Por su parte, el número 666 fue introducido por los primeros cristianos en sustitución del anterior, y resulta de la numerología hebraica (gematría) de las letras que componen el nombre "Nerón César" transliterado del griego al hebreo.

De todos es conocido el ahínco de Nerón en su persecución a los cristianos, haciéndose célebres las luchas entre leones y cristianos, a los que el ínclito emperador llegó a acusar del incendio de la ciudad de Roma, seguramente provocado por él mismo y sus acólitos.

En este cambio debió influir notablemente la ejecución de los apóstoles San Pablo y San Pedro, además de sus sanguinarias persecuciones de cristianos.

No es de extrañar que los primeros cristianos creyeran que Nerón era el mismo demonio. De hecho, Nerón fue uno de los demonios que poseían el cuerpo de Annelise Michel, según una de las versiones cinematográficas de su historia, titulada "el exorcismo de Emily Rose".

Post relacionados

El exorcismo de Annelise Michel

Ma del resto si sapeva che nulla di catastrofico sarebbe sucesso, le previsioni apocalittiche non sono più una novità da duemila anni, ossia da quando San Giovanni scrisse il libro dell'Apocalisse annunciando peste e corna in concomitanza del ritorno del Figlio dell'Uomo, che dopo cavalieri, sigilli rotti e cernite di anime, osannato da beati in vesti candide, avrebbe creato cieli e terra nuova. Salvo esegesi cabalistica che informava che il 666 (o il 616) citati non erano riferiti al Diavolo in sè e per sè bensì erano un "codice" che identificava l'imperatore Nerone o l'imperatore Caligola, primi persecutori dei Cristiani. Gli altri avvenimenti tremebondi riportati non si esclude che possano accadere in futuro, ma di sicuro finora non si sono manifestati.

Altra ondata di catastrofismo pervase il mondo Cristiano (perchè sapete bene voi tutti che il calendario per le altre religioni è ben diverso da quello Cristiano) alla volta dell'anno Mille, poichè nell'atmosfera permeata di religiosità in Europa si dava un significato troppo letterale al biblico "mille e non più mille". Anche lì, nessuna fine del mondo.

Per qualche secolo la gente non si è più sentita l'Inferno, il Tartaro, l'Ade, l'Aldilà sotto ai piedi, finchè al tramonto del XX secolo, tra millennium bug (un'altra bufala) e repulisti  dei segreti di Fatima incrociati con le apparizioni, tuttora in corso, di Medjugorje, la fine dei tempi era tornata a essere imminente.

Finchè si giunge a oggi, 10 settembre 2008, in cui l'acceleratore di particelle tra Francia e Svizzera dovrebbe preludere a un big-bang in miniatura, salvo occasionali formazioni di buchi neri in grado di inghiottire la Terra tutta in men che non si dica, con buona pace di Apocalisse, Fatima et similia.

Continuando a sentire fame, sete, prurito sulle punture di zanzara e altri bisogni molto terreni sono giunta alla conclusione che NON SONO ANCORA MORTA, e quindi torna in gioco l'interpretazione futuristico-religiosa sulla fine dei tempi e i cieli e terra nuova.

Sono previsti nuovi cicalecci e attacchi di panico per il 21 dicembre 2012, data presunta della fine del mondo secondo antiche civiltà. Staremo a vedere se ci saranno altre speculazioni, se il mondo cambierà o finirà o se invece non cambierà niente rispetto al giorno prima.

Io credo che invece di stare a fare il countdown per il nostro funerale (che se finirà il mondo non verrà celebrato), aggrappandosi a predizioni di astronomi Maya, veggenti veri o presunti, giornalisti o interpretazioni letterali dei testi sacri, faremmo tutti meglio a mantenerci distaccati, eppure sempre attenti pur restando lucidi e sereni. Come dice Gesù nel Vangelo, nella parabola delle vergini stolte e delle vergini sagge, "Vegliate, poichè non sapete ne il giorno nè l'ora". E forse, è decisamente meglio non saperlo in anticipo, questo giorno e quest'ora.

From 1934 to 1936, Kodak produced a camera with a gorgeous art-deco body called the Six-16 that, true to its name, used size 616 film. It was expensive at $40, so in 1935, Kodak put the same works inside a more pedestrian body, lowered the price, and called it the Junior Six-16. They made a few improvements to the camera in 1937, added "Series II" to the name, and charged $12 for it until it went out of production in 1940.

