666 is the number of the beast and is associated with the devil. Although it is a detail that is part of popular culture, not everyone knows why this figure and not another is linked to demonic representations. The answer can be found in the Bible.
John of Patmos is the author of Revelation, also known as Revelation, Book of Revelations or Revelations of Jesus Christ. It is the last book of the New Testament and, therefore, of the Bible.
The texts with which it ends include a large number of symbols, which have given rise to many debates and interpretations. Many scholars consider it a work of prophetic nature that tried to announce the end of evil and the arrival of the kingdom of God. The translation of one of his verses in chapter 13 states: “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.”
One of the most widespread theories about the meaning of these words is the one supported by theologian Ian Boxall, from the Catholic University of America, whose words are reported by the BBC. The expert talks about the possibility that John of Patmos’ intention in the aforementioned work was not to predict the future of the world, “but to attack the Roman Empire, using contemporary events and ancient apocalyptic traditions.” Furthermore, he points out that in ancient times riddles were very common. In the Greek and Hebrew alphabets, each letter is equivalent to a number. By adding those that make up a name, a figure is obtained.
According to this explanation, “beast” would not refer to the devil, but could be a way to avoid mentioning an emperor whose history is associated with tyranny, the persecution of Christians and a great fire in Rome. Nero Caesar led the aforementioned empire between 54 and 68 AD. His name in Hebrew would be NRON QSR. These seven letters are interpreted with the numbers 50, 200, 6, 50, 100, 60 and 200. The sum of all of them results in 666.
