The history of interpretation concerning the correlation of a person with the number 666 has only resulted in endless speculations. One of the most prominent candidates has been the first-century Roman emperor Nero. A rare rendering of his name into Neron Caesar, transliterated into Hebrew as
nrwn qsr, renders the number 666 (nun/50, resh/200, waw/6, nun/50, qof/100, samech/60, and resh/200 = 666). This rare form of Nero's name was actually found in an Aramaic document from Qumran (cf. John's play on Hebrew words in the Book of Revelation at
9:11 and
16:16). It is also noteworthy that a variant reading in Greek New Testament manuscripts exits that cites the number as "616" rather than "666." The transliteration of the normal Nero Caesar into the Hebrew
nrw qsr, renders the number 616. There was also a belief in a revived Nero as the antichrist from the first century (cf. book 5 of the
Sibylline Oracles) to the time of Augustine, who cites this idea in
The City of God.
Irenaeus, however, wrote within a century of the apostle John and did not mention Nero. He proposed a number of options, including
lateinos, meaning a Latin (30 + 1 + 300 + 5 + 10 + 50 + 70 + 200 = 666), and thus a Roman ruler, and
teitan, a Roman name with which he was enamored (
Contra Haereses 5.29-30). A few modern scholars have noted that the numbers can also argue for a connection with Babylon and Nimrod. The list is expanded with the creative use of numbers during times of modern crises (e.g., Hitler was a major candidate during World War II).
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