Origin and History of the number 666
Where does the number 666 come from? Many have read of it in the Bible or even heard of it from various sources, but very few know where it actually comes from or why the book of Revelation speaks about this number with such negative connotations. Here is a brief overview of the history of the number 666, where it comes from, and why the book of Revelation speaks so negatively of this number.
The number 666 comes directly from the worship practices of the city of Babylon about he time of the Bible prophet Daniel. The people of Babylon worshiped gods that were associated with the sun, moon, visible planets of our solar system, and certain of the stars involved with the practice of astrology. The Babylonians were the principle developers of astrology, as we know it today. In their worship system, they had 37 supreme gods, and one of these, the god associated with the sun, was supreme over all the other gods. These people believed that numbers in some way had power over the gods they worshiped. However, they had to create numbers that they could assign to the gods so that they could have power over them. To do this, they counted their gods and assigned a count number to each of the 36 lesser supreme gods, and then added up all of these numbers (from one to 36) and assigned the sum to the sun god. The first god they counted got the number one assigned to it, and the second god they counted got the number two assigned to it, and so on up to all 36 lesser supreme gods. Now, if you have not guessed it by now, the sum of the numbers from one to 36 totals 666, which they assigned to the god associated with the sun. They did the calculation like this:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12
+ 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22
+ 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32
+ 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666
However, they went further. They feared these gods and worried that one of them might strike them down sometime, so they made amulets with a 6 x 6 matrix of the numbers one through 36 on them. Today we call these numeric matrixes magic squares. The design of the amulets was to achieve a magic purpose, and they evidently believed that wearing a particular god's number would protect one from a specific god striking them down using his power of magic. Now, the amulets had to be as powerful as possible, so in order to increase its power, they arranged these numbers in such a way that the sum of any given row, column, or diagonal is 111, and therefore the sum of all six rows or all six columns was 666. This was supposed to provide extra protection, including from the god associated with the sun, since this god's sum was present on the amulet.
Below is an example of one such arrangement of numbers in a 6x6 matrix of numbers. Note that any given column, row, or diagonal adds up to 111. The ancient Babylonians wrote these numbers out on a small clay tablet, and after drying and baking it to make the writing permanent, they would hang it on a support and wear it around their neck. As long as they carried the amulet with them, they thought that the amulet provided protection.
| 6 | 32 | 3 | 34 | 35 | 1 |
| 7 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 8 | 30 |
| 19 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 23 | 24 |
| 18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 13 |
| 25 | 29 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 12 |
| 36 | 5 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 31 |
The practice of creating amulets with this arrangement of numbers as part of astrology appears to have continued well past the time of Jesus. Archeologists have found amulets with Latin Inscriptions, so we know that the Romans were indulging in this practice.
Therefore, the 666 number came about because of the pagan worship practices of the Babylonians and their practice of astrology.
If you want more information about this topic, see some of the links at the bottom of the page. You may also look for a copy of the book by Roy Allan Anderson called Unfolding the Revelation, in which explains this topic in detail. That book is (or at least has been) published by Pacific Press Publishing Association of Nampa, Idaho. You likely could find a copy through one of the major online bookstores such as Amazon.com. Another book of good information about this is called the Trail of the Serpent, by Murl Vance and published by Oriental Watchman Publishing House of Pune, India. This book is no longer in print; however, you may find a copy of it by checking out some of the online book auctions.
Nevertheless, you may ask, why does the Bible speak about this number in such serious tones? Before responding to this question, another issue requires an answer.
What About Manuscript's Of Revelation That Have The Numbers 606 Or 616?
There are several ancient manuscripts of Revelation that show numbers such as 616 or 606 instead of 666. This very likely was due to a scribal error of some sort that somehow propagated down through additional copies as the scribe copied the manuscripts This is especially likely given that the original meaning of the number 666 was concerned with the numbers magical properties. The numbers 616 or 606 had no magical meaning of any significance, so that by itself should inform the reader that these were due to copy errors. Remember that people copied things by hand before the invention of the printing press. They did not have copy machines in those days. If you wanted, a copy of something, had the money, and could read, you hired somebody to copy it for you, or you did it yourself. Those were the only choices available. Of course, if you did not have the money, there was only one choice then - you did not get a copy of your own and had to wait until somebody was willing to read it to you! If they did not read it to you, then you were simply out of luck.
