Bibliography

Anderson, Paul N. “Antichristic Errors: Flawed Interpretations Regarding the Johannine Antichrist.” In Text and Community Vol 1, 196–216. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2007.

Aune, David Edward. Revelation. 52. Dallas: Word Books, 1997.

Bauckham, Richard. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1993.

———. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Theology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans ; Paternoster Press, 1999.

———. “The Danielic Background for Revelation 13-18 and 17:9.” Tyndale Bulletin 31 (January 1, 1980): 163–170.

Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.

Beasley-Murray, George Raymond. A Commentary on Mark Thirteen. New York: Macmillan, 1957.

———. Revelation. Edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994.

Best, Ernest. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians. Black’s New Testament Commentaries 13. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993.

Bousset, Wilhelm. The Antichrist Legend: A Chapter in Christian and Jewish Folklore. Texts and Translations Series no. 24. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1999.

Brown, Raymond Edward. The Epistles of John. 1st ed. Anchor Bible Commentary v. 30. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.

Bruce, F. F. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Word Biblical Commentary 45. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982.

Caird, G. B. The Revelation of St. John. Black’s New Testament Commentary 19. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Charles, R. H. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John: With Introduction, Notes, and Indices, Also the Greek Text and English Translation. 44. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1920.

Chilton, David. The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation. Ft. Worth, TX: Dominion Press, 1987.

Christensen, Duane L. Deuteronomy 1:1-21:9, Revised. 2nd ed. Word Biblical Commentary v. 6A. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001.

Collins, Adela Yarbro. Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984.

———. The Apocalypse. New Testament Message v. 22. Wilmington, DE: M. Glazier, 1979.

———. The Combat Myth in the Book of Revelation. Missoula, MT: Published by Scholars Press for Harvard theological review, 1976.

Collins, John J. Daniel, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees: With an Excursus on the Apocalyptic Genre. Old Testament Message v. 15. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1981.

———. The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

———. The Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of Daniel. Harvard Semitic Monographs no. 16. Missoula, MT: Published by Scholars Press for Harvard Semitic Museum, 1977.

Collins, John J., Frank Moore Cross, and Adela Yarbro Collins. Daniel: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

Daly, Robert J., ed. Apocalyptic Thought in Early Christianity. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.

Dan, Joseph. “Armilus: The Jewish Antichrist and the Origins and Dating of the Sefer Zerubbavel.” In Toward the Millennium, 73–104. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1998.

Davies, Philip R. Daniel. Old Testament Guides. Sheffield: JSOT, 1985.

Dawson, W. Bell. “The Meaning of ‘Antichrist’ in the Greek of the New Testament.” Evangelical Quarterly 16, no. 1 (1944): 71–73.

DeSilva, David Arthur. “The ‘Image of the Beast’ and the Christians in Asia Minor: Escalation of Sectarian Tension in Revelation 13.” Trinity Journal 12, no. 2 (September 1, 1991): 185–208.

Dietrich, Manfried, Oswald Loretz, and Joaquín Sanmartín, eds. The Cuneiform Alphabetic Texts: From Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani and Other Places (ktu). 2nd Engl. Ed. Abhandlungen Zur Literatur Alt-Syrien-Palästinas Und Mesopotamiens Bd. 8. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 1995.

Driver, S. R. The Book of Daniel: With Introduction and Notes. 23. Cambridge: University Press, 1936.

Friedlander, Moriz. “L’ Anti-Messie.” Revue Des Études Juives (1899).

Friesen, Steven J. “Myth and Symbolic Resistance in Revelation 13.” Journal of Biblical Literature 123, no. 2 (June 1, 2004): 281–313.

Furfey, Paul Hanly. “The Mystery of Lawlessness.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 8, no. 2 (1946): 179–191.

Greek Commentaries on Revelation. Ancient Christian Texts. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011.

