discovery required, applying it to the Latin Church and Papal Hierarchy." "But this mode of calculation has fallen into discredit, by the fact, resulting from experience, that there is no end to the multitude of names which may be composed by such fabrications; and that not only the antichristian Chiefs, but the most eminent of our reformers may be, and have been thus designated by their adversaries." "Archdeacon Wrangham has the merit of displaying in a very small compass, a learned and critical view of many attempts in the ancient languages, and by various modes of calculation, to devise names applicable to the mystery of the Number of the Beast. The facility with which these adaptations are made, has occasioned an infinite number of them. 'Scarcely,' says he, has a single controversy started up, in which this accommodating number (666) may not be ranged on either side."" “And we may add," says the Dean, of them afford that satisfactory conviction which attends the PERFECT DISCOVERY of an HIDDEN MYSTERY. There is wanting that flash of illumination, that lively sense of having passed from darkness to light, which so delightfully affects us upon the SOLUTION of a WELL-FORMED ENIGMA.' "that NONE However, the learned Archdeacon has not yet thought proper to relinquish entirely the mode of computation practised by Irenæus, and has presented us with the word Arоçaтns, thus acquired." It had been well if Dean Woodhouse had confined himself to the terms of his own CONFESSION-"I MUST STILL CONFESS," says the Dean," as I did in my former work, MY INABILITY TO SOLVE THIS ENIGMA; " but he should not have thrown a direct STUMBLING-BLOCK in the way of 2" STUDENTS IN PROPHETICAL SCRIPTURE," by insinuating that the 66 MODE OF CALCULATION" (used by IRENEUS) HAS FALLEN INTO DISCREDIT." I would not invidiously wish to inquire by whom, or through whom, THIS MODE OF CALCULATION HAS FALLEN INTO DISCREDIT; but I would only here observe, that as St. JOHN wrote his "Book of THE REVELATION" in the GREEK LANGUAGE, and "the NUMBER of THE MAN," is written in GREEK CHARACTERS, X5', so the presumption is that the NAME of the MAN must likewise be written in GREEK CHARACTERS answerable to the GREEK NUMBER-and as IRENEUS was the Disciple of POLYCARP, and POLYCARP of St. JOHN-and that IRENEUS was confessedly a GREEK FATHER of great distinction, who has left us his opinion in the writing of THREE Names in GREEK LETTERS, viz. Aarewos, Têirav, and Evavbas, we are therefore justified in believing that the Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Italian, English, and all other Languages must be out of this Question. Further; "THE MODE of CALCULATING GREEK NAMES and NUMBERS does not stand upon the sole opinion of IRENÆUS; but was well known before ST. JOHN's time, or that وو 1 WOODHOUSE, page 304. 2 See the Dean's Title Page to his Annotations on the Apocalypse. Apostle would not have thus written the No. 666, by xs'; wherefore, this present " MODE of CALCU The GREEK Version of the OLD TESTAMENT called the SEPTUAGINT," was written long before the commencement of the CHRISTIAN ERA, and we find that the Number 666 occurs TWICE in that Version written at full length, ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ, [See EZRA ii. 13; 1 KINGS X. 14,] hence it is clear that the GREEKS had a MODE of CALCULATING at that time, or how could they have expressed those Numbers in writing? In proof of this position Dr. S. T. Bloomfield in his English Notes appended to the GREEK TESTAMENT, on this GREEK NUMBER Xs' has quoted HEINRICH. "This (says It Rev. xiii. 18. Τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ὀνόματος.] Heinrich) is to be explained from the Cabbala of the Jews, and that part of it called Gematria. means the number which is made up, by reducing the numeral power to each of the LETTERS of which the name is composed, and bringing it to a sum total. That ART, now held in merited contempt, WAS IN THE TIME of the APOSTLE held in GREAT HONOur not only among the Jews, but also the GREEKS, as we may collect from ARTEMID. ONEIR. i. 12." See more "in HEINRICH's elaborate Excursus IV. on the whole passage. Consult also the following authorities, "DE GRÆ CORUM NOTIS ARITHMETICIS COMPENDIUM, ex HaDRIANI AMEROTIS SCRIPTIS," and "HERODIANI DE IISDEM TRACTATUS.” Bishop Dounhame: "De Antichristo.” Lib. vi. Cap. 4. as quoted in Dr. H. More's Works. Page 594. Dr. Adam Clarke's Commentary on the 18th verse of the xiiith chapter of the Revelations, wherein are set forth a great variety of ancient examples of the 'mode of calculating' among the Greeks. ST. JEROME'S Commentary on Amos concerning the mode of calculating αβραξας and μείθρας, also on Zechariah concerning the mode of calculating επτακισχίλιους and χριστιανούς. [See Hierony, Cap. 3. Comment. in Amos c. 3. and ibid. Comment in Zachariah. c. viii.] LAMY'S apparatus Biblicus. "Concordantiæ Litterarum Hebraicarum et Græcarum. P. 349. Edit. LUGDUNI. 1723. See the Table of the 24 Greek Letters, with the Three entonμa, considered arithmetically, and a Table of the Combination of Numbers, set forth at the end of this work, and in almost every Greek Grammar. See also other examples of GREEK NUMERALS set forth in the viith CHAPTER of the REVELATION of ST. JOHN, in the following (with many other) Editions of the GREEK TESTAMENT, as gud for 144 and 28' for 12. Novum Testamemtum Græcè. ARGENTORATIUM. Apud Wolfium. A. D. 1524 Græcum. VENETIIS. Melchioris Sessæ.. A. D. 1538 Græcè. BASILEE. Apud Nicholaum A. D. 1548 Brylingerum. Græcum Variantes Lectiones tam ex manu- A. D. 1612 A. D. 1658 Added to which our Lord Jesus Christ is, by St. John styled A and o, i. e. "THE FIRST" and "THE LAST," inasmuch as aλga (A,) being the FIRST Numeral Letter of the Greek Alphabet, is, with peculiar propriety, applied to our Lord Jesus Christ; and queya (0) being the LAST Letter of the Greek Alphabet is, with equal propriety, applied to CHRIST, as being THE LAST.” Εγω ειμι τὸ Α και τὸ Ω, ὁ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ καὶ ὁ ΕΣΧΑΤΟΣ Rev. i. 8, 11; xxi. 6 ; xxii. 13. Wherefore, we may very properly annex to these facts, certain other words of St. John, viz. "THY WORD IS TRUTH." John xvii. 17. And last of all I shall instance : The Confession of Professor Lee, as exhibited in his "Dissertations on Prophecy" in the Year 1830, wherein he expresses a doubt, whether this Number xes' is not a "false reading." The Professor thus writes: 1" Whatever the NUMERALS 666 may mean, we cannot have the least difficulty in ascertaining the scope of the passage. Irenæus gives (AATEINOE) 'Lee's Dissertations on Prophecy. Rev. xiii. Diss. ii. Sec. iii. p. 328. |