American culture, in particular, reflects a deep concern—especially characteristic of the (neo)Protestant communities—for this subject. But precisely because it is so frequently discussed, it is also often “parasitized” by the most absurd interpretations. This is why such important Saints and Doctors like Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) dedicated so much time to discussing and refuting the numerous erroneous interpretations regarding the name and number of the Antichrist. However, this critique of exaggerated interpretations began more than a millennium and a half before Saint Robert’s works, as seen in the comments on the subject in Saint Irenaeus of Lyon’s (c.130–c.202) treatise Adversus haereses (Against Heresies).
The main subject of all discussions and interpretations is the name and number of the Antichrist. To be convinced that it is an extremely disputed topic, it is enough to mention that not even the number itself is clear to everyone: although the book of the Apocalypse by Saint John speaks of “666,” some authors claim that it is actually “616.” If we enter the jungle of proposed hypotheses and interpretations, we risk never coming out into the light. This is why I will first propose a brief introduction that will place us on the best possible path. As usual, our guides will be the saints and doctors of the Church—in this case, Irenaeus of Lyon and the already mentioned Robert Bellarmine.
The first of them issued serious warnings about incorrect interpretations that mislead both those who propose them and those who read them. Saint Irenaeus rejects any speculation about the number: it is certainly “666” (any other variant being due to copying errors, possibly). He also points out that there are two main sources of errors in this very important matter: one is the “simplicity” of the credulous who accept an incorrect version out of ignorance; these can be forgiven. But others, “for the sake of vainglory” follow the incorrect version only to support their own interpretations of the name of the Antichrist—associated with the “number of the beast.” These, like false prophets, Saint Irenaeus shows, distort the biblical text to their own ruin and that of those who listen to them.[i] Practicing the necessary prudence, let us first see what the main biblical source tells us about this very difficult subject.
What do these last three verses of chapter 13 of Revelation say? That all social categories will be marked—on the right hand or on the forehead—with the number of the beast. I said “all categories,” not all people.
The Dragon and the Beast(s)
The context from which we learn the number of the beast is the most spectacular chapter in the Book of Revelation by Saint John: chapter 13. Here, in the midst of the prophetic text of the eagle from Patmos, the anti-Trinity—the devil, the Antichrist, and the false prophet—is described in a symbolic-allegorical manner, opposing the Christian Holy Trinity—God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Behind the scenes, the devil operates—the “ancient” dragon who tempted Eve through the serpent. Just as in Eden, he is the one who animates the first beast—which rises from the sea—bestowing upon it all his power (verse 2). The number of those who follow and worship this beast is significant. Its characteristic is a perverted teaching (an “anti-Gospel,” we might say), full of blasphemies and insults (= heresies) against Heaven (verse 6). Verse 7 seems strange, where it says that it will conquer the saints. In verse 11, another beast is presented, rising this time from the earth. It has horns like a lamb, but its voice cannot deceive the elect: it is the voice of a dragon. This beast is strictly subordinate to the first beast, for it works to make as many as possible, if not everyone, worship the first beast. It possesses extraordinary magical abilities—even making fire come down from heaven.
Starting with verse 14, things get complicated. The second beast contributes to the creation of a speaking “image” (idol?) of the first beast, which everyone must worship. Those who do not worship it are killed. Here follow the famous verses from which we learn the number of the beast:
“And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a character in their right hand, or on their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man: and the number of him is six hundred sixty-six” (Apocalypse 13: 16-18).
What do these last three verses of chapter 13 of Revelation say? That all social categories will be marked—on the right hand or on the forehead—with the number of the beast. I said “all categories,” not all people. There will be individuals—probably from each category—who will not be marked with the number of the beast. This mark/number will be decisive regarding commercial activities. Finally, the last verse contains the key to the entire sacred text: it tells us that there is a number that corresponds to the name of the Antichrist. It adds that “it is the number of a man.” And that this number is “666.” Let us now take each aspect noted in the final three verses of chapter 13 of Revelation one by one.
Engaged in significant polemics with Protestant reformers who sought to prove at any cost (even at the expense of truth) that the Antichrist is the Pope and the great harlot is the Catholic Church, Saint Robert systematically dismantled all their interpretations.