Gumerlock, Francis X. “Nero Antichrist: Patristic Evidence for the Use of Nero’s Naming in Calculating the Number of the Beast (rev 13:18).” Westminster Theological Journal 68, no. 2 (September 1, 2006): 347–360.

Gunkel, Hermann. Creation and Chaos in the Primeval Era and the Eschaton: A Religio-Historical Study of Genesis 1 and Revelation 12. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006.

Halperin, David J. “Ascension or Invasion: Implications of the Heavenly Journey in Ancient Judaism.” Religion 18, no. 1 (1988): 47–67.

Harrington, Daniel J. A Catholic Reading of the Book of Revelation. Tulsa, OK: University of Tulsa, 1993.

Harris, Gregory H. “The Wound of the Beast in the Tribulation.” Bibliotheca Sacra 156, no. 624 (October 1, 1999): 459–468.

Hartingsveld, L. van. Revelation. Text and Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.

Hitchcock, Mark L. “A Critique of the Preterist View of Revelation 13 and Nero.” Bibliotheca Sacra 164, no. 655 (July 1, 2007): 341–356.

Jenks, Gregory C. The Origins and Early Development of the Antichrist Myth. Beiheft 59. New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1991.

Johnson, Alan F. Revelation. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.

Judge, Edwin A. “The Mark of the Beast, Revelation 13:16.” Tyndale Bulletin 42, no. 1 (May 1, 1991): 158–160.

Keener, Craig S. Revelation. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

———. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Keil, Carl Friedrich. Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969.

Kinzig, Wolfram. “The Antecedents of Antichrist: A Traditio-Historical Study of the Earliest Christian Views on Eschatological Opponents.” Theologische Literaturzeitung 126, no. 4 (2001): 417–419.

Kistemaker, Simon. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Commentary v. 20. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.

Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary on the Revelation of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972.

Lee, Dal. Parody and Counterimaging in the Apocalypse. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002.

Lieu, Judith. I, II & III John: A Commentary. 1st ed. New Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.

Lorein, Geert Wouter. The Antichrist Theme in the Intertestamental Period. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 44. New York: T & T Clark International, 2003.

Louw, J. P., and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. 2nd ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1989.

Lunceford, Joe E. Parody and Counterimaging in the Apocalypse. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2009.

Malina, Bruce J. Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Revelation. Social-Science Commentary. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000.

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 and 2 Thessalonians: Based on the Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

May, David M. “The Empire Strikes Back: The Mark of the Beast in Revelation.” Review & Expositor 106, no. 1 (December 1, 2009): 83–98.

McGinn, Bernard. The Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism, Vol 2: Apocalypticism in Western History and Culture. New York: Continuum, 1998.

Michaels, J. Ramsey. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series 20. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Monera, Arnold T. “The Christian’s Relationship to the State According to the New Testament: Conformity or Non-Conformity?” Asia Journal of Theology 19, no. 1 (April 1, 2005): 106–142.

Morris, Leon. 1, 2 Thessalonians. Word Biblical Themes. Dallas: Word, 1989.

———. The Book of Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary. 2nd ed., rev. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 20. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 1987.

———. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

———. The Book of Revelation. Rev. ed. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

Newell, William R. The Book of the Revelation. Chicago: Grace, 1935.

Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament 19. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

Peerbolte, L. J. Lietaert. The Antecedents of Antichrist: A Traditio-Historical Study of the Earliest Christian Views on Eschatological Opponents. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996.

Riddlebarger, Kim. The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth About the Antichrist. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006.

Robinson, James M., and Helmut Koester. Trajectories Through Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971.

Robinson, John A. T. Redating the New Testament. Westminster Press, 1976.

Roffey, John W. “On Doing Reflection Theology: Poverty and Revelation 13:16-17.” Colloquium 14, no. 2 (May 1, 1982): 51–58.

Rowland, Christopher. Revelation. Epworth Commentaries. London: Epworth Press, 1993.

Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Revelation. Everyman’s Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1968.

