From: Nichael Lynn Cramer (nichael@sover.net)
Date: Mon Oct 20 1997 - 08:53:55 EDT
Juan Stam B wrote:
> Since 666 is written out as words (not ciphers)
>in Rev 13.18, what does this imply for the interpretation? Does this rule
>out interpreting it as 6-6-6 (three times 6) and limit interpretation to
>the sum-total rather than the thrice repeated 6?
To address this specific point, there seems to be no textual basis for the
6-6-6 (i.e. "triple sixes") interpretation.
As you probably know, in the overwhelming majority of manuscripts the
number is written out in full (i.e. "six-hundred-sixty-six"[*NOTE]). In a
handful of manuscripts it is written as a "cypher" (i.e. "666").
But the critical point, of course, is that in Greek each of the three
digits is represented by a different Greek letter (i.e. 600=Chi, 60=Xi,
6=stigma). No where is it written as "three 6's".
Nichael
[*NOTE: As well as the not uncommon variant "six-hundred-sixteen" and the
two rarer variants "six-hundred-fourty-six" and "six-hundred-fifty-six"
each attested in single manuscripts.]
--Nichael nichael@sover.net deep autumn my neighbor what does she do http://www.sover.net/~nichael/ --Basho
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