Kodak also made a Junior Six-20 camera that was very similar to the Junior Six-16 except that it took size 620 film. Kodak hasn't made either 616 or 620 film in years, but if you have a spare 620 spool, you can roll still-available 120 film onto it and take pictures with any working 620 camera. There's no such luck with 616 film, and so my poor Junior Six-16 will have to be satisfied with looking good on a shelf in my living room.

Kodak made a bazillion folding cameras in about the first half of the last century. They're very easy to come by and, with a few exceptions, won't put much hurt on your checkbook. But most old folders I find are significantly worn, sometimes with the leather chipping or peeling off or the bellows brittle or torn. I don't get around too awful much compared to more serious camera collectors, who may think my camera is dime-a-dozen, but this folding Kodak is in the best condition of any I've ever seen. It also came in its original box.

Funny enough, when Cartman sees that Stan has become a total loser, he bows down and thanks God, praising him for this hilarious outcome to Stan's life. Aside from Cartman being a crappy friend, this illustrates something else: our obsession with attributing to God that which we appreciate. When great things happen, people say "Thank God" all the time, but often, it seems unlikely that these are things that God would have done - or at least intentionally enough to deserve praise. Why would God be responsible for making Stan a loser?

Have you ever thanked God and then suddenly thought to yourself, actually, God probably had nothing to do with that? Can you think of a good example of thanking God when He probably wouldn't want anything to do with what you're talking about?

Did you see this episode? Did you notice the cross on the wall of the Osbournes' home when they're watching tv in the beginning?

Click HERE to read about other South Park episodes.

Need professional editing services at great prices for papers, essays and more? Click HERE for killer deals and Fall Semester Savings!

The Restaurant Week menu showcases selected three-course meals for just $25 (excluding beverage, tax and tip). Some of the restaurants offer choices on the courses, some just offer a take-it-or-leave-it menu. The website has an interactive map that will bring up the restaurant's menu if you click on the red pinpoint.

Participating restaurants:

Austin Land and Cattle

Chez Zee

Ciola's Italian American Restaurant

Dona Emilios

Imperia

J. Blacks

Jasper's

Kenichi

Ranch 616

The Belmont

The County Line On The Hill and The County Line On The Lake

The Melting Pot Downtown and Northwest

ReVive at the Wyndham

For tomorrow if we break the 575 level I think we can see 602 which is the next resistance. If not, I think we trade down to the 548 area. What I like is that we are at the 200MA area of resistance, the MACD is looking like they could cross. The last two times the MACD looked like it was going to cross it did not and continued in this same trend. What I do not like is that the recent move up in the last 3 days ended today up but on lower volume then the other days. So if we break 575 I will be looking to buy with a stop limit loss, if not it looks like it will continue in this symmetrical triangle trend until some news pushes it one way. So keep this one your watch list.

The first shoulder was formed around April 7th, Support was at 161 and it moved to 181 then back to 161.
This was followed by the forming of the head around May 1st when GS climbed to 203 to only fall to support again at 161 around June 10th.
Now it looks like a possible 3rd shoulder is forming as the stock bounced off support and is heading towards resistance at 181. Currently GS is trading at 178 and they are reporting earnings tomorrow, 6/17.

I don't think the HnS pattern matters here because GS reports earnings tomorrow. If the earnings are good GS will break the resistance around 181 and possible trade up to 194 where it's 200MA is. But if they are bad and disappoint we can GS trade down to support at 161.

Secondo l'interpretazione maggiormente in voga tale numero si rifarebbe alla somma del valore delle lettere ebraiche ( QSRNRON; anche gli ebrei e i greci come i romani usavano lettere per indicare numeri) di Cesare Nerone, il primo grande persecutore di cristiani ( da cui "essa rappresenta un nome" d'uomo) assunto a immagine di tutti i nemici del cristianesimo.
Il 6 inoltre rappresenta il numero dell'incompletezza. 6 ripetuto tre volte rappresentano dunque i continui fallimenti dei persecutori dei cristianiche verranno sconfitta ala fine dei tempi dal ritorno del Figlio dell'Uomo

