I’ve tried searching the forums for a topic I assume has been discussed many times, if so, please point me in the right direction (and tell me what you searched for, please!)
I understand that the oldest versions of the Bible describe the Number of the Beast as 616, and that the number was changed to 666 to damn the Roman Emperor Nero.
Has this been widely accepted by the Church yet? Is there an ‘official’ statement anywhere?
clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/bqa.htm#a3 still has the mis-translation, for instance…
Yeah,
616 is one old variant on the text and is one that appears in a few of the earliest MSS of Revelation we have:
Papyrus 115 (3rd century), where it is written as
XIC (chi=600, iota=10, sigma=6), and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (early 5th century), where it is written in full as
hexakosioi deka hex, “six hundred sixteen”. Several other witnesses have other variations. It was also already known to St. Irenaeus, who however wrote it off as a mere scribal error (
Adversus Haereses 5.30). This led some scholars to think that 616 is the original reading.
However, a counter-argument is that other old copies of the book, such as two of the most ancient and respected codices of the Greek NT,
Alexandrinus (early 5th century) and
Sinaiticus (mid-4th century), as well as
Papyrus 47 (3rd century) do contain 666. Furthermore it is also the reading of
Codex Porphyrianus (9th century),
Uncial 051 (10th century), the Latin Vulgate, the Byzantine Text-type, and the
Textus Receptus; for short, just about the majority.
BTW, the minuscule manuscript
2344 (11th century) uniquely gives the number as
665.
Some authors think the reading of six hundred and sixteen into the early textual tradition can be explained:
- The number gives the name Nero when the Latinized spelling is followed, allowing for the early tradition of the name in the West and the possible attempt of a scribe to remain faithful to this interpretation by representing it to the Latin readers with a number reflecting their own alphabet.
- It may also be a deliberate attempt to identify the beast with Caligula (AD 12-41, ruled AD 37-41), this would bring the number in line with the Greek alphabet. His name in Greek, Gaios Kaisar, totals six hundred and sixteen.
But nah, I doubt the Church will say anything about it, even if 616 proves to be the correct one. There are already quite a lot of variant readings known today, but the Church has not - and I doubt she will - take a stand supporting one version of the text over the other.