The Mystery of Numbers: Saint Irenaeus and Saint Bede
The first aspect refers to the relationship between the name of the beast—that is, the Antichrist—and the number which is, in fact, indestructibly linked to this name. This relationship has led many to believe that by using the analogy established between the letters of the Greek alphabet and numbers, the actual name of the Antichrist can be “calculated.” There is a Greek art—named ἴσοψῆφία isopsephy—that, similary to the Hebrew gematry, supposes that every Greek letter has a numeric value. For instance, the name of Nero will be: Ν (50) +ε (5) +ρ (100) +ω (800) +ν (50) = 1005.[ii] Based on this approach, exegetes from all eras have provided an overwhelming number of variants. Already in the time of Saint Irenaeus, dozens of variants were circulating. He mentions only three of these: Evanthas (ΕΥΑΝΘΑΣ), Lateinos (ΛΑΤΕΙΝΟΣ), and Teitan (ΤΕΙΤΑΝ). Even though he mentions them, he does so only to reject them without any hesitation. We will see shortly why. I emphasize that what Saint Irenaeus rejects—followed also by Saint Robert Bellarmine—is this “computational” direction of interpreting the number and name of the Antichrist.[iii]
However, for the more curious, I will quote the commentary of Saint Bede the Venerable, which gives us the opportunity to see how those who followed this path thought, noting that Bede tries to “ennoble” it through a spiritual interpretation also based on the association with King Solomon:
“This number among the Greeks, is said to be found in the name of Titan, that is, ‘a giant’ in this manner,—Τ three hundred, Ε five, Ι ten, Τ three hundred, Α one, Ν fifty. And it is thought that Antichrist will usurp this name, as if he excelled all in power, boasting also that he is the one of whom it was written, ‘He rejoiced as a giant to run his course. His going forth is from the highest heaven.’ And Primasius also mentions another name, which contains the same number,—Α one, Ν fifty, Τ three hundred, Ε five, Μ forty, Ο seventy, Σ two hundred, which signifies, ‘contrary to honour.’ Besides there is the word,—Α one, Ρ one hundred, Ν fifty, Ο seventy, Υ four hundred, Μ forty, Ε five, that is, ‘I deny.’ By these, both the character of the person and the asperity of the work of Antichrist are indicated. But how so great a coveter of praise should be willing to be denoted by such a mark, requires a lengthened exposition. Otherwise: who is ignorant, that the number six, in accordance with which the world was created, signifies the perfection of work? And this, whether simple, or multiplied by ten, or a hundred, demonstrates the fruit of the same perfection to be sixty-fold, or a hundred-fold. The weight of gold also which was brought to Solomon every year was six hundred and sixty-six thousand talents. The seducer, therefore, will presume to exact for himself the offering which is rightfully due and paid to the true king.”[iv]
The mark is the mystery of iniquity, which is received by those who are hypocrites in practice and profession.”
The Ultimate Analysis of Saint Robert Bellarmine
Engaged in significant polemics with Protestant reformers who sought to prove at any cost (even at the expense of truth) that the Antichrist is the Pope and the great harlot is the Catholic Church, Saint Robert systematically dismantled all their interpretations. With angelic patience, he reviewed all aberrant interpretations to show why they were erroneous. However, much more interesting is the fundamental position he adopted on the issue of the number of the beast. Invoking again the teachings from Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, he states that “it is common to all prophecies of the prophets to be ambiguous and obscure until they are fulfilled.” This statement is axiomatic for him. The consequences of this are remarkable. The most important is the following: if someone could truly identify the Antichrist, this would only be possible if biblical prophecies have been fulfilled. Otherwise, any hypothesis is merely speculation. But if the prophecies have been fulfilled and the ultimate adversary of Our Lord Jesus Christ is present in history, then the end of the world is “at hand”—because, unanimously, even if not perfectly harmonized regarding the duration between the death of the Antichrist and the Second Coming of the Savior Christ—almost all saints and Doctors unanimously affirm that this period will be short (most likely on the order of months).