Ma una recente ricerca fatta da un gruppo di paleografi inglesi guidati dal professor David Parker dell'università di Birmingham ha proposto un'interpretazione diversa: l'esame agli ultrarossi di un frammento papiraceo , il P115 di Ossirinco ( il più antico testo dell'Apocalisse che ci sia pervenuto risalente alla fine del III , inizio del IV secolo) che riporta invece in Ap 3,18 il numero 616. Secondo Parker applicando il criterio interpretativo della gematria ((la coincidenza tra numeri e lettere) il 616 corrisponderebbe non a Nerone ma all'imperatore Caligola, noto per aver cercato di far erigere una sua statua nel tempio di Gerusalemme; va detto che questa interpretazione continua a essere meno convincente ( Nerone rappresenta molto meglio di Caligola il persecutore dei cristiani cui Giovanni intenderebbe riferirsi) e in ogni caso non esclude l'ipotesi del 666 per alcune ragioni. Già Sant'Ireneo conosceva l'esistenza di versioni dell'Apocalisse con il 616 ma considerò questa versione spuria, il che ne limitò conoscenza e diffusione perché il santo vescovo di Llione era stato seguace di uno dei discepoli diretti di San Giovanni Evangelista, e dunque considerato un'autorità al riguardo. Dunque considerando che Ireneo è vissuto nel II secolo e che il frammmento è di fine III secolo-inizio IV secolo,( cioè successivo all'interpretazione di Ireneo stesso) in pratica esso ci conferma quanto Ireneo già diceva oltre un secolo prima cioè che esistevano differenti versioni dell'Apocalisse alcune delle quali scrivevano il numero 616 invece di scrivere 666.

C'è un'altra interpretazione secondo cui il 616 sarebbe il numero del Paraclito, cioè dello Spirito Santo. Questa tesi appare anche logicamente abbastanza improbabile: 1)l'ipotesi della bestia con lo Spirito Santo non c'entra nulla con il resto del teso che parla di una bestia che serve un drago che bestemmia Dio. Perché Lo Spirito Santo dovrebbe bestemmiare Dio? 2) I numeri verrebbero usati da Giovanni per sfuggire a eventuali persecuzioni e ritorsioni dell'autorità romana. Ora è evidente che con lo Spirito Santo questa precauzione non avrebbe alcun senso; mentre si spiegherebbe qualora dietro al 616 si volesse indicare in Caligola (o in Nerone?) "la Bestia" nemica dei cristiani. Ma a questo punto bisognerebbe tornare a domandarsi: chi fu più tristemente famoso per le persecuzioni dei cirstiani: Nerone (il 666) o Caligola ( il 616)?

His reasoning was this: 666 is the number of the beast. The number 6, in Hebrew, is sometimes transliterated as W. Therefore the number of the beast is www - the World-Wide Web - Tim Berners-Lee's invention and propagator of goat porn, erroneous Wikipedia entries and other associated evils.

An entertaining theory, V, but sadly a load of old toss. For one, the earliest sources of the Book of Revelation were written in Ancient Greek, not Hebrew. Second, Hebrew numbers are a bit like Roman numerals, in the sense that the Roman number III is three, not one-hundred and eleven. So Vav-vav-vav is not six hundred and sixty-six, but six plus six plus six, or 18.

A sturdier theory is that the number of the beast is in fact 616, based on the earliest known record of the Book of Revelation, a scrap of papyrus known as P115. There are other ancient texts that corroborate this, although there are also many that plump for the more traditional 666, so the matter is, literally, academic. More interestingly, according to Wikipedia, there is a theory that 666 and/or 616 refers to the Roman emperor Nero.

The argument goes that scribes, afraid to use the emperor's name for fear of arrest and lions, used a code to hint at the beast's identity. Scholars say that "Nero Caesar", translated into Hebrew and then transliterated using a numerological system known as gematria, is 666. You can also fiddle it so that an alternative spelling for the name comes out as 616.

This appears compelling when you consider the wording of Revalations 13:18: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six."

But then it's important to remember that numerology is responsible for some of the worst theories ever concocted. Indeed, you need not stray from the Wikipedia page to see that academics have crowbarred all manner of phrases into the numerological system to generate 666 or 616. Caligula equates to 616 if you use his first name and title, and Domitian generates 666 provided you call him Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, translate it into ancient Greek, and abbreviate it.

I half-suspect Robert Graves, the poet, was taking the piss when he suggested that 666 was a version of "The Emperor Domitian violently killed the envoys of Christ".

