The general Catholic interpretation is to understand that inspired writers wrote for the people of their own day, and often about the events of their times. The word “Prophet” means “One who speaks for another,” not necessarily “one who predicts the future.”
From the New American Bible for Catholics, Revelation 13,18
18
8 Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Note that John specifically says the beast is a person. A lot of biblical scholarship has been expended on finding out who that person was. The footnote (8) says:
8 [18] Each of the letters of the alphabet in Hebrew as well as in Greek has a numerical value. Many possible combinations of letters will add up to 666, and many candidates have been nominated for this infamous number. The most likely is the emperor Caesar Nero (see the note on
Rev 13:3), the Greek form of whose name in Hebrew letters gives the required sum. (The Latin form of this name equals 616, which is the reading of a few manuscripts.) Nero personifies the emperors who viciously persecuted the church. It has also been observed that “6” represents imperfection, falling short of the perfect number “7,” and is represented here in a triple or superlative form.
Footnote (8) refers to footnote (3) which says:
3 [3] This may be a reference to the popular legend that Nero would come back to life and rule again after his death (which occurred in A.D. 68 from a self-inflicted stab wound in the throat); cf
Rev 13:14;
Rev 17:8. Domitian (A.D. 81-96) embodied all the cruelty and impiety of Nero. Cf Introduction.
Why even read something like this? If people are going to point out this “garbage”, that will make non-Catholics say, “See, we told you!”:banghead:
Sorry, if I sounded like I was saying don’t at all, I should’ve re-worded it better!
