Virtually every reference to the "beast" in the Hebrew Old Testament is a multiple of 616 and appears throughout the New Testament in connection with related topics (e.g. the Greek for "deceived", "the harlot", "evil", "wickedness", is 616 or a multiple thereof). The idea that 666 is the "number of the beast" could well be a myth, therefore, unless both numbers are appropriate. Since Nero in Hebrew adds up to 666, the appearance of this number may well be accounted for in the later manuscripts as Christians sought to identify this antichrist with the end-time Beast..