But the worst case of numerological abuse of 666 I have ever come across was a theory devised by one Harry Hinde, author of a book entitled 666 The Divine Harmony. I engaged in a brief e-mail exchange with him two years ago after he invited me to help publicise his theory. "The whole world is stamped with the mark of 666, and was deliberately set out and designed this way," he wrote. "Just look at the evidence below which categorically proves that the principal sites within London have been laid out and established to a unique pattern of 666."

He then listed 26 sites 666 metres apart, such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Bank of England (both built prior to the metre being defined, but never mind), or Marble Arch and the Roosevelt Memorial. His measurements are largely accurate, but only if you allow them to begin and end at any point in each of the buildings. The Bank of England and Liverpool Street Station, for example, are between 600 and 800 metres apart depending on which bit of the buildings you choose. If you take buildings that have a margin of about 50 metres at each end, it makes it very easy to find pairs of them roughly 700 metres apart in a city as densely packed as London. The problem for Mr Hinde is that 666 is an annoyingly accurate number. For his theory to hold water the buildings should be precisely that distance apart, whether from edge to edge or between their geographical centres. This didn't appear to be true for any of them, at least using a ruler and an A to Z.

But then, maybe the compilers of the A to Z are in league with Satan.

Personajele:

Un iezuit din organizatia “Lupii lui Dumnezeu” care urmareste sa descopere ce se ascunde in spatele fenomenelor paranormale si al documentelor religioase vechi, aflate in arhivele Vaticanului.

Audrey Barret, de profesie doctor psihiatru, care incearca s` dezlege cosmarurile unui batrin gradinar abia salvat dintr -un incendiu. Audrey descopera ca, de fapt, batrinul este posedat de diavol, un diavol care stie multe din secretele femeii.

Daca esti obsedat de cautarea adevarului, gasesti conexiuni, te lovesti de intimplari care s-ar putea sa-ti zdruncine cunostin]ele despre viata, dragoste, moarte, Dumnezeu, daca ai chef sa dezlegi ghicitori si sa dezgropi dovezi, documente, probe despre existenta diavolului (aici, un personaj aproape seducator, siret, invaluitor, sugubat pe alocuri, cu singurul sau rol de a testa credintele celorlalti si de a-i pune la incercare prin diverse tertipuri de-ale lui), atunci bine ai venit in infernul creat de cei doi autori care semneaza cartea (David Zurdo Saiz si Gutierrez Tapia, ingineri de profesie). Deznodamintul, desi este cu totul imprevizibil, are totusi marja lui de durere si amaraciune, pe care cititorul si-a luat-o tot parcurgind infruntarile dintre bine si rau si urmarind felul sinuos in care anumite secrete ies la iveala, ca si cum dupa ce ar cadea zidurile unui labirint si, dupa ce din cotloanele lui umbroase apar ruinele timide ale unor adevaruri atit de mult timp ferite de privirile celorlalti, te intrebi la ce-ti mai foloseste asta.

Esti destul de puternic sa tr`ie[ti mai departe dupa ce afli un adevar pe care oricum il intuiai, dar pentru ca nu aveai confirmari, certitudini sau dovezi, te incinta perspectiva cealalta, cum ca ar putea sa nu fie asa cum te indemnau perceptiile tale sa-l conturezi? Esti destul de feroce ca dupa ce primesti dovezile pe care toata viata le-ai cautat sa le ingropi tu insuti ca sa poti trai mai departe ca si cum nimic din toate astea nu s-ar fi intimplat?

“Daca un om ar inceta sa fie egoist si rau, daca un om curat ar face o fapta de bunatate intru totul dezinteresat, fara sa astepte nimic in schimb, nici macar multumirea de a fi bun sau rasplata mintuirii; un om care sa stie adevarul si totusi sa lucreze binele, atunci Lucifer, cea mai indurerata dintre creaturi, miscat de acela ce invinge disperarea nesfiraita, ar varsa peste pamint o lacrima ce ar face sa inmugureasca cea mai frumoasa dintre flori: un trandafir rosu ca sângele. Si totul ar deveni la fel ca la inceput. Dumnezeu s-ar intoarce la locul lui, iar Lucifer, din nou bun, s-ar aseza linga el. Nu ar mai fi nici Iad si nici durere dupa moarte. Nici Iad si nici durere.”