Why does the book of Revelation Speak against Babylon and the Number 666?
When the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon (539 B.C,) they came with their own religious practices and gods, so had no need of the priests of the Babylonian religious system. Although the Persians were somewhat sympathetic towards the Babylonian god Marduk and did accommodate the priests of this god for a while, it appears from history that eventually they simply fired the whole crew of priests and installed their own! Sounds like things that happen in Washington when a new political party comes into power. What scholars do know is that eventually the Babylonian priests left Babylon for a new location, probably because they were out of a job, though the exact reason why they left Babylon is unclear.
Therefore, these Babylonian priests, being out of a livelihood (or whatever the real reason was), began to look for more fertile ground to work. The Babylonian priests found it in the city of Pergamum, which was a city in what is now Western Turkey, with no port or major industry at that time except education. It was a city of the universities of its day, where students came to learn medicine and law, and the Babylonian priests added their religious schooling there after leaving Babylon. There was also a major library there, with some 200,000 volumes.
Map of Asia Minor during the time of the Greeks and Romans.
This is a large map and may take a minute or two to load. You should be able to find Pergamum on the northwest end of Asia Minor in an area known as Mysia just a little to the south across the strait from a region known as Thrace. If you look carefully, you should also be able to see the locations of some of the other cities mentioned as part of the seven churches in Revelation, such as Ephesus, Thyatira, and Laodicea.
Some of the Babylonian priests went instead to Egypt, where they taught their religious practices to the Egyptians. The Egyptians readily picked up these Babylonian religious concepts and further extended and developed some of the ideas that are in astrology. They also picked up the idea of 37 supreme gods from the Babylonians. One source the author has run into claimed that the Egyptians saw the numbers 3, 6, and 7 as having magical properties, and that was one reason they liked the idea of 37 supreme gods (it had both 3 and 7 in it). By adding up the numbers 1 to 36, they could reach the magical 666. Also, they could multiply 37 by 3 or any multiple of it, and reach magical numbers such as 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 666 (the product of 3 x 6 x 37), 777, 888, and so on.
Of course, we use the base ten numbering system, so three and seven do occur in the number 37. Whether the Babylonians and Egyptians at that time used the same numbering system is something the author does not know. However, it seems very unlikely that they used the base ten numbering system, so they likely would have seen 37 for its apparent magical properties in being able to generate numbers such as 111, 222, 666, etc., and not for containing the digits 3 and 7. Therefore, they may have extended this idea. Historically we know that the Egyptians developed several ideas that are a part of modern day astrology. Now, back to what happened at Pergamum.
The teaching of the Babylonian religious practices by the Babylonian priests and their direct descendants went on in the city of Pergamum for centuries afterwards. They taught astrology and making the amulets with the numbers 1 to 36 on them in the special arrangements they commonly used. They built a large complex as part of their worship system, which you can view a model of by clicking here. This continued until about the year 133 B.C, at which time the last king of the Attalid Empire, who had his capital at Pergamum, died, and in his will, he gave his kingdom to the Romans. After putting down a small rebellion, the Romans easily took over the Attalid Empire by 129 B.C. Then, or sometime relatively soon after this, the priests who were still teaching the Babylonian religious practices saw their opportunity and went to Rome. The Romans often adopted the religious practices of other cultures, something that went a long way towards helping their empire survive as long as it did. The Babylonian priests rightly calculated that the Romans would be very willing to learn and follow their teachings.
Therefore, Babylonian priests moved to Rome and set up shop there. Soon all of Rome filled with their religious teachings and practices. It eventually became so pervasive that people called Rome the new Babylon. It is for this reason that many teach that references to Babylon in Revelation is in fact a code word for Rome. Of course, some will dispute this, but for more information see is Babylon a symbol for Rome?
