666 is not the number of the beast

[Fnord]

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, it's 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 people's 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 we're using something that the Christians fear. Mind you, if they do switch to 616 being the number of the beast then we'll start using that."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/thi...p?story=634679

That's a bit of a relief. My first, middle, and last name all have 6 letters. 666 :P. My mom got mad when I pointed that out

[Mother Goose]

very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing that!

lol...about your name & your mother's reaction.... Parents can be funny when it comes to that sort of thing.

[runemaster512]

lol...thas funny abt hte name... and now wen my christian parents say 666 i can tell them off...ty for postin it

[KarenESP]

although I never heard these interesting facts before.. thank you for your post!

I knew that 6+6+6 = 18, which is the number that stands for LIFE! Therefore, 666, couldn't be negative. I have held this understanding for a long time.

[runemaster512]

wow karen...u know alot

[FreddyF]

seems Iron Maiden should change the lyrics of their "Number of the beast" song...;-)

Or maybe better not...singin "six one six...the number of the beast...", sounds as if it is the beast´s phone number or something... ;-)

[runemaster512]

lol...it does... hey go to this link and listen to the one by zepplin... http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

[lunnypoo]

Freddy, I know what you mean. That would sound funny. you know them dang songs stick in my head, you know the 867-5309 song, I think of this all the time and i really hate that song!

[Robinmom]

i forget but the number is really something like 06.06.06 or something like that dont remember..but it means something....i think religions just took it and enlarged it to mean more then what it actually means....remember the new testament is new though....so things got changed in that book.

[runemaster512]

lol...ya... wen i told a friend (on AIM) abt the discovery, he got all mad and was like "so u believe that the christsian faith has been wrong for so long" and i sed ya and hes like "i dont believe u... ure lying"...lol i dont think christians will have an open mind to stuff suddenly changing...

[FreddyF]

lol...but not all christians are like that. The thing is that nowadays you just hear a lot about the strange "anti-sientific"-christians and stuff. I think the offical word is "Bible True Christians"..or something. Those BTC´s are like...what the bible says is law...complete with the whole "eye for an eye" and all the other gruesome and strange stuff...

[Robinmom]

when i was in fl i came across somone who told me they scared of dinosaurs and hollywood made them that way cause there no such things as them they never exsisted....i was flabergasted..im like what about all the animals they have frozen from ice age..eggs and bones..she like they all plastic...(mouth drop jaw) btw im not christian) i do believe the books though are to make u follow a certain way of thinking..and i dont think that should be done in any culture.