But, according to Saint Robert, why are there so many interpretations of the number of the beast? For him, it’s simple: all these were made in historical moments when, in fact, the prophecies were not fulfilled. This very abundance of interpretations confirms to Saint Robert his idea stated above. For the identification of the Antichrist is only possible “live”—when he will be in the world. Then, according to this veritable axiom of Saint Robert, the main question raised in the front of any interpreter – me included – is the following one: is the Antichrist present in the world now? And yet, how could a Christian answer such an ultimate question without having at least a somewhat clear vision of the main characteristics of the Antichrist? What will be the main features of such a presence?
In previous articles, I have presented some possible answers proposed by Saints like Hildegard of Bingen,[v] Augustine,[vi] John Henry Newman,[vii] or Pope Pius X.[viii] Here I will delve into the answer proposed by another saint and Doctor of the Church, already mentioned above: the Venerable Bede. For example, a difficult aspect concerns the marking with the sign of the beast. Leaving aside the issue of identifying the mysterious name that this sign may reveal, Saint Bede comments on the aspect of marking. His very short commentary contains an important idea:
“The mark is the mystery of iniquity, which is received by those who are hypocrites in practice and profession.”
Following this line of response, we will discover a possible interpretation of the number of the beast. So, what is the core of the interpretation proposed by Saint Bede? The hand symbolizes, according to an ancient interpretation also followed by Saint Maximus the Confessor, the work or deeds of people. Indeed, our hands act according to what we think and decide. The hands execute what the mind thinks and the will dictates. Thus, the mark on the hand indicates the work, the deeds of those marked. The forehead symbolizes the function of thinking—as I showed in the article dedicated to the Sacrament of Confirmation.[ix]
Otherwise, what is evil in demons? An irrational anger—a senseless (blind) desire—a headstrong fancy.”
The hypocrites to whom Bede refers do a very simple thing: although they seem to profess the faith with their lips, in deeds they work against the Christian faith. In simpler terms, they live as if God does not exist and is not their King. They are supporters of those “practical heresies” denounced by Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.[x] For example, all married Catholics who, against the Church’s teaching, live their intimate lives using contraceptive means. At the same time, however, there is another dimension of hypocrisy. It is inspired by the greed of those who want to exercise functions and professions for which they have no calling. For example, those who choose a political, medical, or legal career (lawyers) only for the privileges and benefits that such difficult professions offer, without assuming the corresponding responsibilities and without having the necessary natural gifts. Obviously, in the case of such people, the main motivation is the vice of greed in all its imaginable forms. Now we come to the key point: why are all these hypocrites marked with the number—or name—of the beast? The answer was given by one of the most important saint theologians in the entire Christian Tradition: Dionysius the Areopagite. Here is the answer he offers in his small but influential treatise Περὶ θείων ὀνομάτων (On the Divine Names, chapter IV, art. 23):
“Otherwise, what is evil in demons? An irrational anger—a senseless (blind) desire—a headstrong fancy.”
The fall of the angels, before the fall of Adam and Eve, caused a terrible “mutation” of the nature in those spiritual beings created by God at the beginning of creation. Their darkest traits were extraordinarily well captured by the Mystic Doctor, Saint Dionysius. The anger resulting from not receiving what they desired—equality with God—but instead punishment; desires out of control of reason and, finally, an unrestrained imagination. We are dealing here with three vices that, in the deepest sense possible, represent the dominant traits of those who are ruled by them. Against the qualities that the Holy Spirit bestows under the sign of His eternal wisdom, the devil offers the Antichrist these “qualities” with which all his acolytes are also “marked.” Just as the devil is the one who gives his power to the Antichrist, the Antichrist bestows his abominable passions on the vicious, which oppose the gifts of the Holy Spirit received through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Just as in the case of the Holy Chrism used in the Sacrament of Confirmation there is no visible mark left on those marked, we should not expect visible signs of those marked with the name or number of the beast. Although, sometimes, this marking can become visible (perhaps through tattoos or other signs—including piercings—that indicate the passions that dominate the souls of certain people), it is not mandatory. What is certain, however, is that the spiritual marking exists always. If we look at the symptoms of today’s world and the unprecedented spread of terrible deeds—debauchery, alcoholism, drugs, sects, soul diseases, madness, suicides, witchcraft, despair, wars, revenge, crimes of all kinds, conflict between generations, between parents and children, hatred and contempt for the sacred, for Tradition, etc.—we quickly realize what the dominant passions are. On the other hand, immoral (or a-moral) creations such as certain films, cartoons, electronic games, and others of this kind clearly indicate an assault of darkness of unprecedented proportions in history.
