What interested me most in the first three chapters of Jonathan Kirsch’s A History of the End of the World is what was referred to as St. John’s cryptogram. While reading the Book of Revelations, it was difficult not to notice the abundance of numerical references throughout the texts. Not just to be taken literally, I knew that the numbers had other meanings. The number 666 was most interesting because it is referred to as the number of the beast. Beyond that, many have tried to decipher the value behind 666, which corresponds to a name in Latin, Hebrew, or Greek. The number can be deciphered in so many different ways so there is not necessarily one right answer. Several names fit the puzzle, but varieties in spelling must also be put into account. Furthermore, the number of the beast is sometimes depicted as 616 in earlier manuscripts, which adds to the dilemma of solving the puzzle.
St. John’s cryptogram is only an example of one of the many ways that different people can interpret the Book of Revelation as a whole. Based solely on one example, I can finally understand why the Book of Revelation would be the inspiration of so many who predict the apocalypse. There is so much material in the Book of Revelations that can be interpreted in so many ways. If one prophet’s interpretation of the apocalypse turns out not to be true, another prophet can easily come by and interpret the text in a novel way.
I totally agree with you in terms of what say about how its material can be interpreted in many different ways. Its murkiness strikes me like an inkblot onto which people can project their own feelings and leanings. Taking this line of thought further, I think we can also say that it’s a tremendously dangerous text, as its obscure nature could lead people in power and the mentally unstable down unsavory paths.