FAQ

According to many commentators, letters are hidden behind the number 666: the fact is that in most ancient (and not only ancient) languages there were no numerals, and letters were used instead. In particular, this is characteristic of the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, ancient Greek, Latin, and Slavonic languages. Therefore, even in antiquity, the assumption was made that 666 is the sum of the numerical values of the letters. Most ancient commentators, in particular St. Irenaeus of Lyons (second half of the 2nd century), believe that the words "Caesar" or "Caesar Nero", written in Hebrew or Aramaic, are hidden behind it. However, the point here is not so much personally in Caesar Nero as a historical figure, but rather in the spiritual phenomenon of which Nero was the brightest representative. This is the deification of oneself, of the earthly state, and of earthly, material things in general; this is the pretension of people, and of earthly authority in particular, to dominion in the realm of the spirit.

In the Middle Ages, the opinion of St. Bede the Venerable (673–735) and St. Albert the Great (1200–1280) became widespread. They correlated the number 666 with the seven days of creation mentioned in the Book of Genesis. If seven is a number that in the ancient mentality symbolized every fullness, then six, on the contrary, was considered a symbol of incompleteness. The number six, Bede and Albert explained, falls a little short of seven; therefore, it became a symbol of incompleteness. Correlating the number 6 with the seven days in which the Creator made this world, Bede and Albert thought that the number 6 designates for the author of the Apocalypse the renunciation of the Creator and the unfinished (and therefore imperfect) creation torn away from Him. Repeated three times (in the number 666), it speaks in the language of numerical symbols of the deliberate and ultimate renunciation of God by the bearer of this name.

The interpretations of Bede and Albert, on the one hand, and of Irenaeus and other ancient authors, on the other, not only do not contradict one another, but even fully agree with each other. Today, most commentators more or less adhere to one of these mutually non-contradictory opinions.

As for the signs by which one can distinguish people marked with this number... I would say that one simply should not do this. As the Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples, whoever is not against you is for you. A Christian, when this is needed for the saving work of God, is endowed with the gift of discerning of spirits, and this gift allows him to see the truth. However, speaking of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scripture of the New Testament urges us to remember that common and necessary to all of us is the gift of love for God and for people, and all the others are given "for the edification of the Church." Usually, however, one can know what people's activities serve only by their fruits, that is, post factum.

However, if one still tries to answer this question, people marked by the sign of the Antichrist are similar in their activities and in their attitude towards God and people to Caesar Nero, a cruel tyrant who implanted an atmosphere of lies, baseness, and betrayal in his country, and who strove to destroy every manifestation of spiritual freedom. In practice, the correct formulation of the question would not be "who is marked with this sign," but rather "am I not serving the Antichrist?"