Desi cam prea patetica pentru gusturile mele, aceasta bucata din romanul celor doi prieteni contine mesajul lui 616, cifra fatidica a Diavolului: ca cele doua notiuni, de bine si rau, sunt de fapt si ele simple produse ale mintii noastre, dupa care ne ghidam alegerile si in urma carora, potrivit codului fiecaruia de dezlegare a simbolurilor, putem dormi linistiti si impacati cu propria noastra constiinta. Sau poate ca Infernul este doar locul unde nu se intimpla nimic, nici bine, nici rau, unde nu exista nici Diavolul, nici bunul Dumnezeu, unde nu esti decit tu cu marele tau Eu si maruntele tale dorinte, indeplinite toate.

Lectura placuta!

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Declaraciones Informativas 2007

Como en los años anteriores, la ejecución de los programas se realiza desde la Plataforma de Informativas (este año, la versión 3.0), y requiere tener instalado previamente una Maquina Virtual Java compatible con la versión 1.6 de JRE de Sun.

La plataforma corre bajo los siguientes sistemas operativos:

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac Os X
• Otros sistemas (Windows 98/Millenium)

Por las particularidades que presenta el sistema operativo Windows Vista, se ofrece también una breve guía de instalación en este sistema.

En cuanto a los modelos de declaraciones disponibles, una vez descargados los ficheros, se instalan desde la propia plataforma, y son:

• Modelos 180, 182, 188, 190, 193, 198, 296, 345, 347 y 349

Independientemente de los anteriores, también están disponibles varios programas de prevalidación en Cobol, que van orientados a realizar la prevalidación de las Declaraciones Informativas. Los programas son:

• Modelos 038, 156, 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 188, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 198, 199, 215, 291, 294, 295, 296, 345, 346, 349, 611, 616, 994, 995 y 996.

También figuran los siguientes programas de prevalidación en Cobol en entorno Windows:

• Modelos 156, 180, 181, 183, 187, 190, 191, 192, 194, 196, 199, 291, 294, 295, 345, 346, 347, 611, 616, 994, 995 y 996.

The verse in question is as follows:

"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."
Revelation 13.18

There are several things that we can point out that will aid in our understanding. First, as we've been saying so far, is that Revelation was written to be understood by its original audience. This has been demonstrated throughout this series. So we must assume that the identity that 666 stands for is also understandable to the original audience. Second, the number represents some aspect of the first beast. Though the number is found in the discourse on the second beast, we know that it actually represents the first beast because throughout verses 11-18, the second beast is usually referred to by "it" and the first beast is called "the beast." Consider the verses preceding 18:

"¹⁶Also it [the second beast] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the [first] beast or the number of its [with 'the beast' as the antecedent] name."
Revelation 13.16,17

Thus, the number in question is of the first beast. From this we can also tell that determining the number of the beast will yield its name. Third, the number is that of a man. The Greek is specific here, ἄνθρωπος (anthrwpos, singular) is used by John, meaning that it is a human being. This removes the possibility that John was considering the number to personify an institution or a collective.

So, according to the context, 666 must symbolize a man who personifies the first beast, and is someone that would be recognized by original audience. The first beast, we remember, has a general and particular consideration: Generally the Roman Empire, and particularly, Nero, the Caesar over Rome. Obviously then, it seems that Nero would be a man who personifies the beast, or the Roman Empire. If this is so, then 666 inevitably points to Nero, but how?

As I briefly mentioned in the first post, that in the ancient world letters played a dual-role: they stood as the actual letter themselves (α = α), and they stood for numbers (α = 1). We see this plainly in Roman numerals today. This allowed for certain word games where the letters also employ their numerical meanings as well. One example is an old inscription φιλῶ ἧς ἀριθμός φμε (I love her whose number is 545). This allows the recipient to recognize her name in the numerical value, but strangers will not know the name because they don't know the number of letters in the name used to get the value 545. John is inevitably using this word play in writing the name of the beast.

