616 (six hundred
ndsixteen) is the
natural number
In mathematics, the natural numbers are the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on, possibly excluding 0. Some start counting with 0, defining the natural numbers as the non-negative integers , while others start with 1, defining them as the positive in ...
following
615 and preceding
617.
While
666 is called the "
number of the beast
The number of the beast (, ) is associated with the The Beast (Revelation), Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of ...
" in most manuscripts of
Revelation
Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
,
a fragment of the
papyrus 115 gives the number as 616.
In mathematics
616 is a member of the
Padovan sequence, coming after 265, 351, 465 (it is the sum of the first two of these). 616 is a
polygonal number
In mathematics, a polygonal number is a Integer, number that counts dots arranged in the shape of a regular polygon. These are one type of 2-dimensional figurate numbers.
Polygonal numbers were first studied during the 6th century BC by the Ancien ...
in four different ways: it is a
heptagonal number, as well as 13-, 31- and 104-gonal.
It is also the sum of the
squares
In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
of the
factorials of 2,3,4: (2!)² + (3!)² + (4!)² = 4+36+576=616.
The 616th
harmonic number
In mathematics, the -th harmonic number is the sum of the reciprocals of the first natural numbers:
H_n= 1+\frac+\frac+\cdots+\frac =\sum_^n \frac.
Starting from , the sequence of harmonic numbers begins:
1, \frac, \frac, \frac, \frac, \dot ...
is the first to exceed seven.
Number of the beast
666 is generally believed to have been the original
Number of the Beast
The number of the beast (, ) is associated with the The Beast (Revelation), Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of ...
in the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
in the
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. In 2005, however, a fragment of
papyrus 115 was revealed, containing the earliest known version of that part of the Book of Revelation discussing the Number of the Beast. It gave the number as 616, suggesting that this may have been the original.
One possible explanation for the two different numbers is that they reflect two different spellings of Emperor
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
/Neron's name, for which (according to this theory) this number is believed to be a code.
In other fields
*
Earth-616 is the name used to identify the primary
continuity in which most
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
' titles take place.
*
616 film, a medium film format.
*
Area code 616, an area code in
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
.
References
{{Integers, 6
Integers