References from the Bible
Revelation 13:17 states:
“… no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
The next verse tells us that the Number of the Beast is 666. In Revelation 14:9-12, the third angel warns of wrath and retribution to all those who bear this mark on their heads or hands.
The original Greek does not literally render the phrase as six-six-six (three Greek words for six in a row) but six hundred and sixty six.
Theological interpretations
Versions of Christian eschatology which hold that that these prophecies refer to future events, typically hold that the Mark of the Beast is one way in which the antichrist will exercise power over the earth, during the period known as the Tribulation in the book of Revelation. Opinions as to what form it will take are varied. The literal interpretation is that it will be the number 666 imprinted on the skin, but conspiracy theorists imagine all sorts of devious possibilities tied in with recent technological developments. The notion that the mark is required for all commerce implies that the mark might actually be a special credit card… or that we might have to have our fingerprints scanned into a worldwide database in order to be recognized in business. Or the mark might be some kind of smart chip implanted into the body.
The number 666, which supposedly represents the name of the Antichrist, is another source of controversy. There are various theories about the meaning of this verse, and there have been many attempts to show that a person is the Antichrist by relating his name to the number 666.
One interpretation is simply that 666 represents humankind in general because of the special significance that the number has in the Bible. Six is known as an “imperfect number” because it is one short of seven, the “perfect number” (seven days in the week, seven tongues of flame, seven spiritual gifts…). So three (the number of the Trinity) sixes is seen as extremely imperfect. Therefore, 666 represents imperfect man, while 777 represents God.
Another interpretation is that 666 is actually some kind of code based on the letters of someone’s name. This sparks great public interest since it seems to provide some way to identify the antichrist. Numerologists like to devise clever ways of assigning numbers to letters so that the letters of a name will add up to this symbolic number. Probably the best-known scheme has A=100, B=101, and so on. With this code, the name “HITLER” adds up to 666. While these ideas are intriguing, they usually require many odd preconditions (you have to start with 100, you cannot include the first name) and work in a few languages only (in Spanish, for example, “HITLER” adds up to 668.) See also Vicarius Filii Dei.
For example, scholars who believe the Book of Revelation refers to real people and events argue that the number represents the value of Nero or Neron Caesar (נרון קסר, Nrwn Qsr*) in Hebrew letters, which also have numerical values (note that Hebrew is written from right to left):
r S q n w r n
666 = 200 + 60 + 100 + 50 + 6 + 200 + 50
Some early texts of the Book of Revelation use 616 instead, which would represent the alternative Hebrew spelling נרו קסר, Nrw Qsr:
r S q w r n
616 = 200 + 60 + 100 + 6 + 200 + 50
*Note: Hebrew נרון קסר, Nrwn Qsr = Greek Νερων Καισαρ, Nerôn Kaisar, though קסר, qSr, should strictly speaking be כסר, kSr.
In Roman numerals 666 represents all the numbers from 1 to 500 in descending order, namely D (500) + C (100) + L (50) + X (10) + V (5) + I (1), or DCLXVI. Robert Graves suggests in his study of pagan symbolism The White Goddess that this is an acronym for the Latin sentence Domitianus Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Interfecit, or “The Emperor Domitian violently killed the envoys of Christ”.
In an alternate style of greek notation for numerals, 6 + 60 + 600 can be expressed as digamma koppa kappa which when superposed into a monogram, form the graffito form of the labrys very common on roman walls of the time, which is interesting considering what some characterise as misogynist tendencies in Revelations.
There are a number of problems with taking the various literal and conspiratorial approaches to this verse.
The first problem is that the book of Revelation may not have been written to be interpreted literally but symbolically. In this sense, then, the “Mark of the Beast” is no more a literal mark on a person’s hand or forehead than the “beast from the sea” in 13:1 and the “beast from the earth” in 13.11 can be considered actual, bodily creatures. For many interpreters, it stands to reason that when a section of text is to be interpreted symbolically, then the reader must not suddenly decide to read a section in a literal sense. If the “beasts” are symbols of what was or what is to come, then it is also logical that the mark of the beast is itself symbolic and not a literal mark on a person’s hand or forehead.
The second problem is that, in the verse that immediately follows - 14:1 - there is a description of the 144,000 who had the name of Jesus and the name of the Father written on their foreheads. Most mainstream Christian interpreters see the 144,000 as a non-literal number of people who represent all of God’s people - the church. Yet to many interpreters it seems strange to view the mark of the beast as a literal mark, since it logically means that the 144,000 in 14:1 would have a literal mark of Jesus and the Father upon their foreheads also. Many interpreters view both marks as being symbolic of a person’s commitment to either God or the Devil.
The third problem is that, if the verse is to be understood in a literalistic sense, then the mark can only be effectual if it is placed upon the right hand or the forehead. If the mark is placed, for example, upon the left hand or the shoulder, then it is no longer considered the mark of the beast.
The fourth problem is that, if the mark could be considered a microchip implant, then it no longer functions as a “mark” since it is invisible. The Greek word charagma (mark) denotes a stamp or an impression upon the skin - ie something that is visible to the naked eye and whose function depends upon this visibility. Within the Christian community there are many who argue that the word charagma is based on the word charax, which is said to mean “stick into,” or, “sharpen to a point” or palisade (fence); they could also say that charasso on which charax is derived also means “sharpen to a point.” This would support their notion that a microchip is “stuck into” a person’s skin. Such an argument, however, does not appear to be backed up by New Testament scholars. Ulrich Witkins, a contributor to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (vol 9, page 416), writes the following about charagma:
(it) is an engraved, etched, branded or inscribed “mark” or “sign”. Closest to (its) original sense… is the earliest example in Soph. Phil., 267, where (it) denotes the bite of a snake. Elsewhere the term means “inscription”… or anything written…, and especially the impressed or branded “stamp” eg a brand to mark camels.
