Chewie Louie wrote:The Avaitor wrote:the number of the devil is 616...it wasn't translated properly if memory serves
I'm gonna disagree with you on that one.
Actually, it's not a mistranslation--it's a little more complicated. I just double-checked the Nestle-Aland
Novum Testamentum Graece, which is the standard critical edition of the Greek New Testament (from which most English versions of the New Testament are translated). While the majority of ancient Greek manuscripts of the book of Revelation (or Apocalypse of John) have the reading in 13:18 as
hexakosioi hexekonta hex ("six hundred sixty six"), according to the textual apparatus a few ancient Greek manuscripts (to which Irenaeus refers) have
hexakosiai deka hex ("six hundred sixteen"). In the ancient practice of gematria, the numerical equivalents of the Hebrew letters corresponding to these numbers most likely (according to the general scholarly consensus) refers to the Roman emperor Nero. The difference is that the number 666 spells the name as "Neron" whereas the number 616 spells it as "Nero" (which in phonological terms is basically the same name, just a difference of nasalization).
So in other words, some ancient Greek versions of Revelation have "616", while most have "666".
Um... we now return to our regularly scheduled program... 8-[