Mark of the Beast

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[interesting discourse in use of 6's in computing communications]

> to make it forwards.  So we have a 6 at the front, back, and middle:
> six 6's, or 666.  That 666 is all over you kitchen right this very
> moment.

One thing to remember though -- the koine Greek representation is *not*
a series of three sixes "6 - 6 - 6" but rather a statement something
like "six hundred, sixty, and six" represented by *different* Greek
letters, not a repetition of the same symbol.

The decimal-place system of notation did not come into use until well
in this second millenium, traveling from India, to Arabia, through
Muslim Africa, to Spain and then throughout medieval Europe around
the time of Christopher Columbus.

The educated Jews of the first century Roman Empire used Greek.  Numeric
representations were Greek.  The Greek system was similar to the Roman
Numerals we know today -- an additive system where letters represent
numbers, and you add them up.  (Roman numbers also have a subtractive
element which the Greeks lacked, i.e. IV is 5 - 1 = 4).

Now, we have 10 symbols to represented *all* the numbers in the real-
number space  - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  Those ten symbols can
be used to represent any real number (we add _i_ to add the imaginary
number space), including numbers like 666.  But when we look at 666,
what are we seing?  6x100 + 6x10 + 6x1.  The places are significant
to us, and this is all basic stuff we've known since elementary school.
The zero symbol "0" was a Hindu innovation that allows us this decimal
notation.

The 1st Century Greek system used 27 symbols to represent the numbers
from 1 to 999 (with more symbols and tricks to represent number greater
than that).  They had a symbol for "6," another symbol for "60," and yet
another symbol for "600."  Thus, the early Christian, reading the koine
Greek text, saw:

            [chi] and [xi] and [digamma]    (digamma is an obsolete
                                            Greek letter, looking like
             600   +   60    +    6         a sigma and tau super-
                                            imposed on each other)


In other words, the Greek did *not* see a 6 - 6 - 6, but rather three
different symbols that add up to the number 666.  The context of the
passage is of numbers, so it's almost certain the writer was playing
numerological games.  Also, numerology was common amongst Greeks and
Hebrews.  The likeliest candidate of 666 is considered to be the Roman
Emporer Nero.

Regarding the invisible stamp and the wand: flourescent ink and a U.V.
light to indicate the person has paid and can be readmitted if they have
to leave.  They do the same thing at amusement parks.

Richard Masoner