Eventually, when the Christian Church came along, the practices and beliefs of the Babylonian religion followed right into the church. Historians have noted that at one point it seemed almost the entire city of Rome converted virtually overnight to Christianity, but what actually happened is the Babylonian religion was simply brought into the church and the three supreme gods of the Babylonian religion were simply renamed as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Other lesser gods became saints of the church. The pagan Babylonian religious practices came into the church right along with it. This made it easy for the followers of the Babylonian religion to "convert" to Christianity, but it certainly was not a genuine conversion. Because of the movement of pagan religious practices into the Christian church, Revelation condemns Babylon. Since the practice of writing out the sum of the numbers one through 36 on amulets continued and was brought into the church, this is used to help identify who the beast is - the church which imported the pagan religion into the church against God's wishes. God condemns pagan religious practices, but in spite of that, they brought these practices into the church anyway.
History supports this. The pagan Babylonian priests had a chief priest who held the title Pontifex Maximus (translated to Latin and essentially meant that he was head pagan priest). You have no doubt heard of the word "Pontiff" applied to the pope. History explains where that term comes from. Originally, the king of the Attalid Empire held the title of Pontiff, and he passed it on to the Babylonian Priests before he died and they went to Rome. This title was given to Julius Caesar in 63 B.C, thereby making him the supreme priest of the Babylonian Religion and its gods. (This shows that the Babylonian priests arrived in Rome before the time of Julius Caesar or this event could not have happened.) This meant that the Babylonian religion literally moved into Rome and took it over, becoming head of the Roman government. This title passed from emperor to emperor, all of whom served as chief priest of the Babylonian Religion from then on, until, in 376 A.D, the Roman Emperor Gratian became the first since Julius Caesar to refuse the title Pontifex Maximus. Before Gratian refused the title Pontifex Maximus, Pope Callistus I passed a decree, which he called himself the Pontifex Maximus or the bishop of bishops. To read more about Pope Callistus I, see Pope Callistus I from Catholic Encyclopedia Article (219-223 A.D. as Pope). When Pope Callistus I took the title of Pontifex Maximus this made him head of the Babylonian religion. Here, you have the man that Catholic Church claims as one of the early popes. Callistus I was the head of the Christian Church in Rome, and took the title as head of the pagan Babylonian Religion and its collection of pagan gods. Therefore, did the Babylonian Religion move into the Christian Church? History says most definitely YES.
Some might dispute that Church leaders incorporated pagan religious practices into the Christian Church of that time, but even Catholic historians admit to it. Cardinal Newman, in his Development of Christian Doctrine, pages 272, 273, says that the Church incorporated many pagan religious practices into the church. Cardinal Newman claims that the church sanctified them and that made it safe to bring these practices into the church. Here is what historians have to say about the influx of Babylonian religious practices into the Catholic Church, - Go about 1/4 of the way down the page and look for the section titled "Ecclesiastical characteristics" While some of these practices may have been relatively innocuous, what do you believe God thinks of the less innocuous ones? Consider that many Catholic Pilgrims every year kiss the feet of the Roman god Saturn, thinking they are kissing the image of Peter (see Links below on Historical Pictures of Christianity). Do you think God approves of this? These people are kissing the feet of a pagan god idol. God condemns idolatry, the making of images for worship, and even bowing down before images as part of an act of worship. Yet many images are in Catholic Churches and the Church teaches people to bow down before them. The worshiper may be praying to someone else while bowing before the image, but the act of bowing down before the image, regardless of what or whom one is actually worshipping at the time God condemns in Exodus 20:5.
Ultimately, this traces back to the Babylonian religious practices. The Roman Catholic Church does this in direct violation of the command by God not to do this. Many do so ignorantly, and God will be fair and just for these individuals, but God still does not approve bowing to an image. In ancient Israel, they too brought pagan practices into their "church" (synagogue), but in spite of the evident belief among them that this made these practices safe to bring into the synagogue, God condemned this practice. Why would it be any different for the Christian Church today? Has God changed (consider Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.)
Who is the supreme authority in this universe, God or the pope? It appears the Catholic Church thinks the Pope is because it long ago dropped the commandment against the making of, or worship of images, from the list of the Ten Commandments. However, a long time ago God told Isaiah.
Isa 48:11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
Look at that phrase again, "I will not give my glory unto another". It seems unlikely this is speaking of the light that surrounds the presence of God, of that we may be sure. Verses around this text speak of the great power of God as creator and his ability to foretell the future, so it strongly suggests that it is speaking of his power, his authority, and most of all, his position. The Popes have usurped that authority and claimed they have the right to interpret or change the Law of God (see link below about the authority they have claimed for themselves). When the Catholic Church claims it has the authority to change the Law of God, did this give the Church an authority equal with God? Consider again, about what God says, "I will not give my glory unto another." Something we need think about very carefully.
