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| 2008-09-16 |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #2 I coulda passed on the article but the footnote was interesting, P2K |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-09-16 17:28 |
| #1 "616 In May 2005, it was reported that scholars at Oxford University using advanced imaging techniques[11] had been able to read previously illegible portions of the earliest known record of the Book of Revelation, from the Oxyrhynchus site, Papyrus 115 or P115, dating to the mid to late third century. The fragment gives the Number of the Beast as 616 (chi, iota, sigma), rather than the majority text 666 (chi, xi, sigma).[1] In Eastern Greek 616 is chi-iota-sigma or XIC. Eastern forms of Greek used the Lunate Sigma (which resembles an upper case C) as seen on many ancient Christian religious artifacts. The other early witness Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) has it written in full: hexakosiai deka hex (lit. six hundred sixteen).[12] Significantly, P115 aligns with Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) which are generally regarded as providing the best testimony to Revelation. Thus, P115 has superior testimony to that of P47 which aligns with Codex Sinaiticus and together form the second-best witness to the Book of Revelation. This has led some scholars to conclude that 616 is the original number of the beast.[13][14] Red arrow points to ÏιÏ'(616), "number of the beast" in P115 deciphered in May 2005. Red arrow points to ÏιÏ'(616), "number of the beast" in P115 deciphered in May 2005. Dr. Paul Lewes in his book, A Key to Christian Origins (1932) wrote: "The figure 616 is given in one of the two best manuscripts, C (Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, Paris), by the Latin version of Tyconius (DCXVI, ed. Souter in the Journal of Theology, SE, April 1913), and by an ancient Armenian version (ed. Conybaere, 1907). Irenaeus knew about it [the 616 reading], but did not adopt it (Haer. v.30,3), Jerome adopted it (De Monogramm., ed. Dom G Morin in the Rev. Benedictine, 1903). It is probably original. The number 666 has been substituted for 616 either by analogy with 888, the [Greek] number of Jesus (Deissmann), or because it is a triangular number, the sum of the first 36 numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6...+36 = 666)".[15] Professor David Parker, Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham, thinks that 616, although less memorable than 666, is the original. Dr. Ellen Aitken said, âScholars have argued for a long time over this, and it now seems that 616 was the original number of the beast. It's probably about 100 years before any other version."[16]" - wiki |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-09-16 15:57 |