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Sergey E. Rysev
Qumran, False Prophets And The Number Of The Beast
Among numerous coincidences
between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament (that representatives of
academic science can’t or don’t want to notice) is the end of the so-called
Damascus Document, one of significant texts of the Qumran library, and the most
intriguing chapters of the Revelation, or Apocalypse, narrating about the dragon,
the beast and the false prophet.
There is no doubt that the
dragon in the last book of the New Testament represents everything negative,
devilish and satanic (Rev 20:2). The image of the beast with seven heads and ten
horns that comes up out of the sea is also quite transparent. Sober-minded
commentators of the Apocalypse agree that this creature embodies the Roman
Empire. It should be indicated at once that the beast is likened to a leopard
(13:2) which corresponds not to the fourth but the third kingdom in the book of
Daniel (Dan 7:6,17), though the vast majority of interpreters see Rome in the
former one. Thus a conclusion suggests itself that the fourth kingdom which the
book of Daniel describes in more details and which is predicted to be given to
the holy people (7:22) under leadership of the Son of Man (7:13-14) is Israel!
Much more puzzling in the Revelation
is another beast (or the false prophet), with a lamb’s horns, who unlike the
first beast ‘comes up out of the earth’ (13:11). He can make fire come down out
of heaven, performs miracles, forces all who live on the earth to worship the
first beast, threatening to kill those who won’t do it, and intends to put a
mark on the hands and foreheads of all people without which ‘no one can buy or
sell’ (13:12-17). A suitable answer to the question what historical figure is
hidden behind this description hasn’t yet been given. Also, still problematic is
the notorious number of the beast that can be calculated if the name of the
first beast is known (13:18).
Analyzing the described actions of the
false prophet, it can be suggested that ‘the earth’ out of which he comes up is
Palestine and those who live on it are Jews. Then it follows the author of the
Apocalypse speaks about his ideological opponent who was tolerant towards Rome.
Now, looking at the above mentioned Damascus Document, we find a similar
historical situation and a gold-mine of coincidences with the chapter 13 of the
Apocalypse.
This document represents a kind of manifest
addressed to the members of a community that settled “in the land of Damascus” (CD
6,5). It includes two texts, A and B, the latter (pages 19 and 20) being partial
remaking of and addition to pages 7 and 8 of text A. It seems some changes in
the political situation forced the author of text B to make amendments in the
original message. Page 8 (and 19) of this message says about the path of
traitors to which the verse 32:33 of Deuteronomy is attached (‘Their wine is
serpents’ venom and cruel poison of asps’). The verse is immediately revealed in
the following manner, ‘The serpents are the kings of the peoples and the wine is
their paths, and the asps’ poison is the head of the kings of Yavan (Greece)
coming to take vengeance on them’ (8,9-11; 19,21-24). Next, the text states this
hasn’t been understood by followers of the lying preacher and they will be
punished by God.
Definition ‘the head of the
kings of Yavan’ doesn’t pose a problem. In the time when the Qumran manuscripts
were written, such a head could be only Rome that had subdued all the
Hellenistic kingdoms of the East Mediterranean. For a comparison, the Apocalypse
says, ‘The woman... is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth’
(17:18). Before this the author of the Revelation tries to explain what he means
by the seven heads and ten horns. The heads are quite understandable: they are
both the seven hills on which Rome (woman, prostitute) is situated and the
sequence of Roman emperors (17:9-10). But the ten horns became a serious
challenge for the commentators. It is thought they might be Parthian satrapies
or even Roman provinces.
Indeed, the author of the Apocalypse
made his ten horns (kings) somewhat ambivalent. On one hand, they will hate and
destroy the prostitute (17:16) but, on the other hand, they are doomed to give
their power and kingdom to the beast (17:13,17). It should be noticed that these
horns were also taken from the book of Daniel (7:7,20,24). Thus, it can be
concluded that, in the Old Testament’s prophesy, they symbolize the royal
dynasty of Hasmoneans (there were exactly ten of them) and that the horn which
is different from the earlier ones and makes three of them fall is Herod. The
author of the Revelation, finding himself in a difficult situation, brought the
events into heaven where, logically, the Lamb abode against whom the ten kings
should fight (17:14).
Returning to the Damascus
Document, before the passage with ‘the head of the kings of Yavan’ texts B
predicts that only the faithful will be saved in the coming period of visitation.