Satre, Lowell J. “Interpreting the Book of Revelation.” Word & World 4, no. 1 (December 1, 1984): 57–69.

Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. The Book of Revelation--Justice and Judgment. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.

Scofield, C. I. The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: Authorized Version: With a New System of Connected Topical References ... New System of Paragraphs. Edited by R. A. Torrey. New and Improved ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1945.

Shoemaker, Steven. “An Antiphonal Litany from Romans 13 and Revelation 13.” Christianity and Crisis 33, no. 10 (June 11, 1973): 109–109.

Shoopman, James. “The Nature of the Beast.” Review & Expositor 106, no. 1 (2009): 67–82.

Smalley, Stephen S. 1, 2, 3 John. Rev. ed. Word Biblical Commentary v. 51. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007.

———. The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005.

Steinmann, Andrew E. “Is the Antichrist in Daniel 11?” Bibliotheca Sacra 162, no. 646 (2005): 195–209.

Thomas, Robert L. Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1995.

Vicchio, Stephen. The Legend of the Anti-Christ: A History. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2009.

Wall, Robert W. Revelation. 18. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.

Walvoord, John F. The Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966.

Weinrich, William C., ed. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Vol. 12. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998.

———. “Antichrist in the Early Church.” Concordia Theological Quarterly 49, no. 2–3 (1985): 135–147.

———. , ed. Latin Commentaries on Revelation. Ancient Christian Texts. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011.

Williams, Peter J. “P[black Letter]115 and the Number of the Beast.” Tyndale Bulletin 58, no. 1 (January 1, 2007): 151–153.

Witherington, Ben. Revelation. New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Wong, Daniel K K. “The Beast from the Sea in Revelation 13.” Bibliotheca Sacra 160, no. 639 (July 1, 2003): 337–348.

Woude, Adam S. van der. “The Origin and Early Development of the Antichrist Myth.” Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period 24, no. 2 (1993): 305–309.

———. The Book of Daniel in the Light of New Findings. Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 106. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1993.

V.        Narrative Analysis

A.        Implied Author and Implied Reader

1.         Implied Author

a.         John, the servant and witness of Jesus Christ, who is also the narrator.

b.         A seer who has received visions from Jesus Christ.

c.         A worshipper of Christ who finds the worship of the beast horrendous.

2.         Implied Reader

a.         Christians in Asia Minor who are either suffering or are about to suffer persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.

b.         They are possibly being forced to worship a ruler or an image of a ruler and possibly being forced to receive some kind of mark that symbolizes ownership by or loyalty to that ruler.

c.         They need wisdom and understanding.

d.         The implied reader is nearly identical to the narratee since the narrator is very reliable. (Lee, 160)

3.         Narrator (Lee, 152-153, points out four characteristics of the narrator in Revelation):

a.         He is not omniscient but only a witness and thus has no control over the story.

b.         He in not omnipresent. Though he is physically limited to Patmos, he has visions and freely moves between heaven and earth.

c.         He is very reliable, though he does leave some visions unexplained.

d.         He is dramatized as a character in the story and thus has little control over the story. He is not the protagonist, and like all the other characters, he is “flat.”

B.        Point of View

1.         The vision is being told from the first person point of view of John.

2.         Ideologically, the use of the word πλανᾷ implies that the narrator views negatively what this second beast is doing.

3.         Temporally, the use of the present tense (18x) gives the vision a sense of immediacy.

C.        Plot and Narrative Time vs. Story Time

1.         Plot

a.         Beast comes out of the land, makes people worship the first beast, performs signs to deceive them, sets up an image, breathes into it so it speaks, those who refuse to worship it are killed, all are forced to take the mark of the beast, those who don’t can’t buy or sell.

b.         The conflict builds from worship to signs to the image to the mark; forcing everyone to receive the mark of the beast is the climax of this scene.

c.         This scene is the third of seven visions following the seven trumpets. The dragon has pursued the pregnant woman into the desert and the first beast has risen out of the sea. After this scene the 144,000 stand with the Lamb because they have not taken the mark of the beast but have the name of the Father written on their foreheads. Shortly after this a warning is given that all who take the mark of the beast and worship him will be judged by God and thrown into the Lake of Fire.

