666 or 616?

someone is claiming they are a bible scholar to me, and saying 666 is a copyist's error, and the number is actually 616. this is news to me.

any comments? I looked at wikipedia, and this person totally discredits wikipedia, I can understand why, but they don't give me any other source material to find out more.

thank you for your help.

I think this may be something that is going around "atheist circles." It might not be. But I recently ran into an atheist that was claiming this very same thing. I am hoping someone has some info on it. It is the first I have heard of it.

if you do a search on '666 or 616' you will get lots of results.

I believe that scripture is absolutely clear that the number is 666. There has been, to my knowledge, no credible bible scholar that has disputed this.

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six.(ASV)

This is nothing more than the enemy of our soul trying to cause us to question Scripture.

Blessings Greg

P.S. Perhaps the next new translation released will make the change. :-o

The Greek is actually 3 Greek letters (ch)xs. The Greeks used letters to signify numbers. If you follow this link to [url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Greek_numbers.html]Greek Number Systems[/url] and scroll down the page you will find an alphabetic table with the numeric equivalents. Using the three Greek letters from the Revelation would give us...
(ch) = 600
x=60
s=6For the number to read 616 the cental Greek letter would have to be 'i'. In the history of studying the ancient texts only one 'editor' has suggested this and that as a marginal alternative and not his first choice. That was [url=http://www.bible-researcher.com/bib-l.html#lachmann1842]Lachmann[/url] in 1852. I can't trace it any further so I have no idea why Lachmann wanted to have this reading in his margin but every edition since has categorically rejected it in favour of the 666.

There have been many theories as to the significance of 666. Many of the early Brethren identifies '6' as the number of man (he was created on that day) and that this number signified that for all the claims of this imposter he is still just a man.

Here's an interested download, with a humourous introduction, if you want to pursue this further. Download from [url=http://www.christchurchreformed.com/revelationbibleoutlines/Revelation42.pdf]here[/url]

http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/POxy/beast616.htm

This was discovered in 2005..

Jordan

Hi i heard a sermon online at Watermark Church with Todd Wagner & the guest Daniel Wallace where this was mentioned..there's two sermons the second a questions & answers..He mentioned it in passing as something he was investigating..the sermons are online through Watermark Church..

Daniel wrote the excellent Reinventing Jesus with two other writers..
andy

Jordan
thanks, that is the best image I have seen.