Number of the Beast Testamentum Graece, note 616 as a variant. The Number of the Beast is described in Revelation 13:15–18. Several translations have been interpreted for the meaning of the phrase "Here is Wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast" where the peculiar Greek word ("psephisato") is used. Possible translations include "to count", "to reckon" and also "to vote" or "to decide". In the "Textus Receptus", derived from Byzantine text-type manuscripts, the number 666 is represented by the Greek numerals , with the Greek ligature stigma () representing the number 6: In the "Novum Testamentum Graece", the number
Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation the number in question. It is the number of the beast, the papacy; it is the number of his name, for he adopts it as his distinctive title; it is the number of a man, for he who bears it is the "man of sin." Prominent Adventist scholar J. N. Andrews also adopted this view. Uriah Smith maintained his interpretation in the various editions of "Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation", which was influential in the church. Various documents from the Vatican contain wording such as ""Adorandi Dei Filii Vicarius, et Procurator quibus numen aeternum summam Ecclesiae sanctae dedit"", which