2.         Narrative Time vs. Story Time

a.         Actual time of events: beast rises out of the land, the sea beast is wounded and healed, signs, image, breathe, mark, and worship.

b.         Worship is moved to the beginning as a summary of what the land beast does, making what follows a description of how he makes that happen.

D.        Setting

1.         Geographical: Asia Minor and the whole earth.

2.         Temporal: the first century AD (or the future?).

3.         Social: all social, economic, and political classes are involved.

E.         Implicit Commentary

1.         Narrative Asides: the narrator calls the readers to have wisdom and understanding in order to calculate the number of the beast.

2.         Irony, Parody, Symbolism, and Repetition

a.         The land beast calls down fire from heaven to deceive the earth-dwellers, but fire from heaven is also involved in several of God’s judgments on the wicked, the way in which the great harlot is destroyed, the means by which God’s enemies are destroyed in the last battle, and the Lake of Fire is the final destiny of the beasts and their followers.

b.         There is irony in the fact that the land beast looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon.

c.         There is irony in the fact that the land beast has to be given (ἐδόθη) the authority to do his deceptive deeds, implying he is an agent of God’s judgment like those given authority to do harm to the earth before him.

d.         The land beast parodies Christ who is the true lamb and the sea beast parodies Christ who died and came back to life.

e.         The fire from heaven parodies the fire that comes from the mouth of the two witnesses.

f.          The mark of the beast parodies the mark of God on his servants.

g.         Symbolism fills the whole scene and has been dealt with above.

h.         Repetitions: the wound that was healed (2x), signs (2x), worship (2x), on behalf of (2x), and do/make (8x).

F.         Characterization (no dialogue)

1.         God (off stage): God allows (ἐδόθη) the land beast to deceive men.

2.         John: a visionary who worships God and Christ and finds the beasts detestable.

3.         Dragon (off stage): it is implied that he inspires the land beast’s deception.

4.         Sea Beast: fatally wounded with a sword and brought back to life, gives his authority to the land beast, is worshipped by all people, and has a name which is a number that is turned into a mark. (He is proleptically introduced in chapter 11.)

5.         Land Beast: appears as harmless as a lamb outwardly but speaks deceptively and maliciously like a dragon, performs great signs to deceive the people of the earth, subordinate to and derives his authority from the first beast, and works to make the whole earth worship the sea beast and his image and take his mark. Later he is called the false prophet.

6.         Earth-dwellers: naïve and gullible, fearful and compliant, composed of all social, economic and political classes.

7.         God-worshippers: courageous, refuse to worship the beast and his image and take his mark so they are killed or barred from buying and selling.

IV.       Analysis of Revelation 13:11-18

I.          The Number of the Beast

            Ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν. ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ. (13:18)

1.         Textual and Exegetical Issues

a.         ἑξήκοντα ἕξ {A}

1)         “Instead of ἑξήκοντα, which is strongly supported by P47 ℵ P 046 051 all extant minuscules itgig vg syrph, h copsa, bo arm al, δέκα is read by C some manuscripts known to Irenaeus (who, however, says that 666 is found “in all good and ancient copies,” and is “attested by those who had themselves seen John face to face”) and Tyconiuspt. According to Tischendorf’s 8th ed., the numeral 616 was also read by two minuscule manuscripts that unfortunately are no longer extant (nos. 5 and 11; cf. C. R. Gregory, Prolegomena, p. 676).6 When Greek letters are used as numerals the difference between 666 and 616 is merely a change from ξ to ι (666 = χξϛ and 616 = χιϛ). Perhaps the change was intentional, seeing that the Greek form Neron Caesar written in Hebrew characters (קסר נרון) is equivalent to 666, whereas the Latin form Nero Caesar (נרו קסר) is equivalent to 616.” (Metzger, 676)

