ON

CHAPTER VI.

THE THREE

SELECTION

EPISEMA, WITH A NUMEROUS

OF AUTHORITIES FOR THE USE OF

THE MARK OVER THE EPISÈMON OR CYPHER

5.

επισημον

THERE are two other eina or cyphers, (besides the exon Fav. V. G. or 5') the first of which is called Kona, the characters are thus written 9. S or ', with the Mark above it is equal to 90 ... and below 4, to 90,000 ... and the second cypher is the επισημον Σανπι, the character of which is (so called because composed of the ancient yua inverted, with a part of the greek – enclosed) and with the Mark above it is equal to 900, but below it is equal to 900,000. Now then as the Apostle John wrote his Revelations in the Greek Language, in which Book the number x§5' or 666 is found, and as he informs us there that Jesus Christ is 1 "the Aλpa" (A) and Queya (1)

σιγμα

1 Rev. i. 8, 11, 17; xxi. 6; xxii. 13.

"The FIRST and the LAST," therefore we conclude that the two LETTERS, A and o, were the First and Last Letters of the Greek Alphabet in the days of St. John; but the or cypher called Σarı ' is evidently placed by Grammarians after a, which is the last Letter of the Greek Alphabet, and, therefore, though apparently composed of two separate Letters, yet we know that it cannot be used for such two letters, inasmuch as that it is neither to be found in the Greek Alphabet, nor among the numerous greek contractions, and that it is always placed after Queya; it must therefore be a forgery to attempt the insertion of this character within the limits of the greek alphabet in the present day. As for the episèmon Korra... q. S or it is clear enough that it has neither the appellation of, nor resemblance to any Greek Letters, or Contractions whatsoever, and consequently cannot be admitted among either of them, but is only used occasionally to denote 90, or 90,000. It may be observed here that the last form of the Kora is somewhat like the Hebrewʼn làmed. Why then should Mr. Faber be so zealous as to prefer one particular form of the Fav, or cypher when it has, I believe, three other forms, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for him to decide which of them approximated the nearest to the original character? If however he could determine the point to the greatest possible nicety, still the επισημαν would continue to be the επίσημον or cypher to the last. I should be glad therefore to learn from Mr. Faber what double letters of the

greek alphabet the two last mentioned onμa (viz. KOTTα and Eα) may be entitled to hold in the alphabetical scale of the greek LETTERS or table of CONTRACTIONS? For if the substitute of the obsolete δι-γαμμα, which is now styled επισημον Ταν, or s' may be revived with the established novel power of two distinct letters-σιγμα and του .. contracted-why may not the other two ex or cyphers assume the form and value of double letters, or the ligatures of such? (viz. Konna, the characters of which are 4. S or and Zava, the character of which is '.) Till the precise and individual value of these two latter inμ be established beyond controversy, I conceive that Mr. Faber's argument proves nothing for the homogeneous' interchange of βλασφημος and Αποςατης, and his subsequent calculation of the or or cypher as if it were the true and undeniable Representative of the contraction 5 or σT; which is most absurd, because the end or cypher has not been proved to be the legitimate and orthographical representative of the contraction in calculating names of Men, cities, words, &c. For the same reason that would raise the etion Favor cypher to the rank and numerical value of the contraction 5, which is equal to two Letters, would also raise the επισημον Κοππα . . . and επισημον Σανπι to a similar rank and numerical value with certain contractions or Ligatures of certain other Letters. Such a system however must inevitably do away with the present order and established value and intention of the three na or numerical cyphers, which were

στ

merely introduced for numerical purposes and to supply the deficiency of the Greek Alphabet which consists of twenty-four Letters.

...

If Mr. Faber had wished to make a complete NAME of a MAN, answerable to the "wisdom" and "understanding" of which St. John speaks, it is certain that he would have had recourse to the twenty-four LETTERS of the greek alphabet, and to them only, in the same manner Irenæus has, by the production of three proper names as Ευανθας Aativos... and Teτav ... and in which method IRENEUS has been followed by HIPPOLYTUS MARTYR...ARETAS... and all judicious commentators who have written upon the Number 666; but to render the word βλασφημος synonymous with Αποςατης, and then to convert the eiv Fav or cypher s' into the contraction 5, is no mark of a scholar; for after all is said and done, APOSTATÈS must remain an indefinite and ANONYMOUS character, having nothing whatever to do with the name of a MAN-whereas it must be remembered that it is the NUMBER CONjointly with the NAME of a MAN of which St. John speaks; for the NUMBER of a MAN must imply the NAME of a MAN, and the NAME of the MAN must imply the LETTERS of HIS NAME, and the LETTERS of HIS NAME must CONTAIN "the NUMBER of HIS NAME" which is declared to be xs' or 666, but of which a numerical exon or cypher can be no legitimate PART; because, by the spurious use of the episèmon as the supposed representative of the contraction of or or 5 in the word Ansarns an HIATUS

is thereby produced by the ABSENCE OF THE CONTRACTION which is equal to two letters; viz. σ' and τ: or a REDUNDANCY OF NUMBERS is produced by the retention of the said two Letters in their UNCONTRACTED form, whereupon comes the destruction of Mr. Faber's opinion. . and, therefore, the indefinite word Αποτατης Οι Αποσίατης in its CONTRACTED OF UNCONTRACTED form, can have nothing to do with the NAME or NUMBER of THE BEAST, which is that of a MAN, whose proper and Appellative Name has been better cONJECTURED upon more authentic PREMISES by St. Irenæus, &c.

It may be noted here that when any of the foregoing on are used in unison with the LETTERS of the greek alphabet, they INVARIABLY specify NUMBERS and not LETTERS or CONTRACTIONS of any sort or description, and that therefore, according to the Greek mode of calculation, they ought to have a small Mark, similar to an acute accent, oVER them as or UNDER them as 5 and so with the other two επισημα (viz. Κοππα and Σανπι) in order to shew their distinct numerical power, i. e. whether they are meant to denote 6, or 6,000 . . . 90, or 90,000 ... 900, or 900,000. And this little Mark, or Dot, or Accent (-) in whatever form it may be made is enough, not only to distinguish the episèmon s' from the contraction 5 (which latter has no such Mark, or Dot, or Accent belonging to it at any time, and consequently no such number as the episèmon ≤', because the Mark is the distinguishing characteristic of the number represented by it) but it equally

F