They will live for a thousand generations (compare with the kingdom of those who
will come to life, lasting for a thousand years – Rev 20:4) and all the traitors
will be delivered up to the sword. Alongside, a reference to the frightening
verses from the book of Ezekiel (9:4-6) is given where assistants of God kill
everyone except those who have the mark on their foreheads (‘To make with a sign
the foreheads of those who sigh and groan’ – CD 19,11-13). Further, the members
of the community are ordered not to make any agreement with traitors pertaining
to property and work (CD 20,7). Still further, it is said that the pact
concluded in the land of Damascus is the new covenant (!) and that from the day
of the demise of the Only Teacher (cf. ‘you have only one Teacher’ – Mt 23:8)
till the end of all the men of war who turned aside with the Liar there shall be
about forty years (CD 20,12-15).
According to one point of view,
the Apocalypse was written in 68/69 CE. Indeed, judging by the verse 11:2 (‘the
outer courts... have been given to the heathens, who will trample on the Holy
City for forty-two months’) it can be assumed Jerusalem was encircled by an
enemy at the time. Jesus died approximately 40 years earlier. Majority of the
experts believe Qumran was seized by Romans in 68 CE (see ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls
As A Source On Palestine History Of 1st Century CE’ - http://ec-dejavu.ru/q/Qumran-en.html
). It follows text B of the Damascus Document could appear soon after that event.
The author of the Revelation
who calls himself John (1:1, etc.) was obviously unable to make fire come down
out of heaven (13:13). However this could be done by other disciples of Jesus,
James and John, sons of Zebedee, who wanted to punish the inhospitable
Samaritans exactly in such manner (Luke 9:54). They also assured Jesus they
could drink the cup he drank and could be baptized in the way he was baptized (Mk
10:38-39). ‘Sons of thunder’ (Mk 3:17), together with Peter, formed the inner
circle of the apostles (cf. ‘In the Community council there shall be twelve men
and three priests’ - 1QS 8,1, Rule of the Community). The three were beside
Jesus in the most mysterious and dramatic moments of his preaching, for example
when he resurrected the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:51). In the Acts, Peter and
John are shown as experienced disciples of Jesus performing healings and giving
the Holy Spirit to the believers (Acts 3:1-9, 8:14-17, etc.).
So if the Apocalypse was
written not by John Zebedee, who is its author? Even though he couldn’t make
fire come down he was versed in the book of Daniel and other Old Testament
scriptures while Peter and John were uneducated men (Acts 4:13). Archangel
Michael (Dan 12:1) is mentioned only twice in the New Testament. In the
Revelation he fights against the dragon (12:7) and in the strongly-worded
epistle of Jude, brother of James (and Jesus, accordingly), he quarrels with the
devil (Jude 1:9). Here it’s relevant to quote a passage from a less known Coptic
text that narrates about deeds of Paul who says the following, ‘Men brethren,
hearken to what befell me when I was in Damascus... I entered into a great
church with the blessed Judas, the brother of the Lord...’ (Hennecke, vol. 2, p.
388). Incidentally, these apocryphal words of the least of the apostles
correlate with the Acts where in Damascus Paul finds himself in the house of
Judas (9:11).
In the end of this short
research, the problem of number 666 will be touched upon. Many think this number
conceals the phrase ‘Nero(n) Caesar’. But in this case one significant detail
isn’t taken into account: in the Talmudic literature the words ‘Caesar’ and
‘Neron’ spell usually with the letter ‘yod’ (Jastrow, pp. 909, 1365), thus
increasing the numerical value of the phrase by as much as 20 units. More
important, the emperor Nero personifies only one of the heads whereas the given
number relates to the whole beast.
As a possible solution of this
unending question, an above mentioned phrase from the Damascus Document will be
suggested, namely ‘the head of the kings of Yavan’, or ‘rosh malkhy yavan’ in
Hebrew (resh-aleph-shin mem-lamed-khaph-yod yod-vav-nun). Here are simple
arithmetic calculations: (200+1+300)+(40+30+20+10)+(10+6+50) = 501+100+66 = 667.
In the Greek text of the Revelation, the number of the beast is given by means
of three letters – chi, xi and stigma (600 + 60 + 6). Thus, to get 667, the
triad must have the zeta (designating number 7) in the end. The solution offered
is supported by the fact that the lower case zeta, which is found very seldom in
the end of words, can be easily confused with the lower case sigma in the final
position and with the stigma now used only for designation of number 6.
Bibliography
The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition (ed. by
Florentino G. Martinez & Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar), vol. 1,2. Leiden, 1997-98.
Hennecke E. New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1,2. London, 1963, 1965.
Jastrow M. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and
the Midrashic Literature. NY, Berlin, London, 1926.
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