666

It is June 6, 2006 today. Or 6/6/06. Why is that significant? One obscure reference in the most frequently misused and misunderstood book in the Christian scriptures sure has made for lots of superstitution over the centuries, not to mention been the inspiration for countless books and movies. Here is the passage from Revelation 13:

11 Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ¹²It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; ¹⁴and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword that had received the plague of the sword and yet lived; ¹⁵and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six. (NRSV, Oremus Bible Reader)

What's it all about? Most biblical scholars place the writing of the book of Revelation during the reign of the emperor Domitian (81-96 CE). The writer, John, tells us he has been exiled to the isle of Patmos for being Christian. We don't know for certain whether there was state-sanctioned persecution of Christians under Domitian, but there was widespread oppression and local persecution. In addition, Domitian demanded emperor worship, which was anethema to Christians.

John's Revelation is a work of apocalyptic. Whatever is happening on earth is symbolic of a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil in the spirit world. And John sees symbolism in everything, including colors, numbers, and names. It is widely believed that 666 represents the emperor Nero, under whose reign Christians were blamed and persecuted for the burning of Rome. How do we get 666 from Nero? The numerical value of the Hebrew letters of Neron Caesar (N-50; R=200, etc.) add up to 666. However, if you take away the letter n from Neron and go with Nero Caesar you get 616, which is how the number appears in one early manuscript of Revelation.

The beast is the reborn Nero, Domitian, who has secretly marked his servants. John urges Christians to stand firm in the cosmic battle that is underway.

For centuries Christians have been fascinated with the book of Revelation. Many have read it literally and in the context of their own situation in time and believed that the beast is whatever despot or dictator is wreaking havok on their world and become convinced that the "end" is near. And in our day, some enterprising Christians have played on this fascination to get rich by writing books like the Left Behind series.

I rarely read the book of Revelation. It has a few beautiful images, like that of the New Jerusalem found in chapter 21. But mostly it portrays a vision of Christianity and the cosmic order that I do not share.