Istoric vorbind nici macar nu se stie exact daca numarul a fost corect inregistrat in Biblie.

,,While many Bible have footnotes saying the number translated from the original Greek could be 616, experts say new photographic evidence of an ancient fragment of papyrus from Revelation indeed indicates the number is indeed 616, instead of 666.Scholars in England have been using modern technology to scour some 400,000 bits of papyri which were originally discovered in 1895 at a dump outside the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus. Many of the sections have been damaged and discolored, but an imaging process is shedding new light on the sacred text, believed to have originally been penned by John, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles.

“This is a very nice piece to find,”Ellen Aitken, a professor of early Christian history at McGill University, told Canada’s National Post.“Scholars have argued for a long time over this, and it now seems that 616 was the original number of the beast.”The papyrus in the spotlight is believed to be from about 300 A.D.“This is very early confirmation of that number, earlier than any other text we’ve found of that passage,” Aitken said. “It’s probably about 100 years before any other version.”

The main researcher promoting the 616 claim is David Parker, professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham in England.“This is an example of gematria, where numbers are based on the numerical values of letters in people’s names,” Parker told the UK’s Independent. “Early Christians would use numbers to hide the identity of people who they were attacking: 616 refers to the Emperor Caligula.”

In alt ordine de idei mai multi cercetatori afirma ca legenda Antihristului este in esenta transformarea antropomorfica
ulterioara a mitului Dragonului babilonian,unul dintre cele mai vechi mituri dezvoltate de omul primitiv.Acesta optica ar fi sustinuta de ultimele cercetari cu privire la folclorul babilonian.In general in jurul profetiilor din Daniel si Apocalipsa s-a dezvoltat,in raport de figura Antihristului,o adevarata psihoza a iminentei Judecatii de Apoi,psihoza plina de tulburari,inflamari si confuzii carora le-au cazut victime inclusiv teologi de valoare precum Hipolit si Irineu.Origen chiar nota cu privire la aceste aspecte ,,Intrucat au existat pesemne in sanul evreilor unii care ziceau ca stiu despre Lucrurile de pe Urma,fie din Sfanta Scriptura fie din surse tainice,el[Pavel]le cerea ucenicilor sai sa nu ia in seama asemenea vorbe si sa nu se increada in ele".

Conceptia potrivit careia Antihrist este cel ce va ajunge sa stapineasca lumea prin pacat si faradelege,cu putin inante de a Doua Venire a Domnului,poate fi identificata si in eshatologia iudaica,indeosebi in profetia lui Daniel ce dateaza din perioada macabeeana.Apocalipsa insa ramine in esenta,mai presus de interpretari,o naratiune ce reuneste cele mai vechi marturii ale unei umanitati care desi este tulburata de apropierea Judecatii de Apoi spera deopotriva intr-un viitor mai bun.Acest consideratii le-am extras dintr-o lucrare a lui Wilhelm Bousset,intitulata ,,Antihristul:marturii ale Bibliei si traditiei"si care,departe de nebunia ce pare ca se propaga in prezent,nimic anormal insa in raport de situatiile precedente,este o lucrare sobra,rationala si echilibrata,lucru rar in ziua de azi.