Many individuals in the Catholic Church are genuine Christians who will be in heaven, but it is also true that as a religious system, God condemns it because it is a conglomeration of paganism and Christianity. So, do not mistake the destiny of the individual member of that church for the destiny of the system of which they are a part. They are not necessarily synonymous. God loves all people everywhere and wants to save everyone, but not all will choose salvation and will be lost as a result.
Nevertheless, God is now calling all genuine Christians out of this system so that they will not have to suffer the same fate that is going to come to the system as a whole. The end of this world is near and God tells us in the Bible that this system, along with all other forms of evil in this world, is soon to be the subject of the judgments of God. To prevent the destruction of good people along with those who do evil, God is calling those who will follow him to come out of Babylon.
Rev. 18:1-4 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Note that Revelation 17 portrays a woman that symbolizes Babylon and it says she is the mother of harlots, which clearly indicates she has daughters. There are many who believe that a woman in Revelation symbolizes a church, so this woman of Revelation 17 symbolizes a corrupt church. The Catholic Church is the only church that claims it is the mother church, so, the daughters must be the protestant churches that will corrupt themselves by joining with Babylon at the end and by doing the same thing the mother did - commit fornication with the kings of the earth of this world. Therefore, this call applies to the protestant churches as well.
The only way to salvation is through Jesus, for Acts 4:12, says, speaking of Jesus, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Note that Peter, whom the Catholic Church claims was the first pope, spoke these last words. It also claims the right to determine salvation for other people. Nevertheless, here Peter himself declares it is Jesus alone who saves. The Pope or the church cannot save you. Many of God's people are in the Catholic and Protestant churches and He is calling all to return to worshipping him the way He approves. Look to Jesus and His word (the Bible) for direction and help for this because He is the sole source of salvation. He will help you if you sincerely ask Him and are willing to follow where He leads. Jesus gave His life for you, so He is very willing to help. Consequently, you can trust Him to lead you in the right path. Please choose to follow Him wherever He leads. You will not be disappointed in the end.
Now, the Bible speaks of the number 666 is very serious tones. Probably the most serious warning in the Bible is in connection with the mark of the beast and the number 666 (see Revelation 14). Nevertheless, since you should now understand what Babylon is, how it is identified (through its description in the Bible and the number 666), and know that it is about to be destroyed. You should be able to understand that God is trying to save the lives of those caught up in this system by giving a warning of what is about to happen so that people may get out to safety. As a result, if God is calling you today, please follow Him wherever He leads you. You will be glad you followed Him.
The Links below provide additional information. Please come back when done!
To see amulets and several arrangements of the 6 x 6 magic square, click here and go about 90% of the way towards the bottom of the page.
This is a web page with pictures of the amulets and the 6 x 6 magic square. This page is part of a web site showing Historical Pictures of Christianity. This an excellent web site that describes how paganism entered the Christian Church at Rome.
Alexander Hislop's book, The Two Babylons, documents the movement of paganism into the Christian Church. You can read it online.
Here is some of the history of Babylon.
Some chapters from the book - A Woman Rides the Beast by Dave Hunt
Chapter 6 - A City of Seven Hills
Chapter 7 - Rome's Fraudulent History
Chapter 9 - Infallible Heretics
Chapter 12 - Unholy Mother
A well documented site that describes some of the Babylonian religious history as it relates to Rome. The Pope's Seat
A source of rather interesting information on the city of Pergamum is on the introduction of this web page. The remainder is a Commentary on the text in Revelation relating to Pergamum. History of Pergamum.
Information on the history of how the Babylonian religion transferred to Rome. Amazing Discoveries.
Would you like to know more about what the Papacy has said regarding the powers it has? Papal Documents!
The number 666 has some interesting mathematical relations to other numbers that has nothing whatsoever to do with Revelation and everything to do with mathematics. Number of the Beast.
Pacific Press Publishing Home Web Page
Source: http://www.666man.net/666ReligionHistoryOverview.html
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