[B-Greek] Textual question (WAS: Rev 13:18)
J. Ted Blakley
jtb1 at st-andrews.ac.uk
Wed Jul 7 07:35:16 EDT 2004
Frank wrote:
> Actually, that should be CXF'
> (digamma or stigma [final sigma], not plain sigma).
>
> UBS 3-4 does show an alternate reading here, found
> in p47 and some other manuscripts. P47 is the oldest
> manuscript of that section of Revelation and might
> very well carry the correct reading, especially since
> the use of the letters as numerals was very common.
> In my transcription of the verse (earlier), I have
> been presumptuous enough to suppose CXF' to be
> the original reading.
>
> C = 600
> X = 60
> F = 6
>
> In numeral form, this is a straightforward 666.
> If original, it also tells the readers to use letters as
> numbers when calculating the number of the wild
> animal's human name, but that fact is probably
> something that they were used to already.
Ted writes:
Frank, this was a helpful correction; a few clarifications if you or anyone
else has the time.
So when I see in the NA a chi, xi, final sigma what I really should be
reading is a chi, xi, digamma/stigma.
... Why didn't the NA put in a digamma instead of a final sigma? (Although I
did notice that the NA puts an acute accent after the three letters, perhaps
this is to signify that the final sigma is really a digamma?)
... Or am I to understand that the symbol I have come to know as the final
sigma had two functions signalled by context, i.e., at the end of the word
this symbol was used to represent a sigma and at the end of a number it was
used to represent a digamma/stigma?
In Beale's *The Book of Revelation* in the NIGTC series, on page 719n298, he
talks about the two variants, 666 and 616, and represents them as follows
(CXZ = 666, CIZ = 616), that is, he takes the final letter as a zeta.
... Any idea what is going on here? Is this a mistake, or is there something
else I am unaware of?
Sincerely,
Ted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
J. Ted Blakley
Ph.D. Candidate St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews
35 Auldburn Park
St. Andrews, Fife KY16 8JD
01334-479843
jtb1 at st-andrews.ac.uk
> Forwarded for: Frank Daniels <EgwEimi at aol.com>
> Message-ID: <117.34f42909.2e1c9f21 at aol.com>
> Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 20:34:41 EDT
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Textual question (WAS: Rev 13:18)
>
> Anthony wrote:
>
> I have read that in the text of Revelation 13:18, the oldest manuscripts
do
> not spell out the number 666, but simply have three Greek letters: CXS. My
> UBS v.2 does not support this.
>
>
> A saying recorded at the time (in this case,
> about Nero Caesar) was:
>
>
> "Add the numerical values
>
> Of the letters in Nero's name,
>
> And in 'murdered his own mother'
>
> You will find they are the same."
>
> (Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Nero 39,
> translated)
>
> Since Nero HAD murdered his own mother,
> this was a humerous jab at the emperor who had
> done that very thing -- perhaps a way of saying
> that he was destined to kill mommy. (Note:
> this was brought up at least once on B-Greek, in
> April, 2000.) Similar "rhymes" and word games
> exist with other expressions. For example (and
> digressing a bit), some say that the reason why
> the lineage of Jesus in Matthew's account is
> simplified into groups of fourteen generations is
> because the Hebrew consonantal form of "David"
> adds to 14 if calculated numerically.
> This can be verified, but we don't know the
> author's rationale for certain.
>
> Anyway, CXF' might very well be the original
> reading, instead of the spelled-out form.
>
> Frank
>
> Frank Daniels
> EgwEimi at aol.com
>
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