema, self-identified as theBeast prophesied in Revelation and used the nameΤὸ Μέγα Θηρίον (To Méga Thēríon), Greek for "The Great Beast", which adds up to 666 byisopsephy, the Greek form ofgematria.[54][55]
In both1 Kings 10:14 and2 Chronicles 9:13 it reads: "The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents".[56][57] In a 2020 paper by Bodner & Strawn, they seem to indicate that the number 666 is associated with Solomon in his downfall, as it's "an important notice of this king's wayward and unjust practices [..] and eschewing of God's law". But they also conclude that "the origin of this number is not yet clear". And: "If Irenaeus was unclear about 666 already in the second century, the twenty-first century can be no more certain."[58]
._Greg._2402_p_228_%25CF%2587%25CE%25BE%25CF%2582.png)
Revelation also references acharagma (χάραγμα), translated asmark of the beast:
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
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.
— Revelation chapter 13:16–17
TheBook of Revelation is commonly dated to about AD 95, as suggested by clues in the visions pointing to the reign of the emperor Domitian.[59]Irenaeus (c. 130 – c. 202 AD), a former student ofPolycarp[60] who in turn had been a disciple ofJohn the Apostle,[61] knew that John had written the Revelation not that long ago, since he mentions it was written: "almost in our own generation, in the last years of Domitian's reign".[62]
Irenaeus also wrote that it is "more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfilment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises" regarding the meaning of the number. In fact, he mentioned multiple other solutions of the number, like Evanthas (ΕΥΑΝΘΑΣ), Teitan (ΤΕΙΤΑΝ) and Lateinos (ΛΑΤΕΙΝΟΣ). On the latter, Irenaeus wrote further: "it is a very probable [solution], this being the name of the last kingdom [of the four seen by Daniel]".[62]
Various secular authors and scholars onChristian eschatology have commented the meaning of the mark of the beast.
A commonpreterist view of the mark of the beast (focusing on the past) is 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.[63] New Testament scholar C.C. Hill notes, "It is far more probable that the mark symbolizes the all-embracing economic power of Rome, whose 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."[64]
Adela Yarbro Collins further denotes that the refusal to use Roman coins resulted in the condition where "no man might buy or sell".[65][66] A similar view is offered by 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."[67]
In 66 AD, when Nero was emperor—about the time some scholars say Revelation was written—the Jews revolted against Rome andcoined their own money.
The passage is also seen as an antithetical parallelism to the Jewish institution oftefillin—Hebrew 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.[63]
Idealism, also known as theallegorical orsymbolic approach, is an interpretation of the book of Revelation that sees the imagery of the book as non-literalsymbols.[68]
The idealist perspective on the number of the beast rejectsgematria, envisioning the number not as a code to be broken, but a symbol to be understood. Idealists would contend that because there are so many names that can come to 666 and that most systems require converting names to other languages or adding titles when convenient, it has been impossible to come to a consensus.
Given that numbers are used figuratively throughout the Book of Revelation, idealists interpret this number figuratively as well. The common suggestion is that because seven is a number of "completeness" and is associated with the divine, six is "incomplete", and the three sixes are "inherently incomplete".[24]: 722 The number is therefore suggestive that the Dragon and his beasts are profoundly deficient.
Historicists believe Revelation articulates a full range of the history of the Christian church, from John's day to theSecond Coming of Christ. The author alludes to Daniel 2:28 and 2:45; Daniel's vision (Daniel 2) uses symbols giving a sequence of future events in history, from the Babylonian empire, through Medo-Persian period, Greece and Rome, continuing until the end of the current civilization.