At first, it seems that there may be a proverbial wrench thrown into our cogs, as Nero's name in Greek (Νέρων) is actually equal to 1005. Yet, the context really doesn't allow for anyone else. The answer really isn't as hard as it may seem. It is widely testified that while John writes in Greek, he thinks in his first language, Hebrew. This Hebrew thought comes out in his writing. In fact, Revelation is known as one of the most "Jewish" books of the New Testament. If John was thinking of Nero in his natural language to determine the number, then wrote it in Greek, we would assume that the Hebraic spelling of Nero's name would yield 666. The Hebrew form, Nrwn Qsr, does exactly that. John, knowing the numerical equivalent of Nrwn Qsr as equaling 666 then wrote that number into his Apocalypse. There have been many who have disputed this rendering of Nero's name for having an extra 'n,' but this is the spelling found in the Talmud and other Rabbinical writings. As Gentry points out in "Before Jerusalem Fell," Jastrow, Ewald, and Swete have all shown such evidence exists to this spelling, as well as evidence from the Murabba'at document of the Qumran community, which is dated in the "second year of Emperor Nero" and is spelled Nrwn Qsr (see Gentry, pg 199).

Nero fits the context of Revelation as the man behind the number 666. We was a man who was over the Roman Empire, contemporary to John's audience. Though not the only spelling of his name, Nrwn Qsr, is certainly one that was utilized in the first century. So far, the evidence points to Nero, but there is one last thing to consider. The textual variant '616.'

As Gentry points out 666 is "the undeniably certain reading of the original autograph," so regardless of the textual variant, he still stands as our main contender. Yet, there is a textual variant that 616 instead of 666, which appears very early in the manuscripts. Because it was in the manuscripts very early (before Irenaeus) we must consider why it was changed. It does not seem to be an accidental variant, such as a copyist error, because the variant is not one that is easily confused ( ἑξήκοντα/ξ [60] vs. δέκα/ι [10]). Instead, many scholars see it as an intentional variant, one that was made on purpose. Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, writes that 666 is the most approved and says of the variant only that he does not know how or why the variant was introduced. The Latin manuscript adds that Irenaeus thought that it was through the fault of copyists, but this is missing from Eusebius' Greek record, and is considered by many scholars to have been added later (see Gentry, 197, note 18). That Irenaeus was not sure on the meaning of 666 and viewed the textual variant negatively should not throw us. As Gentry notes, all this shows is that the key to interpreting the number had been lost in the 100+ years between John's writing and Irenaeus. Mounce, an advocate of a late date, makes a telling suggestion, "John intended only his intimate associates to be able to decipher the number. So successful were his precautions that even Irenaeus some one hundred years later was unable to identify the person intended" (quoted in Gentry, pg 205). Gentry says "Had Irenaeus offered with conviction and assurance a specific alternative, the case against the Nero theory would have been more seriously challenged," however he did not do so, only offering three guesses out of many possibilities in his time of who people considered it might be.

So why introduce a variation on purpose so early on? If the original was to be understood by the first century audience, and it points to Nero, as I think the evidence points to, does the textual variant strengthen or weaken this? I believe it strengthens the argument for Nero, and was put into the text to further make this identity of Nero recognizable to a wider first century audience. As the letter began to circulate, we must realize that it would gain a wider audience that was less Hebraically minded, which would not necessarily understand the wordplay using the Hebrew version of Nero's name. It seems likely then, that a copyist who knew the identity of the beast changed the number to reflect his identity in the language of the wider audience: Latin. The new rendering of Nero's name yields exactly what we would think it would if this is true: 616. Metzer, quoted in Gentry's book, says “Perhaps the change was intentional, seeing that the Greek form Neron Caesar written in Hebrew characters (nrwn qsr) is equivalent to 666, whereas the Latin form Nero Caesar (nrw qsr) is equivalent to 616.”

Certainly, far from weakening the case of Nero, I believe that it in facts strengthens the case. It seems then that the internal and external evidence both point to the identity of the beast, and the man that 666 signifies: Nero.

Next: After a devil of a time, we'll finally wrap this up. Get it? A devil of a time? Man, this crowd sure is beastly
Note: For a post on the the allusions between 666 in Revelation and the Old Testament, check out Elshaddai Edwards' post

"What do you mean it's not 666? Bloody hell, I have a hundred of these @#$% tattoos all over my body and they all say 666...! That 616, I'll tell you what that is, that's a liberal intelligentsia lie and YOU WILL TAKE IT BACK!"

Oh, the joys of the tattoo parlor.

"616 is believed by some to have been the original Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible."

http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/POxy/beast616.htm

"One feature of particular interest is the number that the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, which contains a fragmentary papyrus of Revelation, which assigns to the Beast 616, not 666. We knew this variant existed, but this is the earliest instance to date."

"The number — chi, iota, stigma (hexakosiai, deka, hex) — is in the third line of the fragment shown here."