From Jimmy Akin a Catholic Apologist
Jimmy Akin)
NeroYesterday I blogged about the fact that in Greek, Jesus’ name adds up to 888. In response, a reader asked:
Code:
All this brings to 666, the number of the beast. I've read somewhere this backtranslates to Nero, though intentionally without determinism. Is there a known spelling of Nero that makes the connection in Latin or ancient Greek?
It is true, though the language isn’t Latin or Greek. It’s Hebrew or Aramaic. These two languages use the same alphabet, though the shapes of the letters are sometimes quite different, and as a result they used the same numbering system. Since first century Jews were Aramaic-speakers, Aramaic is really the more relevant language in this case, but because modern pastors tend to know more Hebrew than Aramaic (since most of the Old Testament is in Hebrew), you often hear that “Nero Caesar” adds up to 666 in Hebrew.
Here’s how it works:
Aramaic and Hebrew did not have vowels in the first century, so words were spelled with consonants. There were different ways one could spell words (in the absence of Webster’s dictionary), and one spelling of “Nero Caesar” (or “Caesar Nero”) was NRWN QSR.
Code:
Nun = 50
Resh = 200
Waw = 6
Nun = 50
Qop = 100
Samekh = 60
Resh = 200
TOTAL = 666
Now, there’s lotsa folks who have names that add up to 666, so why should one be confident that the emperor Nero was who St. John/God had in mind in the book of Revelation?
Well, in Revelation the beast is described as a leader who demands to be worshipped as a god and who persecutes Christians? Any of St. John’s contemporaries fit that bill? Yep: Nero.
Any reason we should think that it would be one of St. John’s contemporaries? Yep, again: At its beginning and its end, the book stresses it deals with what will happen “soon” (Rev. 1:1, 22:6).
Anything else?
Yep the third: Another spelling of “Nero Caesar” in Aramaic(/Hebrew) is NRW QSR, which leaves off a nun (50), resulting in the total number 616 instead of 666.
It turns out that some early manuscripts of Revelation record the beast’s number as 616 rather than 666.
Somebody back then got it–and was used to a different spelling.
(Note: It’s interesting when you’re taking a class in Aramaic and are learning the numbering system–still in use among Aramaic-speakers today–and all this comes up. Startling confirmation of the solidity of all this.)
