Gawen

I have problem with this. The Christian claim that "666" is the "Number of the Beast". What Revelation actually says is the number is "six hundred, three score and six".

The string "666" would only mean ((6*10^2)+(6*10^1)+(6*10^0)) to a person familiar with the place value system. As far as I can tell, the place value system was NOT in use in that area at that time. And it wouldn't be introduced for another 600 years.

Hebrew and Greek numeration used simple addition without place value. To them the string "666" would be 6+6+6 or eighteen.

Does this sound right? Does it even matter?

Is it in the right forum?

Toto

The number of the beast is 666 as a number, not as a string. The actual number give in Revelation used the numeric system of the time, which was not a place based system. The number was dervied from adding up the numeric values of Nero's name.

There was someone who tried to claim that '555' was related to Caesar's Veni Vidi Vici, under the assumtion that VVV would be 555. This represents a confusion based on modern notation, since at the time the number 555 would be DLV (if I remember my Roman Numerals).

But the number of the beast has nothing to do with 6 + 6 + 6. It is 666.

Phlox Pyros

Some ancient Christians appear to have believed the number of the beast was 616.

Chili

A distinction is made between a "certain man" and "man" to whom the number 666 is given. This "certain man" is the second beast of Revelation 13 while "man" is the first beast. The numbers 666 represent midnight, midwinter midlife that stand for the only night on which Christ can be born in the human mind.

Gawen

Ahhhh..ok. I never knew that.

Spitfire

Revelations/Apocalypse being one of the most purely metaphorical of all the books of the Bible, I would say this is one case where speculation is particularly futile. There is no upside and only the potential for paranoia and unecessary anxiety over what can not be prevented anyway.

Beth Phillips

With what I am calling GrecoSemitic wordplay, this pericope takes typical wordplay a step further with alpha-numeric wordplay. There are several of these; none of which have anything to do with the popular interp of Nero. These wordplays are isolated through both translation and transliteration between the two languages.

With a close reading we can see that the narrative actually tells us exactly what the answer to this riddle is--it is the phrase “number of man” and the word “beast” itself:



Additionally, to make the verse a true series of GrecoSemitic Wordplay, rather than just Semitic wordplay, there is a crucial Greek word that also comes into play: THRION/therion is the Greek word for “Beast” and when transliterated into Semitic this Greek word becomes ¤wyrt which also sums to 666:

Chili

Not if the whole bible is metaphor.

It does matter since those who warn us about the antichrist is the antichrist.

Rev. 13 and 14 makes this very clear if you see the the second beast of Rev. 13 as the Jesus worshipers that have been reborn from the old earth instead of the celestial sea.

Spitfire

I don't believe the whole Bible is a metaphor, just a lot of it. Especially that particular part of it.

Chili

Except that when the number is given the riddle is gone.

Ingenuity is needed to make a distinction between the first and second beast of which the first beast has been given the number 666. This one will be fully man in the image of God while the second beast will always be an apostle short.