“Nobody,” can hide a dangerous adversary. In the case of humans, it hides the most terrible fallen being in the entire heavenly hierarchy created by God. And those who believe they can live and govern autonomously will discover, sooner or later, that they have become slaves of the most terrible tyrant in history.
So far, we have not yet clarified the actual number of the beast: three sixes. I will try to do this soon in another article. However, to not conclude without suggesting the direction to follow, I will still provide a very important clue. Numbers have a special significance for all classical religions. Especially for the Greco-Roman world, they had a symbolic value that indicates the inspired thought of Saint John who left us in a text revealed by the Holy Spirit such a number. However, to understand its significance, we must first remember that the key number of the Sacrament of Confirmation is “7.” Therefore, the number of the Holy Spirit, so to speak, is “7” while the key number of the Antichrist is “6.” Three sevens indicate the fullness of the perfection of Christian saints whose bodies, souls, and minds are harmoniously organized through the work of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the bodies, souls, and minds of those who, through their own deeds dictated by their wills oriented by minds darkened by passions, by vices, come under the power of the Antichrist and the dragon, are dominated by the incompleteness of the number “6”—which is like a being without a “head.” Here we must remember the statement of Saint Paul from 1 Corinthians 11: 3:
“The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man.”
This is the hierarchical axiom of human society whose foundation is the family as God desires. But what does it mean for a man to have Christ as his “head”? In no case can we understand this through a “literal” interpretation. Our Lord Jesus Christ does not ask us to cut off our heads to replace them with His. I ask again, what does it mean to have Christ as our head? It means that our way of thinking, of understanding life, the world, relationships—in a word, everything that pertains to our relationships with God and our relationships with each other—is ordered according to God’s Law and supernatural Faith. When we do this, we have Christ as our “head” and the resulting society is the so-called “social kingdom of Christ.”
But when people do not do this, who do they have as their head? Many believe no one. But, as we learn from a great pagan author, Homer, and from the story of Ulysses—who deceived the cyclop Polyphemus by saying his name was “Nobody”—we understand that this deceptive name, “Nobody,” can hide a dangerous adversary. In the case of humans, it hides the most terrible fallen being in the entire heavenly hierarchy created by God. And those who believe they can live and govern autonomously will discover, sooner or later, that they have become slaves of the most terrible tyrant in history, while good Christians are those who, willingly, choose to be subjects of the best King in history. And not just an earthly king (Christ the Savior was from a royal family—that of David), but the absolute heavenly King of the entire universe.
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[i] This serious warning can be read in book V, chapter 30, from Against Heresies: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103530.htm [Accessed: 11 December 2024].
[ii] The great Aermenian-Romanian specialist in Classical Studies, Aram Frenkian, discussed this theory and exposed its weaknesses in a formidable scholarly work entitled L’Orient et les origines de l’idéalisme subjectif dans la pensée européenne. Tome I. La Doctrine théologique de Memphis (Paris, P. Geuthner, 1946).
[iii] Saint Irenaeus commentary can be read here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103530.htm [Accessed: 11 December 2024].
[iv] The full Saint Bede’s commentary can be read online here: https://www.ecatholic2000.com/bede/untitled-19.shtml#_Toc385608327 [Accessed: 11 December 2024].
[v] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6689-saint-hildegard-of-bingen-about-the-antichrist-a-pontifical-warning-for-our-times [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
[vi] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/7071-antichrists-and-practical-heresies-saint-augustine-s-warning [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
[vii] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6887-the-last-persecution-some-insights-on-antichrist-from-saint-john-henry-newman [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
[viii] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6735-the-antichrist-according-to-saint-pius-x-an-unexpected-interpretation-of-the-abomination-of-desolation [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
[ix] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/7493-the-sacrament-of-confirmation-and-the-number-of-the-beast [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
[x] https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6898-the-heresy-of-practice-some-insights-from-saint-bernard-and-saint-alphonsus [Accessed: 14 December 2024].
