Is the Number of the Beast 666 or 616?

Source: Text of The Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts” (Comfort and Barrett)

616 or 666?

P 115 (P.Oxy 4499) showing Revelation 13:18-14:7
Courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society, London, England. Note the number of the beast = 616, in the third line.

P115 (P. Oxy. 4499)

Contents: Rev. 2:1-3, 13-15, 27-29; 3:10-12; 5:8-9; 6:5-6; 8:3-8, 11-13; 9: 1-5, 7-16, 18-21; 10: 1-4, 8-11; 11:1-5, 8-15, 18-19; 12: 1-5, 8-10, 12-17;-13:1-3, 6-16, 18; 14:1-3, 5-7, 10-11, 14-15, 18-20; 15:1, 4-7

Date: middle to late third century; the handwriting resembles two manuscripts from the Heroninus Archive (which must predate 256, according to documentary texts in the collection), namely P. Flor, 108 and P. Flor. 259. sp115 also resembles P. Oxy. 1016 (which must predate 234, according to a land register on the other side).

Provenance: Oxyrhynchus, Egypt

Housing location: Oxford, England: Ashmolean Museum

Bibliography: Juan Chapa, Oxy. Pap., 66: 11-39, no. 4499.

Physical features: This manuscript contains 26 fragments of a codex containing the book of Revelation (and probably nothing more). Each sheet originally measured about 15.5 cm x 23.5 cm, with 33-36 lines per page. It is likely that the scribe used a coder that was already bound before he began to his work, inasmuch as the width of the writing on the pages with binding to the right-hand side (i,e., the even-numbered pages) tends to be narrower than those with binding to the left-hand side (i.e., the odd-numbered pages). The difficulty of writing on the right side of the left page thereby can be explained if the pages were already bound.

Textual character: Significantly, P115 aligns with A and C in its textual witness, which are generally regarded as providing the best testimony to the original text of Revelation. Thus, P115 has superior testimony to that of P47 which aligns with tC and together form the second-best witness to the book of Revelation.

[recto3 Location of upper margin is uncertain]

Revelation! 666 is not the number of the beast (itʼs a devilish 616)

By Tom Anderson
01 May 2005

A newly discovered fragment of the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament indicates that, as far as the Antichrist goes, theologians, scholars, heavy metal groups, and television evangelists have got the wrong number. Instead of 666, itʼs actually the far less ominous 616.

The new fragment from the Book of Revelation, written in ancient Greek and dating from the late third century, is part of a hoard of previously unintelligible manuscripts discovered in historic dumps outside Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. Now a team of expert classicists, using new photographic techniques, are finally deciphering the original writing.

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. He said: “This is an example of gematria, where numbers are based on the numerical values of letters in peopleʼs names. Early Christians would use numbers to hide the identity of people who they were attacking: 616 refers to the Emperor Caligula.”

The Book of Revelation is traditionally considered to be written by John, a disciple of Jesus; it identifies 666 as the mark of the Antichrist. In America, the fundamentalist Christian right often use the number in sermons about the coming Apocalypse.

They and satanists responded coolly to the new “Revelation”. Peter Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan, based in New York, said: “By using 666 weʼre using something that the Christians fear. Mind you, if they do switch to 616 being the number of the beast then weʼll start using that.”

2 comments:

  1. Hello, this is the first place I found with this topic in which I can post a comment, other places I tried to sign up to and comment, but still could not.
    The number is 616.... Psalm 52:8 -
    "I am like a green olive tree in the house of God I trust in the mercy of God forever."
    Revelation 11:4 - "These are the 2 olive trees and the 2 candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."
    Zechariah 4:11 (notice the switch of the numbers 11 and 4 zech. and rev. not coincidence) "...What are these 2 olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side?" 4:14 - "These are the 2 anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

    In Psalms we see the number 8 associated with these olive trees, then they are spoken of directly in Rev. and Zech. in flip flopping similar numbers, 11:4 then 4:11, 11*8 = 88 (of course)

    But did you realize??? ---->> 616/7 = 88 ??
    nice, no?
    Romans 1:18 - the jist being that God is evident in all creation, If I may be so bold as to say, God, and His plan, are evident in ALL creation, even mathematics in this case.

    And finally, if you would accept it, (just as John was Elias) I am Antipas who was to come at the end, I hope to usher in the age of the two anointed ones. (my sin binds me, please pray that I become mature)

    The number indeed is 616.
    When my ministry begins I will wear this equation on my back, 616/7 = 88, For God and His servants will defeat the devil, this equation signifies that.

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  2. I no longer think the number of the beast is 616.

    There are 616 total laws in the Torah.
    (left out from many lists are, Exodus 23:4-5, 9, Lev 19:33 and 19:34)

    616 / 7 = 88
    A life divided by the laws of the Father equals righteousness and eternal life, that is what i think the equation represents. But yes it does also represent the two olive trees.

    The number is 666.
    The mark is most likely the 'star of David'- Amos 5:26, Acts 7:43, Matt 5:29-30, and the name is most likely Vicarius Filii Dei.

    John 14:6 - "no man comes to the Father but by me"
    John 14:9 - "he who has seen me has seen the Father"

    Exodus 33:11 "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face ...
    "Joshua .. departed not out of the tabernacle."
    (Exodus 24:12-14, 32:17)
    Exodus 33:20 "Thou can not see my face..."

    How can these two verses go together?
    And how did Moses come to the Father if John 14:6 is true?
    It must be that the first Joshua in the Torah represented Christ, or perhaps even was Christ, in the same manner that John the baptist was Elijah - Matt 11:14

    Exodus 33:11 - Moses speaks to the Son.
    Exodus 33:20 - Moses experiences the Father.

    Clearly evident therefore is that the first name of Christ is Joshua(Yahshua) -
    Zech 6:11-12 (zech 3:8) Acts 7:43-45 Numbers 13:16

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