TheAugsburg confession given toCharles V in its 28th article stated "They likewise cite that the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday contrary to the Ten Commandments, as they see it, and no example is hyped and cited so much as the changing of the Sabbath, and they thereby wish to preserve the great authority of the church, since it has dispensed with the Ten Commandments and altered something in them."[69] Rome was identified as the little horn power that changed times and laws (Daniel 7:25). Some Protestants such as the London minister Thomas Tillam and court physicianPeter Chamberlen during the reformation began to identify Sunday worship as the Mark of the Beast.[70][71]
This apocalyptic volume builds on Daniel's approach focusing on major points of Christian history: the cross of Christ (Rev. 5:6,9,12); theSecond Coming (Rev. 14:14–16; 19:11–16); the 1,000 years in heaven (Rev. 20:4–6); the third advent of Christ to earth along with his loyal followers and the destruction of Satan and those who refused Christ (Rev. 20:7–15); and the creation of a new heavens and a new earth where death, sorrow, and sin cease and God dwells with His people (Rev. 21:1–8, 21:22–27; 22:1–5). TheBook of Daniel is divided into two parts: The historical narrative of the captivity of Judah, and the prophecies pointing to both promised Messiah and the events of the end of the world. Attention to the text of Revelation aids the student ofBible prophecy by showing how the Apostle John and Jesus intended us to interpret Bibleapocalyptic literature as found in Daniel.[72]
Seventh-day Adventists taking this view believe that the 'mark of the beast' (but not the number 666) refers to a future, universal, legally enforced Sunday-sacredness. "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'."[73] "The Sunday Sabbath is purely a child of the Papacy. It is the mark of the beast."[74] In the encyclicalDies Domini, PopeJohn Paul II stated that "The Sunday assembly is the privileged place of unity: it is the setting for the celebration of thesacramentum unitatis whichprofoundly marks the Church" [emphasis added] and this was also repeated in other catechisms and documents.[75][76][77] Adventists note the old testament definition of a hand and forehead mark in texts like Exodus 13:9, Exodus 31:13-17, Ezekiel 20:12 provide important understanding of terms in Revelation's figurative language.
| Do not worship the beast | Commandment 1 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. |
| Do not worship the image of the beast | Commandment 2 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. |
| Do not receive the name of the beast | Commandment 3 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. |
| Do not honor Sunday with worship. | Commandment 4 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. |
Somefundamentalist Christian groups, as well as various Christian writers in other traditions, interpret the mark as a requirement for all commerce to mean that the mark might actually be an object in the right hand or forehead with the function of a credit card, such asRFID microchip implants.[78] Some of these groups believe the implantation of chips may be the imprinting of the mark of the beast, prophesied to be a requirement for all trade and a precursor to God's wrath.[79][80] Similar objections were raised aboutbarcodes upon their introduction.[81]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, some groups associatedCOVID-19 vaccines andmask wearing with the mark of the beast, or that it was a microchip in the vaccine.[82] Some religious leaders spoke out against this as a misinterpretation of Revelation 13:16-18.[83] Medical institutions such asHennepin County Medical Center noted this in their fact sheets about the vaccine.[84] A similar version was spread byMarjorie Taylor Greene, who referred to vaccine passports as being the mark of the beast.[85]
In the 1980 science fiction novelThe Number of the Beast, authorRobert A. Heinlein writes that the actual number of the beast is not666 but actually = 10,314,424,798,490,535,546,171,949,056,[86] the number of accessibleparallel universes in the novel.
In the writings of theBaháʼí Faith,'Abdu'l-Bahá states that the numerical value given to the beast referred to the year[87] when theUmayyad rulerMuawiyah I took office as Caliph in 661 AD. He opposed theImamate, according to the beliefs ofShia Islam, who continued to pay the tax required of nonbelievers and were excluded from government and the military, and thus bore a social "mark".[88] (See also thescholarly accepted year of birth of Jesus about 666 years before as well as the concept ofMawali who were non-Arab Muslims but not treated as other Muslims.)
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the beast identified by the number 666 represents the world's unified governments in opposition to God. The beast is said to have "a human number" in that the represented governments are of a human origin rather than spirit entities. The number 666 is said to identify "gross shortcoming and failure in the eyes of Jehovah", in contrast to the number 7, which is seen as symbolizing perfection.[89]
The fear of 666 (six hundred sixty-six) as the number of the beast is calledhexakosioihexekontahexaphobiaⓘ.[90][91] Variant phobias are calledhexakosioihekkaidekaphobia, which is the fear of 616 (six hundred sixteen), andhexaphobia, which is the fear of 6 (six). Known cases of these fears include:
[...] 616 refers to the Emperor Caligula.
Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)TheBook of Revelation was written by the Apostle John about AD 95.
With an explanation and application in two parts: Part 1.The Number, and Part 2.Names.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Supporters say changing building numbers isn't such an unusual thing. After all, they say, when President Reagan left office, he and Nancy took up residence at 666 St. Cloud Road in Bel-Air but had the address changed to 668 to avoid the 'number of the beast'.
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