2)         This phrase is an “encoding aside” that “raises a new question about the identity of the beast.” (Lee, 104)

b.         ἀριθμὸς is used 10 times in Revelation, 5 referring to the number of the beast:

5:11     many angels, number myriads of myriads

7:4       the number of the sealed, 144,000

9:16     the number of the mounted troops was…

                        I heard their number

13:17   the number of his name

13:18   the number of the beast

                        the number of man

                        his number is 666

15:2     conquered the beast and the number of his name

20:8     their number is like the sand of the sea

c.         ἀνθρώπου is anarthrous (“of man”).

1)         If ἀνθρώπου is generic, then it means: “it is [the] number of mankind.” Beale (Revelation, 723–724) argues for the “generic” understanding.

2)         If it is definite, then it means: “it is [the] number of a man.” (Cf. Wallace, 254)

•           Apollonius’ canon: if both the head noun and the genitive are anarthrous, then if one is definite the other is also definite.

•           Therefore, if ἀριθμὸς is taken as definite, it is very unlikely that ἀνθρώπου would be generic.

•           “Grammatically, those who contend that the sense is “it is [the] number of a man” have the burden of proof on them (for they treat the head noun, ἀριθμός, as definite and the genitive, ἀνθρώπου, as indefinite—the rarest of all possibilities).” (Wallace, 254)

2)         However, in Revelation 16:18 ἄνθρωπος is used generically.

•           If ἀνθρώπου is generic, then 666 would represent mankind.

•           Even if it points to a particular individual, it could still represent all mankind.

•           “Thus the Seer might be suggesting here that the antichrist, who is the best representative of humanity without Christ (and the best counterfeit of a perfect man that his master, that old serpent, could muster), is still less than perfection (which would have been represented by the number seven).” (Wallace, 254)

d.         “This calls for…” (ὧδε … ἐστίν)

1)         ὧδε draws a conclusion from the preceding statement (BDAG, 1101):

•           is used 6 times in Revelation, 2 spatial and 4 referential:

Spatial:

4:1                   ἀνάβα ὧδε

11:12   ἀνάβατε ὧδε

Referential:

13:10   ὧδε ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις τῶν ἁγίων

13:18   ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν

14:12   ὧδε ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν

17:9     ὧδε ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἔχων σοφίαν

•           “This calls for wisdom” (σοφία), followed by a challenge to the one who has understanding (νοῦς), is a “contextual aside” that draws the reader’s attention to the context. (Lee, 104)

•           Dan 12:10 says that those who are wise (διανοούμενοι) will understand.

•           Mark 13:14 (Matt 24:15) says, “Let the reader understand” (νοείτω).

1)         σοφία is used 4 times in Revelation, two attributed to God or the Lamb, and two as a requirement to understand a mysterious symbol (number of the beast [13:18] and the woman sitting on the seven hills [17:9]). Outside of 13:18 and 19:9, σοφία is an attribute of the Lamb who has the ability to fulfill God’s plan in history (Rev 5:12; 7:12).

2)         ὁ ἔχων νοῦν

            Rev. 13:18       ὧδε      ἡ σοφία            ἐστίν    ὁ ἔχων νοῦν 

            Rev. 17:9                     ὧδε      ὁ νοῦς                                     ὁ ἔχων σοφίαν

3)         Those who have such perception they will not be deceived (Beale and Carson, 11:30).

4)         In 4 Ezra 12:37-38 (alluding to Dan 12:10), the seer is told to write what he saw and teach it to the wise so they will not be deceived in the great trial at the end of time.

•           πειρασθῶσι καὶ ἁγιασθῶσι πολλοί, καὶ ἁμάρτωσιν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί· καὶ οὐ μὴ διανοηθῶσι πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί, καὶ οἱ διανοούμενοι προσέξουσιν.  

            Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. (Dan. 12:10)

•           Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book, and put them in a secret place; and thou shalt teach them to the wise of the people, whose hearts thou knowest are able to comprehend and keep these mysteries. (4Ezr 12:37–38)

6)         Those who are victorious over the beast, its image, and the number of its name are able to stand before God and sing the Song of Moses (Rev 15:2).

e.         ψηφισάτω:

1.         To add up digits and calculate a total, count (up), calculate, reckon; τὴν δαπάνην Luke 14:28; to probe a number for its meaning, interpret, figure out τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου Rev 13:18 (BDAG).

2.         It means more than merely performing math; the reader needs to discern the true significance of the riddle.

2.         Literary Background (Thomas, 345-350):
666 (ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ) χ' = 600  ξ' = 60  ζ' = 6  [6 plus multiples of 10]

a.         Goliath was 6 cubits and a span (1 Sam 17:4) and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels (1 Sam 17:5).

b.         Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (Dan 3:1)

c.         The numerical value of the Hebrew letters of Dan 3:1 add up to 4,683, which is
7 x 666 (4,662) + 21 (a triangular of 6).

d.         The names of Daniel and his three friends add up to 888 (the number of Jesus Christ in Greek).

e.         Jesus was denounced before Pilate and the Jews said, “We have no king but Caesar” on the sixth day at the sixth hour (John 19:13-22).

f.          Solomon received 666 talents of gold in one year at the height of his reign (1 King 10:14; 2 Chron 9:13) after which he abandoned God and his kingdom began to decline.

3.         Historical and Cultural Background

a.         An Apocalyptic Riddle

1)         Jesus = 888 while the beast = 666.

2)         Symbolic number of man in rebellion against God: 6 is man’s number repeated three times but falling short of 7, the number of perfection.

b.         Gematria

1)         Graffiti in Pompeii: “I love her whose name is 545.” (Mounce, 260)

2)         Name of a world leader: Sib Or. 5.1-51 uses gematria to allude to emperors from Alexander to Hadrian; adding up all the initials of Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Vespasian (omitting Otho and Vitellius) results in 666.

3)         Nero Caesar

•           Nero Caesar in Greek equals 1,005.

•           Nero Caesar in Hebrew equals 676

•           Nero Caesar in Aramaic equal 666

קסר נרונ

נ =       50

ר =       200

ן =        6

נ =       50

ק =       100

ס =       60

ר =       200

            666

•           Latin of Nero Caesar transliterated into Hebrew adds up to 616. However, Gaius Caesar (Caligula) also adds up to 616. (See textual variant above.)

•           Domitian’s and title abbreviated on coins equals 666 (Aune, 770):

            ΔΟΜΙΤΙΑΝΟΣ = 755

            ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΔΟΜΕΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ ΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΟΣ

            Α ΚΑΙ ΔΟΜΕΤ ΣΕΒ ΓΕ = 666 [abbreviation of the above title]

4)         The duration of the Antichrist’s reign. (cf. Chilton, 274)

A         11:2                             = 42

            B         11:3                 = 1260

                        C         11:9     = 3 ½

                        C`        11:11   = 3 ½

            B`        12:6                 = 1260

A`        13:5                             = 42

5)         Isopsephism:  two different words with the same numerical value (Bauckham, Climax, 386-389)

•           Νερων = ιδιαν μητερα απεκτεινε 1005  =  1005 (Suetonius, Nero 39)

•           (Lam 1:16) םנחם = צםח  138 = 138 Branch = Comforter, therefore Messianic

•           מימ רבים = הםלאך גבריאל  Many waters = the angel Gabriel

•           קסר נרונ = θεριον = 666. Therefore, Nero is the beast

6)         A Triangular Number (Thomas, 345-350; Bauckham, Climax, 390-407):

•           Triangular numbers were seen as sinister but square numbers are used to designate the martyrs (Rev 7:4) and the New Jerusalem (Rev 12:16).

