616 on MTV

In the latest of the articles on the alternative number of the beast, still prowling around the media and stalking up here and there, MTV write the following piece:

666 Not So Evil? '616' Revelation Might Bedevil Metalheads

. . . "It is clearly an important new manuscript, giving us a relatively very early copy of the text of Revelation," said Christopher Tuckett, a theology professor at Oxford University's Pembroke College. "It is probably not the earliest manuscript of Revelation that we have ... but this is the first time [the 616 reading] has been found in such an early text."

Fear of 666 is so extensive it actually has a name — hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia — and has inspired everything from televangelist speeches to Hollywood films. The numbers have long been appropriated into the heavy-metal lexicon and symbology. Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Danzig and Sepultura have featured depictions of "666" on their album covers, Slipknot have decorated their stage set with 666 signs, and hordes of other bands have incorporated 666 symbols into T-shirts, stickers and other merchandise . . . .

I'll bet it's the first time Chris Tuckett has appeared in the same article as Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath! And if you are looking for a good quiz question, "What is hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia?" is worth adding.

Meanwhile, check up also Hypotyposeis, Ralph the Sacred River, rogueclassicism, FilmChat and Helenann Hartley for more recent blog entries.