L’Église primitive
The Beast from the Earth and the Mark of the Beast 666
John sees another beast rising up from the earth. It has two horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. It exercises the authority of the first beast and causes the earth to worship the one who was healed of its deadly wound. It performs great signs, even making fire fall from heaven, and deceives people into making an image of the first beast. It is given power to give breath to the image so that it can speak, and all who refuse to worship it are killed. The beast forces everyone – small and great, rich and poor, free and slave – to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead, and no one can buy or sell without the mark. The number of the beast's name is 666.
Apocalypse 13,11-18
11Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.
Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἶχεν κέρατα δύο ὅμοια ἀρνίῳ, καὶ ἐλάλει ὡς δράκων.
12It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and those who dwell in it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρώτου θηρίου πᾶσαν ποιεῖ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. καὶ ⸀ποιεῖ τὴν γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντας ἵνα ⸀προσκυνήσουσιν τὸ θηρίον τὸ πρῶτον, οὗ ἐθεραπεύθη ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ.
13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of everyone.
καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖα μεγάλα, ⸂ἵνα καὶ πῦρ ποιῇ⸃ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ⸂καταβαίνειν εἰς⸃ τὴν γῆν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
14By the signs it was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image of the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived.
καὶ πλανᾷ ⸀τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διὰ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θηρίου, λέγων τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ποιῆσαι εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ, ⸂ὃς ἔχει⸃ τὴν πληγὴν ⸂τῆς μαχαίρης καὶ ἔζησεν⸃.
15It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image could even speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be put to death.
καὶ ἐδόθη ⸀αὐτῷ ⸂δοῦναι πνεῦμα⸃ τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου, ἵνα καὶ λαλήσῃ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου καὶ ποιήσῃ ⸀ἵνα ὅσοι ἐὰν μὴ προσκυνήσωσιν τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου ἀποκτανθῶσιν.
16It forces everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on the right hand or on the forehead,
καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς, καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα ⸀δῶσιν αὐτοῖς ⸀χάραγμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς ἢ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν,
17so that no one can buy or sell unless he bears the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
καὶ ἵνα μή τις ⸀δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.
18Here is wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.[^1]
[^1]: Some manuscripts read six hundred sixteen.
ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου, ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς ⸀αὐτοῦ ⸂ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ⸃.