            * * * * * *                        *

            * * * * * *                       * *

            * * * * * *                      * * *

            * * * * * *                     * * * *

            * * * * * *                   * * * * *

            * * * * * *                   * * * * * *

(Chart adapted from, Bauckham, Climax, 393)

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
triangles	1	3	6	10	15	21	28	36	45
squares	1	4	9	16	25	36	49	64	81
rectangulars	2	6	12	20	30	42	56	72	90

	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th
triangles	55	66	78	91	105	120	136	153	171
squares	100	121	144	169	196	225	256	289	324
rectangulars	110	132	156	182	210	240	272	306	342

	19th	20th	21st	22nd	23rd	24th	25th	26th	27th
triangles	190	210	231	253	276	300	325	351	378
squares	361	400	441	484	529	576	625	676	729
rectangulars	380	420	462	506	552	600	650	702	756

	28th	29th	30th	31st	32nd	33rd	34th	35th	36th
triangles	406	435	465	496	528	561	595	630	666
squares	784	841	900	961	1024	1089	1156	1225	1296
rectangulars	812	870	930	992	1056	1122	1190	1260	1332

•           666 is the triangular of the square of 6:  6x6 = 36 and the triangular of 36 = 666 [triangular numbers: 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, 55, 66, 78, 91, 105, 120 … The sum of two consecutive triangular numbers is a square number, with the sum being the square of the difference between the two (and thus the difference of the two being the square root of the sum); 3+6=9 and 6-3=3 and 32=9 ].

•           The square of 6 is 36 but the triangular of 6 is 21. The triangular 666 contains 12 triangles, one inside the other, and the outer triangle is 105, so that 666 is the “fulfillment” of 105. 105 = 30 x 3½ so that 3½ years of 12 months with 30 days each = 1260 days, the length of the beast’s reign (12 x 30 x 3½ = 1260).

•           666 is doubly triangular:

°          It is the triangle of 36 (1+2+3…+36 = 666)

°          36 is a triangular number (1+2+3…+8 = 36)

°          36 is also the square of 6.

°          Doubly triangular numbers are rare (1, 6, 21, 55, 120, 231, 406, 666, 1035, 1540…).

°          Numbers that are triangular and square are very rare (1, 36, 1225, 750925).

°          Rectangular numbers are always double their corresponding triangular.

•           There are many connections between these numbers:

°          There is a connection between Rev 13:18 and 21:17 —
Angel = 144, man = 666; measure of man vs. angel.

°          666 is triangular but 144 is the square of 12; 12 used a lot: 12,000 stadia, 144 cubits, 144,000 in Lamb’s army. 

°          Rectangular Numbers: 42 and 1260 —
The reign of beast and persecution of the saints = 42 months = 1260 days =
3½ years (13:5-7; 12:6, 14; 11:1-3; 12:6; 13:5).

°          12 and 30 are rectangular which we use for months in a year and days in a month: 42 months = 1260 days. 

°          42 is a rectangular number (6 x 7 = 42 and 2+4+6+8+10+12 = 42).

°          1260 is rectangular (35 x 36 = 1260 and 2+4+6+8…70 = 1260).

°          1225 is the triangle of 49 and 49 is the square of 7.

•           This method only identifies the beast with the eighth king (17:11) but does not give us his name. (Aune, 772)

c.         Constellation Deltoton (666 in Phoenician) shaped like the Greek letter Delta (Malina, 173-174, 177-178).

4.         Interpretive Options (see Appendix IV)

a.         Preterit

1)         Nero Caesar.

2)         Domitian.

3)         The number of man.

b.         Idealist

1)         Man is 6, always falling short of achieving the divine 7, repeated 3 times to emphasize mans repeated abortive attempts.

2)         Nero Caesar as signifying tyrannical rulers like him throughout history.

3)         666 belongs to Satan and all individuals who do the devil’s work in history.

c.         Futurist

1)         Will only be understood in the future since it refers to an individual not yet seen.

2)         A symbolic number revealing secret information about the beast.